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The differences between human services assistants and behavioral assistants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a human services assistant and a behavioral assistant. Additionally, a behavioral assistant has an average salary of $39,681, which is higher than the $29,921 average annual salary of a human services assistant.
The top three skills for a human services assistant include developmental disabilities, patients and social work. The most important skills for a behavioral assistant are behavioral interventions, mental health, and patients.
| Human Services Assistant | Behavioral Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $29,921 | $39,681 |
| Hourly rate | $14.39 | $19.08 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 158,966 | 80,685 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Human service assistants function in a wide array of capacities. Basically, though, they provide services to clients in fields like rehabilitation, social work, or psychology. They provide support in the aforementioned fields for families and other workers. They are tasked with helping clients discover community services or benefits. Working with other professionals, they develop treatment plans, carry out research services to aid clients, and help clients with necessary paperwork.
Behavioral Assistants are responsible for providing support and capacity in behavioral and clinical services for students with disabilities. Their duties include addressing behavior management safety needs, supporting emotional and social needs, giving academic support, and implementing behavioral improvement plans. They also deal with physical management, behavior de-escalations, and undertake student reviews with the teacher regularly. Behavioral Assistants will also collect data, write student reports, and ensure health and hygiene protocols are adhered to.
Human services assistants and behavioral assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Human Services Assistant | Behavioral Assistant | |
| Average salary | $29,921 | $39,681 |
| Salary range | Between $19,000 And $46,000 | Between $29,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Denver, CO | Santa Maria, CA |
| Highest paying state | Minnesota | Washington |
| Best paying company | ICF | Physician Affiliate Group of New York |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a human services assistant and a behavioral assistant in terms of educational background:
| Human Services Assistant | Behavioral Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 36% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Business | Psychology |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between human services assistants' and behavioral assistants' demographics:
| Human Services Assistant | Behavioral Assistant | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 24.2% Female, 75.8% | Male, 28.7% Female, 71.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 16.0% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 5.9% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.8% | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 20.6% Asian, 6.3% White, 53.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |