Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between lead counselors and residential counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead counselor has an average salary of $178,478, which is higher than the $34,117 average annual salary of a residential counselor.
The top three skills for a lead counselor include legal advice, litigation and work ethic. The most important skills for a residential counselor are direct care, medication administration, and mental health.
| Lead Counselor | Residential Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $178,478 | $34,117 |
| Hourly rate | $85.81 | $16.40 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 74,247 | 81,287 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | - | 4 |
A Lead Counselor is responsible for the management of patients' mental health and rehabilitation services. Often, they help them to recover from a tragic or traumatic kind of situation. They also help the patient cope with family and job-related stress and other personal issues. They teach other staff and especially clients to educate them in dealing with stress management and eventually monitor their progress. This person should also have strong written and verbal communication skills.
A residential counselor is responsible for guiding and providing the residents with their basic needs and other resources to support them in their daily living. Residential counselors' duties include maintaining the safety of the community by enforcing safety guidelines and procedures for the residents' compliance, organizing productive and engaging community activities, updating the residents of any changes and policies in the community, and resolving conflicts by counseling and understanding each resident's differences. A residential counselor must have excellent communication and decision-making skills to ensure the development of residents in a living facility.
Lead counselors and residential counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Counselor | Residential Counselor | |
| Average salary | $178,478 | $34,117 |
| Salary range | Between $100,000 And $315,000 | Between $27,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Los Angeles, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | MDI | The Evergreens |
| Best paying industry | - | Education |
There are a few differences between a lead counselor and a residential counselor in terms of educational background:
| Lead Counselor | Residential Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between lead counselors' and residential counselors' demographics:
| Lead Counselor | Residential Counselor | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.6% Female, 58.4% | Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 14.2% Asian, 3.7% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | 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 | 11% | 15% |