How To Become A Residential Supervisor: What It Is and Career Path

What is a residential supervisor and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Residential supervisors work in different industries and for various employers. However, most of their duty borders working in proximity with individuals or families that can't live on their own. Hence, they oversee the resident's activities. The work description may include overseeing the resident's routine, observing and documenting their behavior, emotional development, and physical condition. For example, banking, chores, shopping, housekeeping, and personal care.

Sometimes, residential supervisors train a group of home residents and may specialize in working with the elderly, children, or persons with a disability. They can also work in government-owned facilities for young mothers or juvenile offenders.

Since this duty involves meeting and communicating with people, a residential supervisor must have a bachelor's degree in applied psychology and experience in residential care. You must also be patient, sensitive, and mature to help people. Plus, the flexibility to deal with different human behavior is a plus. A residential supervisor earns an average of $27,690 yearly.

ScoreResidential SupervisorUS Average

Salary

3.1

Avg. Salary $39,327

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

8.4

Growth rate 12%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

2.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.83%

Asian 7.51%

Black or African American 13.20%

Hispanic or Latino 13.79%

Unknown 5.48%

White 59.19%

Gender

female 61.75%

male 38.25%

Age - 21

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 21

Stress level

8.4

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

6.4

Complexity level is intermediate

7 - challenging

Work life balance

6.4

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a residential supervisor

Explore residential supervisor education requirements

Most common residential supervisor degrees

Bachelor's

56.1 %

Associate

17.0 %

High School Diploma

10.9 %

Start to develop specific residential supervisor skills

Skills	Percentages
Developmental Disabilities	9.89%
Mental Health	8.46%
Social Work	7.22%
Crisis Intervention	7.19%
Rehabilitation	6.26%

Complete relevant residential supervisor training and internships

Accountants spend an average of Less than 1 month on post-employment, on-the-job training. New residential supervisors learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a residential supervisor based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real residential supervisor resumes.

Research residential supervisor duties and responsibilities

Manage a weekly allowance for weekly purchase of groceries.
Participate in all IHP/IPP meetings; ensure group home staff helps residents achieve IHP goals and continually monitor progress make.
Coordinate with DDS, guardians, and day programs.
Work with adolescent and adults with moderate to severe autism.

Prepare your residential supervisor resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your residential supervisor resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a residential supervisor resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable residential supervisor resume templates

Build a professional residential supervisor resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your residential supervisor resume.