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The differences between health support specialists and community support specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a health support specialist, becoming a community support specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a community support specialist has an average salary of $39,320, which is higher than the $31,552 average annual salary of a health support specialist.
The top three skills for a health support specialist include patients, social work and CPR. The most important skills for a community support specialist are social work, mental health, and rehabilitation.
| Health Support Specialist | Community Support Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $31,552 | $39,320 |
| Hourly rate | $15.17 | $18.90 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 152,897 | 111,431 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Health Support Specialists are professionals who assist medical professionals in providing health care to improve or restore the mental or physical well-being of their patients. These specialists must create health plans for families while accompanying children with their appointments to receive the necessary health care that is mandated by the federal government. They are required to provide mental health support services by conducting community outreach programs with local vendors and organizations. Health Support Specialists must also conduct counseling sessions for adolescents about substance abuse.
A community support specialist is responsible for supporting and providing care services for citizens with mental health conditions and other medical illnesses. Community support specialists coordinate with organizations and health institutions to generate resources that would help the patients in their daily activities, medications, and treatment plans. They also strategize community events and activities to observe the patients' social and personal behaviors and endorse them to a mental health professional for in-depth examination and counseling.
Health support specialists and community support specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Health Support Specialist | Community Support Specialist | |
| Average salary | $31,552 | $39,320 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $42,000 | Between $27,000 And $56,000 |
| Highest paying City | Oakland, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Medtronic | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a health support specialist and a community support specialist in terms of educational background:
| Health Support Specialist | Community Support Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between health support specialists' and community support specialists' demographics:
| Health Support Specialist | Community Support Specialist | |
| Average age | 42 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 26.8% Female, 73.2% | Male, 28.8% Female, 71.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.7% Asian, 9.4% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 7.0% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |