How much does a resident advisor make?

The average resident advisor salary in the United States is $25,324. Resident advisor salaries typically range between $16,000 and $39,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for resident advisors is $12.18 per hour. Resident advisor salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Resident advisors earn the highest average salary in Maine.

Resident advisor salary

Q: What state pays Resident Advisors the most?

Maine pays Resident Advisors the most in the United States, with an average salary of $34,345 per year, or $16.51 per hour.

Q: How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a resident advisor?

You know if you are being paid fairly as a resident advisor if your pay is close to the average pay for the state you live in. For example, if you live in Utah you should be paid close to $31,426 per year.

Average resident advisor salary

$12.18

$25,324 yearly

Entry-level resident advisor salary

$16,000 yearly salary

Updated January 8, 2025

Average Resident Advisor Salary

The average salary for a Resident Advisor across the United States is around $25,324 annually. This figure, which equates to approximately $12 per hour, varies significantly based on location and experience. Many universities offer competitive compensation packages, which may include room and board along with the base salary, making the role financially attractive for students.

Factors Influencing Salary

Salaries for Resident Advisors can differ due to several factors:

State: States like California and New York tend to offer higher salaries due to the cost of living.
Experience Level: Those with more years in the role typically command higher pay.
Institution Type: Private universities may offer different compensation compared to public institutions.

Examining these aspects can help prospective Resident Advisors make informed decisions about their career path. For those interested in enhancing their college experience while earning a stipend, becoming a Resident Advisor could be a rewarding opportunity.

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Where can a Resident Advisor earn more?

Compare salary by location

49k

29k

-11k

Columbus, OH$31,381

Kettering, OH$18,635

Compare salary by company

75k

55k

35k

15k

-5k

American Ballet Theatre$62,488

The Eagle$24,872

Resident advisor salaries by experience level

Resident advisor salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor and Comparably, the average salary for a resident advisor typically falls between $25,324 and $45,778.

zippia

$25,324yearly

glassdoor[1]

$45,778yearly

comparably[2]

$26,177yearly

Salary.com[3]

$30,001yearly

Average resident advisor salary by state

The highest-paying states for resident advisors are Maine, Utah, and North Dakota. The lowest average resident advisor salary states are Wisconsin, Oklahoma, and Florida.

State view
County view

Average salary:

Highest paying states for resident advisors

Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Utah	$31,426	$15.11
2	North Dakota	$31,219	$15.01
3	Maine	$34,345	$16.51
4	Wyoming	$26,734	$12.85
5	Arizona	$28,450	$13.68
6	Kentucky	$27,870	$13.40
7	California	$31,215	$15.01
8	Illinois	$27,286	$13.12
9	Idaho	$30,058	$14.45
10	New Hampshire	$28,826	$13.86
11	Minnesota	$25,852	$12.43
12	Texas	$26,359	$12.67
13	New York	$26,834	$12.90
14	Alabama	$26,349	$12.67
15	West Virginia	$27,854	$13.39
16	Virginia	$27,152	$13.05
17	Connecticut	$25,992	$12.50
18	North Carolina	$27,088	$13.02
19	Colorado	$25,931	$12.47
20	Maryland	$27,222	$13.09
21	Iowa	$25,522	$12.27
22	Washington	$27,114	$13.04
23	Vermont	$27,566	$13.25
24	Pennsylvania	$24,224	$11.65
25	Kansas	$25,773	$12.39
26	South Dakota	$23,352	$11.23
27	Mississippi	$23,643	$11.37
28	Alaska	$22,625	$10.88
29	Hawaii	$26,554	$12.77
30	Louisiana	$23,882	$11.48
31	Oregon	$26,052	$12.53
32	Tennessee	$22,443	$10.79
33	Nevada	$23,112	$11.11
34	South Carolina	$24,500	$11.78
35	New Jersey	$25,603	$12.31
36	Michigan	$22,326	$10.73
37	Massachusetts	$25,638	$12.33
38	Missouri	$23,341	$11.22
39	Wisconsin	$21,933	$10.54
40	Indiana	$23,441	$11.27
41	New Mexico	$22,761	$10.94
42	Nebraska	$23,131	$11.12
43	Rhode Island	$20,407	$9.81
44	Georgia	$22,424	$10.78
45	Florida	$20,409	$9.81
46	Arkansas	$22,499	$10.82
47	Montana	$23,211	$11.16
48	District of Columbia	$19,250	$9.25
49	Delaware	$19,372	$9.31
50	Ohio	$18,662	$8.97
51	Oklahoma	$20,931	$10.06

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Highest paying cities for resident advisors

The highest-paying cities for resident advisors are Santa Barbara, CA, Saratoga Springs, NY, and Huntington, WV.

