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The differences between youth advocates and residential counselors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a youth advocate and a residential counselor. Additionally, a residential counselor has an average salary of $34,117, which is higher than the $33,924 average annual salary of a youth advocate.
The top three skills for a youth advocate include mental health, social work and foster care. The most important skills for a residential counselor are direct care, medication administration, and mental health.
| Youth Advocate | Residential Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $33,924 | $34,117 |
| Hourly rate | $16.31 | $16.40 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 78,437 | 81,287 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Youth advocates are individuals who responsible for maintaining the human rights of youth while assisting them in developing their skills in all areas of life, such as education, health, employment, and relationships. These advocates are required to discuss youth development and involvement with various leaders in the community. They must provide crisis interventions by performing one-on-one and group meetings with young adults. Youth advocates must also work with mental health professionals within the community so that they can guide teenagers with drug or alcohol problems and mental health issues.
A residential counselor is responsible for guiding and providing the residents with their basic needs and other resources to support them in their daily living. Residential counselors' duties include maintaining the safety of the community by enforcing safety guidelines and procedures for the residents' compliance, organizing productive and engaging community activities, updating the residents of any changes and policies in the community, and resolving conflicts by counseling and understanding each resident's differences. A residential counselor must have excellent communication and decision-making skills to ensure the development of residents in a living facility.
Youth advocates and residential counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Youth Advocate | Residential Counselor | |
| Average salary | $33,924 | $34,117 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $41,000 | Between $27,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Syracuse, NY | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Washington |
| Best paying company | First Place for Youth | The Evergreens |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Education |
There are a few differences between a youth advocate and a residential counselor in terms of educational background:
| Youth Advocate | Residential Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 59% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Long Beach |
Here are the differences between youth advocates' and residential counselors' demographics:
| Youth Advocate | Residential Counselor | |
| Average age | 42 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4% | Male, 33.0% Female, 67.0% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 12.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 15% |