Service worker vs direct care worker

The differences between service workers and direct care workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a service worker has an average salary of $30,045, which is higher than the $29,343 average annual salary of a direct care worker.

The top three skills for a service worker include customer service, cleanliness and patients. The most important skills for a direct care worker are direct care, patients, and CPR.

Service worker vs direct care worker overview

	Service Worker	Direct Care Worker
Yearly salary	$30,045	$29,343
Hourly rate	$14.44	$14.11
Growth rate	12%	36%
Number of jobs	103,584	140,788
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	High School Diploma, 32%
Average age	43	48
Years of experience	12	-

What does a service worker do?

A service worker is responsible for assisting the community welfare development by providing social services to an organization or specific individual groups, supporting their needs, and addressing their community concerns. Service workers also offer counseling services to their clients to guide them on how they manage their life crises, developing community activities and job opportunities to help citizens with their financial needs by consulting local organizations. A service worker must have strong leadership and communication skills, as well as deep engagement with the community to assess the client's situation properly.

What does a direct care worker do?

A Direct Care Worker's responsibility revolves around overseeing clients' welfare and health care from different ages and conditions. Most of the duties will involve assistance in basic hygienic tasks such as bathing or going to the toilet, performing light chores such as preparing healthy meals and cleaning a bedroom, and ensuring the patient's medication intake aligns with the schedule. Furthermore, it is also the duty of a Direct Care Worker to empathize and build rapport with clients to make them feel more at ease.

Service worker vs direct care worker salary

Service workers and direct care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Service Worker	Direct Care Worker
Average salary	$30,045	$29,343
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $40,000	Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	Beaverton, OR	Portland, ME
Highest paying state	Alaska	Washington
Best paying company	Massachusetts General Hospital	Arizona Training & Evaluation Center
Best paying industry	Government	Professional

Differences between service worker and direct care worker education

There are a few differences between a service worker and a direct care worker in terms of educational background:

	Service Worker	Direct Care Worker
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	High School Diploma, 32%
Most common major	Psychology	Psychology
Most common college	University of Southern California	-

Service worker vs direct care worker demographics

Here are the differences between service workers' and direct care workers' demographics:

	Service Worker	Direct Care Worker
Average age	43	48
Gender ratio	Male, 38.8% Female, 61.2%	Male, 23.4% Female, 76.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 13.6% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 15.7% Asian, 6.9% White, 57.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	Black or African American, 12.6% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.7% Asian, 7.6% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	11%	7%

Differences between service worker and direct care worker duties and responsibilities

Service worker example responsibilities.

Manage a caseload of over one hundr TANF cases.
Assist in managing inventory for student and staff culinary and scholastic supplies.
Receive specialized training on CPR, human rights and history of individuals with intellectual disabilities.
Implement HIPAA standards within the facility.
Copy patient medical records when request within HIPPA regulations.
Used scrubbers, mops, and seal and wax floors.

Show more

Direct care worker example responsibilities.

Provide caring companionship to elderly and developmentally disable patients with or without chronic health diagnosis.
Assist individuals with developmental/intellectual disabilities with ADL's.
Conduct socialization groups to aid individuals in development of ADL and socialization skills.
Prepare daily documents administer medications handle patients hygiene house cleaning and provide transportation to and from appointment
Provide caring and companionship to elderly and developmentally disable consumers and provide primary resident care and assistance with daily living activities.
Provide day to day services that include transport, nutrition, hygiene, housekeeping and activities to MRDD clients.

Show more

Service worker vs direct care worker skills

Common service worker skills

Customer Service, 20%
Cleanliness, 10%
Patients, 7%
Rehabilitation, 7%
Excellent Interpersonal, 6%
Crisis Intervention, 5%

Common direct care worker skills

Direct Care, 22%
Patients, 11%
CPR, 7%
Developmental Disabilities, 4%
Crisis Intervention, 4%
Vital Signs, 4%

Service Worker vs. similar jobs

Service Worker related careers

Service Worker related jobs

What similar roles do

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse community and social services jobs

A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
X
Y
Z