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The differences between foster care workers and program counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a foster care worker and a program counselor. Additionally, a foster care worker has an average salary of $46,037, which is higher than the $43,820 average annual salary of a program counselor.
The top three skills for a foster care worker include foster care, social work and child abuse. The most important skills for a program counselor are developmental disabilities, patients, and community integration.
| Foster Care Worker | Program Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $46,037 | $43,820 |
| Hourly rate | $22.13 | $21.07 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 151,625 | 133,491 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 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.
A Program Counselor is an essential part of a school's faculty. It's the counselor's responsibility to ensure that students are benefiting from the school's educational curriculum. This person is also tasked to help students resolve issues and problems that may hinder any educational progress. They are also part of the disciplinary team intended to instill good morals, ethics, and decency in students. The Program Counselor is one of the teacher or professor who has expertise or has a high educational degree in a particular subject or field.
Foster care workers and program counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Foster Care Worker | Program Counselor | |
| Average salary | $46,037 | $43,820 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $65,000 | Between $33,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Baltimore, MD | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New York |
| Best paying company | Riverview Health | Russell Sage College |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a foster care worker and a program counselor in terms of educational background:
| Foster Care Worker | Program Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Psychology |
| Most common college | Boston University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between foster care workers' and program counselors' demographics:
| Foster Care Worker | Program Counselor | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 20.1% Female, 79.9% | Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1% |
| 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, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 15% |