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The differences between service workers and service counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 6-12 months to become both a service worker and a service counselor. Additionally, a service counselor has an average salary of $35,402, which is higher than the $30,045 average annual salary of a service worker.
The top three skills for a service worker include customer service, cleanliness and patients. The most important skills for a service counselor are social work, crisis intervention, and patients.
| Service Worker | Service Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $30,045 | $35,402 |
| Hourly rate | $14.44 | $17.02 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 103,584 | 44,284 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 12 |
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.
Service counselors provide guidance to couples, individuals, groups, and families who are going through issues that influence their well-being and mental health. They comprehensively approach their clients by utilizing a "wellness" model that focuses on and motivate the client's potentials. Their duties include inspiring clients to talk about their emotions and experiences, helping them determine their action plans and goals, as well as designing therapeutic methods. Also, they may refer their clients to other services or psychologists.
Service workers and service counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Service Worker | Service Counselor | |
| Average salary | $30,045 | $35,402 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $40,000 | Between $24,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | Beaverton, OR | Urban Honolulu, HI |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Massachusetts General Hospital | |
| Best paying industry | Government | Education |
There are a few differences between a service worker and a service counselor in terms of educational background:
| Service Worker | Service Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 47% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | SUNY at Binghamton |
Here are the differences between service workers' and service counselors' demographics:
| Service Worker | Service Counselor | |
| Average age | 43 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.8% Female, 61.2% | Male, 33.3% Female, 66.7% |
| 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, 12.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 19.7% Asian, 7.1% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |