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The differences between residential counselors and residential specialists 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 specialist takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a residential counselor has an average salary of $34,117, which is higher than the $33,451 average annual salary of a residential specialist.
The top three skills for a residential counselor include direct care, medication administration and mental health. The most important skills for a residential specialist are mental health, crisis intervention, and CPR.
| Residential Counselor | Residential Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $34,117 | $33,451 |
| Hourly rate | $16.40 | $16.08 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 81,287 | 49,467 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| 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.
The residential specialist job is to provide quality support services to consumers that enhance physical, emotional, intellectual, vocational, communication, and social skills according to the individual's needs, abilities, and choices. Their duties and responsibilities include following the guidelines given by their agencies and assisting clients as needed according to their daily plan and schedule.
Residential counselors and residential specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Residential Counselor | Residential Specialist | |
| Average salary | $34,117 | $33,451 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $42,000 | Between $25,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Seattle, WA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | The Evergreens | University of California, Berkeley |
| Best paying industry | Education | Non Profits |
There are a few differences between a residential counselor and a residential specialist in terms of educational background:
| Residential Counselor | Residential Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 49% |
| 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 residential specialists' demographics:
| Residential Counselor | Residential Specialist | |
| Average age | 41 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0% | Male, 29.7% Female, 70.3% |
| 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, 12.0% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 58.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 11% |