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The differences between residential counselors and residential coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a residential counselor, becoming a residential coordinator takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a residential coordinator has an average salary of $39,577, 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 residential coordinator are crisis intervention, direct supervision, and CPR.
| Residential Counselor | Residential Coordinator | |
| Yearly salary | $34,117 | $39,577 |
| Hourly rate | $16.40 | $19.03 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 81,287 | 47,261 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Average age | 41 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 12 |
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 residential coordinator oversees the daily operations of nursing homes, ensuring patients get to receive optimal care and service. Their responsibilities include setting goals and guidelines, coordinating staff, liaising with external parties such as vendors and suppliers, organizing activities and programs, establishing timelines, and developing strategies to optimize operations. They must also prepare and process paperwork, hire and train new members of the workforce, and resolve issues should any arise. Moreover, aside from nursing homes, a residential coordinator may also work at other facilities and industries such as residential apartments and even private areas.
Residential counselors and residential coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Residential Counselor | Residential Coordinator | |
| Average salary | $34,117 | $39,577 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $42,000 | Between $30,000 And $50,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | Santa Cruz, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | The Evergreens | Columbus College of Art & Design |
| Best paying industry | Education | Government |
There are a few differences between a residential counselor and a residential coordinator in terms of educational background:
| Residential Counselor | Residential Coordinator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 58% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | SUNY at Binghamton |
Here are the differences between residential counselors' and residential coordinators' demographics:
| Residential Counselor | Residential Coordinator | |
| Average age | 41 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0% | Male, 30.4% Female, 69.6% |
| 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, 11.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.2% Asian, 6.0% White, 59.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 11% |