Priest vs bishop

The differences between priests and bishops can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a priest and a bishop. Additionally, a priest has an average salary of $44,712, which is higher than the $34,665 average annual salary of a bishop.

The top three skills for a priest include pastoral care, spiritual care and educational programs. The most important skills for a bishop are alumni, community services, and .

Priest vs bishop overview

	Priest	Bishop
Yearly salary	$44,712	$34,665
Hourly rate	$21.50	$16.67
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	80	257
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	51	51
Years of experience	4	4

Priest vs bishop salary

Priests and bishops have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Priest	Bishop
Average salary	$44,712	$34,665
Salary range	Between $24,000 And $82,000	Between $24,000 And $48,000
Highest paying City	Campbell, CA	-
Highest paying state	Maine	-
Best paying company	Prime Healthcare	-
Best paying industry	Non Profits	-

Differences between priest and bishop education

There are a few differences between a priest and a bishop in terms of educational background:

	Priest	Bishop
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Theology	Theology
Most common college	Emory University	Emory University

Priest vs bishop demographics

Here are the differences between priests' and bishops' demographics:

	Priest	Bishop
Average age	51	51
Gender ratio	Male, 71.1% Female, 28.9%	Male, 58.6% Female, 41.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 6.6% White, 68.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 6.7% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	16%	16%

Differences between priest and bishop duties and responsibilities

Priest example responsibilities.

Lead Jr and Sr high youth ministries.
Commence a teleconference prayer program to serve church members and the community.
Engage and encourage urban working class congregation through preaching, prayer and share community service.
Participate in all phases of parish life in assignments in inner city, suburban, and rural parishes.
Serve, support and encourage the pastoral leadership by providing oversight of the spiritual health and care of the church body.
Develop and participate in leadership workshops for new leaders and assist new leaders in assuming leadership responsibilities.

Bishop example responsibilities.

Develop, provide oversight and lead all ministries for middle school and high school students and their parents.
Sort and organize bulk monthly mailings and alumni quarterly mailings.
Lead the church in developing a process driven discipleship strategy in growing maturing disciples and disciple-makers enhance.
Develop deacons in fulfilling their respective leadership obligations.

Priest vs bishop skills

Common priest skills

Pastoral Care, 28%
Spiritual Care, 13%
Educational Programs, 7%
Financial Statements, 6%
CPE, 6%
Spiritual Support, 5%

Common bishop skills

Alumni, 50%
Community Services, 50%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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