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The differences between residential counselors and program counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a residential counselor and a program counselor. Additionally, a program counselor has an average salary of $43,820, which is higher than the $34,117 average annual salary of a residential counselor.
The top three skills for a residential counselor include direct care, medication administration and mental health. The most important skills for a program counselor are developmental disabilities, patients, and community integration.
| Residential Counselor | Program Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $34,117 | $43,820 |
| Hourly rate | $16.40 | $21.07 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 81,287 | 133,491 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A residential counselor is responsible for guiding and providing the residents with their basic needs and other resources to support them in their daily living. Residential counselors' duties include maintaining the safety of the community by enforcing safety guidelines and procedures for the residents' compliance, organizing productive and engaging community activities, updating the residents of any changes and policies in the community, and resolving conflicts by counseling and understanding each resident's differences. A residential counselor must have excellent communication and decision-making skills to ensure the development of residents in a living facility.
A Program Counselor is an essential part of a school's faculty. It's the counselor's responsibility to ensure that students are benefiting from the school's educational curriculum. This person is also tasked to help students resolve issues and problems that may hinder any educational progress. They are also part of the disciplinary team intended to instill good morals, ethics, and decency in students. The Program Counselor is one of the teacher or professor who has expertise or has a high educational degree in a particular subject or field.
Residential counselors and program counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Residential Counselor | Program Counselor | |
| Average salary | $34,117 | $43,820 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $42,000 | Between $33,000 And $58,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | Washington | New York |
| Best paying company | The Evergreens | Russell Sage College |
| Best paying industry | Education | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a residential counselor and a program counselor in terms of educational background:
| Residential Counselor | Program Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 60% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between residential counselors' and program counselors' demographics:
| Residential Counselor | Program Counselor | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0% | Male, 35.9% Female, 64.1% |
| 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, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 15% |