Residential life director vs dormitory counselor

The differences between residential life directors and dormitory counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a residential life director has an average salary of $62,956, which is higher than the $40,177 average annual salary of a dormitory counselor.

The top three skills for a residential life director include crisis intervention, student learning and student life. The most important skills for a dormitory counselor are social work, crisis intervention, and .

Residential life director vs dormitory counselor overview

	Residential Life Director	Dormitory Counselor
Yearly salary	$62,956	$40,177
Hourly rate	$30.27	$19.32
Growth rate	7%	10%
Number of jobs	23,230	27,180
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Average age	26	26
Years of experience	-	-

Residential life director vs dormitory counselor salary

Residential life directors and dormitory counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Residential Life Director	Dormitory Counselor
Average salary	$62,956	$40,177
Salary range	Between $41,000 And $95,000	Between $31,000 And $50,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between residential life director and dormitory counselor education

There are a few differences between a residential life director and a dormitory counselor in terms of educational background:

	Residential Life Director	Dormitory Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 64%	Bachelor's Degree, 69%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	Johns Hopkins University	University of Pennsylvania

Residential life director vs dormitory counselor demographics

Here are the differences between residential life directors' and dormitory counselors' demographics:

	Residential Life Director	Dormitory Counselor
Average age	26	26
Gender ratio	Male, 58.3% Female, 41.7%	Male, 30.9% Female, 69.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 15.4% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 7.4% White, 55.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%	Black or African American, 17.1% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 8.3% White, 55.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between residential life director and dormitory counselor duties and responsibilities

Residential life director example responsibilities.

Manage a residential facility for adolescents with severe autism and psychiatric conditions.
Maintain statistical and directional oversight of the residence life disciplinary system.
Provide clinical oversight of family-centered services that include capacity building, needs assessment, program and policy development and evaluation.
Organize and implement bible studies for teen boys and teen girls.

Dormitory counselor example responsibilities.

Remain non-denominational, open, flexible and ecumenical in service to patients while also providing additional resources from local spiritual communities.
Collaborate with peers in leadership capacity at recreational summer camp leading, coordinating and organizing daily activities and weekly field trips.

Residential life director vs dormitory counselor skills

Common residential life director skills

Crisis Intervention, 11%
Student Learning, 8%
Student Life, 8%
Crisis Management, 7%
Student Affairs, 7%
Community Development, 7%

Common dormitory counselor skills

Social Work, 62%
Crisis Intervention, 38%

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Residential Life Director vs Dormitory Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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