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The differences between social workers and social service coordinators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a social worker, becoming a social service coordinator takes usually requires 6-12 months. Additionally, a social worker has an average salary of $50,102, which is higher than the $40,946 average annual salary of a social service coordinator.
The top three skills for a social worker include social work, patients and patient care. The most important skills for a social service coordinator are social work, home health, and patients.
| Social Worker | Social Service Coordinator | |
| Yearly salary | $50,102 | $40,946 |
| Hourly rate | $24.09 | $19.69 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 77,340 | 109,487 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 12 |
Social workers help their clients get through problems that they may be facing. Social workers help identify individuals or groups of people, usually families, who may need assistance, generally through a set of pre-determined criteria. They then determine the best ways to help their clients by interviewing them, getting to know them, and understanding the context of their lives. They create plans that will help their clients become better, such as integrating into a new environment, assisting them in their needs, or even rescuing them from their current place. Social workers have good interpersonal skills and communication skills.
A social service coordinator is responsible for assisting the essential needs of the citizens within a community by providing them financial assistance, employment services, and social provisions through coordinating with various organizations and social institutions. Social service coordinators conduct counseling to assess social needs and processing referral services for particular purposes. They also perform administrative and clerical duties as needed, responding to the citizens' inquiries and concerns, collecting their documents, and coordinating with the community office on planning livelihood programs and activities for social benefits.
Social workers and social service coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Social Worker | Social Service Coordinator | |
| Average salary | $50,102 | $40,946 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $67,000 | Between $32,000 And $51,000 |
| Highest paying City | Portland, OR | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Oregon | North Dakota |
| Best paying company | Health Advocates | Sesame Workshop |
| Best paying industry | Government | Professional |
There are a few differences between a social worker and a social service coordinator in terms of educational background:
| Social Worker | Social Service Coordinator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 59% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Social Work | Social Work |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | SUNY at Binghamton |
Here are the differences between social workers' and social service coordinators' demographics:
| Social Worker | Social Service Coordinator | |
| Average age | 45 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 19.5% Female, 80.5% | Male, 18.4% Female, 81.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 19.9% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 3.3% White, 58.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 19.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 54.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 11% |