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The differences between foster care workers and counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a foster care worker has an average salary of $46,037, which is higher than the $36,225 average annual salary of a counselor.
The top three skills for a foster care worker include foster care, social work and child abuse. The most important skills for a counselor are patients, crisis intervention, and substance abuse.
| Foster Care Worker | Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $46,037 | $36,225 |
| Hourly rate | $22.13 | $17.42 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 151,625 | 77,536 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 2 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A Foster Care Worker helps improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families as well as increases the family's well-being and the academic functioning of children. They counsel families about issues regarding their child's care and develop healthy living situations.
Often, counselors are known to be the go-to person in times we are in need of emotional and psychological support. They help people to manage and overcome the issues which affect their mental health and well-being. Counselors face different kind of situations which may involve trauma, addiction, disabilities, abuse, suicide, anger management, career, and even personal relationships. They provide care, counseling, rehabilitation, and support services. Every counseling requires collaborative effort both from the counselor and client to become effective.
Foster care workers and counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Foster Care Worker | Counselor | |
| Average salary | $46,037 | $36,225 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $65,000 | Between $19,000 And $67,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baltimore, MD | - |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Riverview Health | - |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Education |
There are a few differences between a foster care worker and a counselor in terms of educational background:
| Foster Care Worker | Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Psychology |
| Most common college | Boston University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between foster care workers' and counselors' demographics:
| Foster Care Worker | Counselor | |
| Average age | 42 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 20.1% Female, 79.9% | Male, 38.5% Female, 61.5% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% | Black or African American, 15.6% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 11.1% Asian, 3.5% White, 63.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 9% |