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The differences between youth counselors and youth workers 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 youth worker. Additionally, a youth counselor has an average salary of $36,754, which is higher than the $32,242 average annual salary of a youth worker.
The top three skills for a youth counselor include direct care, mental health and crisis intervention. The most important skills for a youth worker are direct supervision, CPR, and crisis intervention.
| Youth Counselor | Youth Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $36,754 | $32,242 |
| Hourly rate | $17.67 | $15.50 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 78,461 | 87,360 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| 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.
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.
Youth counselors and youth workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Youth Counselor | Youth Worker | |
| Average salary | $36,754 | $32,242 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $49,000 | Between $25,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Jose, CA | Freehold, NJ |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | New York State Restaurant Association | Salt Lake County |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Education |
There are a few differences between a youth counselor and a youth worker in terms of educational background:
| Youth Counselor | Youth Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 58% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | SUNY at Albany |
Here are the differences between youth counselors' and youth workers' demographics:
| Youth Counselor | Youth Worker | |
| Average age | 41 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.8% Female, 56.2% | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% |
| 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, 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 | 15% | 10% |