Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between resident 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 resident assistant and a behavioral assistant. Additionally, a behavioral assistant has an average salary of $39,681, which is higher than the $29,971 average annual salary of a resident assistant.
The top three skills for a resident assistant include home health, CPR and vital signs. The most important skills for a behavioral assistant are behavioral interventions, mental health, and patients.
| Resident Assistant | Behavioral Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $29,971 | $39,681 |
| Hourly rate | $14.41 | $19.08 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 19,033 | 80,685 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
Resident assistants help manage peers or younger students who live in a particular residence hall on campus. They are usually in charge of welcoming fellow students, providing residence hall tours, and helping students cope with their new environment. To help students become more at ease with their environment, resident assistants usually act as buddies. They answer inquiries that the students may have and act as the bridge between the students and the residence hall management. They assist with administrative activities in the residence hall, such as handing out forms for students and ensuring documents are correctly filled out.
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.
Resident assistants and behavioral assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Resident Assistant | Behavioral Assistant | |
| Average salary | $29,971 | $39,681 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $39,000 | Between $29,000 And $53,000 |
| Highest paying City | Roseville, CA | Santa Maria, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Mount St. Mary's University | Physician Affiliate Group of New York |
| Best paying industry | Education | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a resident assistant and a behavioral assistant in terms of educational background:
| Resident Assistant | Behavioral Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 62% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | SUNY at Binghamton | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between resident assistants' and behavioral assistants' demographics:
| Resident Assistant | Behavioral Assistant | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.0% Female, 66.0% | Male, 28.7% Female, 71.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.1% Asian, 6.7% White, 58.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.1% | 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% |