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The differences between youth counselors and day camp 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 counselor and a day camp counselor. Additionally, a youth counselor has an average salary of $36,754, which is higher than the $29,384 average annual salary of a day camp counselor.
The top three skills for a youth counselor include direct care, mental health and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a day camp counselor are CPR, kids, and cleanliness.
| Youth Counselor | Day Camp Counselor | |
| Yearly salary | $36,754 | $29,384 |
| Hourly rate | $17.67 | $14.13 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 78,461 | 32,895 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
A Youth Counselor's role is to provide guidance and interact with children or teenagers in need of care and counseling. The duty of a Youth Counselor is diverse, and it highly depends on the organization or employer. However, the responsibilities mostly revolve around establishing rapport with the youngster while trying to work on their issues, ensuring their welfare by monitoring their emotional and physical state, coordinating with families or other facilities, suggesting treatments, and performing crisis intervention if necessary.
The job of the camp counselors is to develop recreational plans and oversee camp activities in residential camps. Their duties and responsibilities include organizing camping trips, planning and scheduling group activities, and guiding children and teenagers in various outdoor activities such as swimming and hiking. They are expected to lead campers in emergency procedures and fire drills, explain safety rules and procedures, and provide emotional support to campers. Camp counselors are also responsible for assessing and responding to emergencies when they arise.
Youth counselors and day camp counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Youth Counselor | Day Camp Counselor | |
| Average salary | $36,754 | $29,384 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $49,000 | Between $19,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | New York State Restaurant Association | City of Portland |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Education |
There are a few differences between a youth counselor and a day camp counselor in terms of educational background:
| Youth Counselor | Day Camp Counselor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Duke University |
Here are the differences between youth counselors' and day camp counselors' demographics:
| Youth Counselor | Day Camp Counselor | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2% | Male, 33.4% Female, 66.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 12.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.4% Asian, 5.0% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 15% | 8% |