Rank	City	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
1	Santa Barbara, CA	$31,381	$15.09
2	Saratoga Springs, NY	$27,966	$13.45
3	Huntington, WV	$27,826	$13.38
4	Charlottesville, VA	$27,105	$13.03
5	Austin, TX	$26,432	$12.71
6	Pueblo, CO	$26,135	$12.56
7	Shakopee, MN	$25,876	$12.44
8	Boston, MA	$25,777	$12.39
9	Des Moines, IA	$25,538	$12.28
10	Charleston, SC	$24,553	$11.80
11	Wilkes-Barre, PA	$24,467	$11.76
12	Juneau, AK	$22,799	$10.96
13	Atlanta, GA	$22,454	$10.80
14	Miami, FL	$20,444	$9.83
15	Wilmington, DE	$19,402	$9.33
16	Kettering, OH	$18,635	$8.96

Resident advisor salary details

A resident advisor's salary ranges from $16,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $39,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average resident advisor salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a resident advisor's salary?

Percentile	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate
90th Percentile	$39,000	$3,250	$19
75th Percentile	$32,000	$2,667	$15
Average	$25,324	$2,110	$12
25th Percentile	$19,000	$1,583	$9
10th Percentile	$16,000	$1,333	$8

Highest paying resident advisor jobs

The highest paying types of resident advisors are community advisor, residential life director, and resident.

Job title	Annual salary	Monthly salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
Residence Director	$48,265	$4,022	$23.20	6,007
Community Advisor	$65,055	$5,421	$31.28	51,226
Resident	$60,589	$5,049	$29.13	14,186
Residential Supervisor	$39,327	$3,277	$18.91	8,846
Residential Advisor	$33,593	$2,799	$16.15	47,150

Top companies hiring resident advisors now:

Which companies pay resident advisors the most?

Resident advisor salaries at American Ballet Theatre and Skidmore College are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average resident advisor salary at companies like University of California and S A F E Inc are highly competitive.

Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate
1	American Ballet Theatre	$62,488	$30.04
2	Skidmore College	$48,227	$23.19
3	University of California	$45,324	$21.79
4	S A F E Inc	$35,689	$17.16
5	University of Georgia Small Business Development Center	$29,756	$14.31
6	Trinity Health	$29,519	$14.19
7	VISTA PACIFICA ENTERPRISES	$28,730	$13.81
8	The GEO Group	$28,548	$13.72
9	Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Albany	$28,321	$13.62
10	CHRIS Kids	$28,253	$13.58
11	FHI 360	$27,698	$13.32
12	Merakey	$26,780	$12.88
13	Universal Health Services	$26,664	$12.82
14	Kettering Health Network	$26,576	$12.78
15	Capstone On Campus Management	$26,382	$12.68
16	Covenant House California	$26,379	$12.68
17	EF Education First	$26,039	$12.52
18	YES House	$25,702	$12.36
19	Ashley Hall	$25,217	$12.12
20	The Eagle	$24,872	$11.96

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$28,000$27,600$27,200$26,800$26,400$26,000

MaleFemale

Resident advisor salary trends

The average resident advisor salary has risen by $5,399 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average resident advisor earned $19,925 annually, but today, they earn $25,324 a year. That works out to a 22% change in pay for resident advisors over the last decade.

Compare resident advisor salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average resident advisor salary over time

Compare resident advisor salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Resident advisor salary by year

Year	Avg. salary	Hourly rate	% Change
2025	$25,300	$12.17	+5.6%
2024	$23,900	$11.50	+5.4%
2023	$22,600	$10.88	+3.7%
2022	$21,800	$10.47	+4.7%
2021	$20,800	$9.98	+2.3%

Recently added resident advisor salaries

Company	Job	Location	Date added	Salary
University of Alaska System	UAA Resident Advisor: Fall '25-Spring '26	Anchorage, AK	06/28/2025	$22,894
Union Station Homeless Services	Resident Advisor	El Verano, CA	06/14/2025	$43,827
Navarro Group	Resident Advisor	Nome, TX	06/10/2025	$17,740
The Salvation Army	Resident Advisor	Wilmington, DE	06/10/2025	$31,305
Intercommunity Action i	Lead Resident Advisor	Philadelphia, PA	06/10/2025	$41,740
The Seed Public Charter School of Washington Dc	Overnight Resident Advisor (RA)	Washington, DC	06/07/2025	$49,045
Big Bend Community College	Trio Upward Bound Resident Advisor	Moses Lake, WA	06/06/2025	$35,479
Under 21 Covenant House New York	Resident Advisor-Over Night	New York, NY	06/05/2025	$41,260
Akua Behavioral Health	Resident Advisor	Sacramento, CA	05/24/2025	$41,740
Under 21 Covenant House New York	Resident Advisor	New York, NY	05/12/2025	$41,343

Resident advisor salary FAQs

What state pays Resident Advisors the most?

How do I know if I'm being paid fairly as a resident advisor?

Have more questions? See all answers to common personal care and attendants questions.

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Updated January 8, 2025

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