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The differences between resident assistants and community living 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 community living assistant. Additionally, a community living assistant has an average salary of $30,317, 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 community living assistant are medication reminders, quality care, and patients.
| Resident Assistant | Community Living Assistant | |
| Yearly salary | $29,971 | $30,317 |
| Hourly rate | $14.41 | $14.58 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 19,033 | 72,067 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| 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.
Community living assistants provide fundamental health care and assist patients with daily living activities. They apply practical intervention procedures for behavioral issues as well. It is their job to lessen discomfort and preserve patient dignity while performing duties like bathing. Also, they support housing administration through equipment maintenance, staff contractors, and expense monitoring.
Resident assistants and community living assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Resident Assistant | Community Living Assistant | |
| Average salary | $29,971 | $30,317 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $39,000 | Between $22,000 And $41,000 |
| Highest paying City | Roseville, CA | West Windsor, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | Mount St. Mary's University | American Senior Benefits |
| Best paying industry | Education | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a resident assistant and a community living assistant in terms of educational background:
| Resident Assistant | Community Living Assistant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 38% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Nursing |
| Most common college | SUNY at Binghamton | University of Virginia |
Here are the differences between resident assistants' and community living assistants' demographics:
| Resident Assistant | Community Living Assistant | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.0% Female, 66.0% | Male, 23.0% Female, 77.0% |
| 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, 12.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 7.0% White, 58.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |