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The differences between support workers and youth workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a support worker, becoming a youth worker takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a support worker has an average salary of $37,039, which is higher than the $32,242 average annual salary of a youth worker.
The top three skills for a support worker include social work, crisis intervention and treatment plan. The most important skills for a youth worker are direct supervision, CPR, and crisis intervention.
| Support Worker | Youth Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $37,039 | $32,242 |
| Hourly rate | $17.81 | $15.50 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 112,754 | 87,360 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 47 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
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.
Youth workers specialize in handling and providing support to young individuals with behavioral difficulties. They are primarily responsible for devising recreational projects, handling the budget, producing progress reports, managing intervention programs, and counseling troubled youth while keeping their information confidential. There may be instances where one must also search for opportunities and apply for funding or sponsorship. Furthermore, as a youth worker, it is vital to assess an individual's condition to determine their needs and ensure that they will receive the proper treatment.
Support workers and youth workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Support Worker | Youth Worker | |
| Average salary | $37,039 | $32,242 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $60,000 | Between $25,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Freehold, NJ |
| Highest paying state | New York | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Dolby Laboratories | Salt Lake County |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Education |
There are a few differences between a support worker and a youth worker in terms of educational background:
| Support Worker | Youth Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 55% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | SUNY at Albany |
Here are the differences between support workers' and youth workers' demographics:
| Support Worker | Youth Worker | |
| Average age | 47 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 29.1% Female, 70.9% | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% |
| 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, 13.4% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 2.7% White, 63.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 10% |