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The differences between lead residential counselors and residential specialists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a lead residential counselor, becoming a residential specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a lead residential counselor has an average salary of $36,902, which is higher than the $33,451 average annual salary of a residential specialist.
The top three skills for a lead residential counselor include autism, social work and medication administration. The most important skills for a residential specialist are mental health, crisis intervention, and CPR.
| Lead Residential Counselor | Residential Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $36,902 | $33,451 |
| Hourly rate | $17.74 | $16.08 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 36,355 | 49,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Average age | 41 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
Lead residential counselors and residential specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Residential Counselor | Residential Specialist | |
| Average salary | $36,902 | $33,451 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $46,000 | Between $25,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Boston Higashi School | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a lead residential counselor and a residential specialist in terms of educational background:
| Lead Residential Counselor | Residential Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | Boston University | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between lead residential counselors' and residential specialists' demographics:
| Lead Residential Counselor | Residential Specialist | |
| Average age | 41 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.3% Female, 58.7% | Male, 29.7% Female, 70.3% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 11% |