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The differences between support workers and direct support associates can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a support worker has an average salary of $37,039, which is higher than the $29,934 average annual salary of a direct support associate.
The top three skills for a support worker include social work, crisis intervention and treatment plan. The most important skills for a direct support associate are intellectual disabilities, emotional support, and developmental disabilities.
| Support Worker | Direct Support Associate | |
| Yearly salary | $37,039 | $29,934 |
| Hourly rate | $17.81 | $14.39 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 36% |
| Number of jobs | 112,754 | 111,451 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Average age | 47 | 48 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
A support worker is responsible for supporting the community programs and development efforts to sustain and ensure the citizens' stability, providing them resources for their daily needs, and helping them with financial assistance requests. Support workers conduct family counseling to identify their challenges and needs and coordinate with the necessary organizations to process their requests. They must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in filing documents and guiding the citizens in achieving their healthy lifestyle and make a positive difference.
Direct Support Associates are responsible for aiding individuals with developmental, mental, or physical disabilities in their daily living activities. Their duties include administering prescribed medications, coach patients to develop money management, housekeeping, and social skills, and provide feedback to patients in areas of improvement. They are also involved in supervising skills-building activities, meal preparations, schedule organization, and produces patient progress report. Direct Support Associates also maintain a supportive relationship with the client to foster social engagement and community inclusion.
Support workers and direct support associates have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support Worker | Direct Support Associate | |
| Average salary | $37,039 | $29,934 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $60,000 | Between $16,000 And $52,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Dolby Laboratories | The Carlyle Group |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a support worker and a direct support associate in terms of educational background:
| Support Worker | Direct Support Associate | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 31% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | - |
Here are the differences between support workers' and direct support associates' demographics:
| Support Worker | Direct Support Associate | |
| Average age | 47 | 48 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.1% Female, 70.9% | Male, 26.2% Female, 73.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.4% White, 61.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 8.8% White, 60.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 7% |