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The differences between youth development professionals and foster care 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 development professional and a foster care worker. Additionally, a foster care worker has an average salary of $46,037, which is higher than the $43,758 average annual salary of a youth development professional.
The top three skills for a youth development professional include youth development, direct care and productive relationships. The most important skills for a foster care worker are foster care, social work, and child abuse.
| Youth Development Professional | Foster Care Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $43,758 | $46,037 |
| Hourly rate | $21.04 | $22.13 |
| Growth rate | 9% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 91,372 | 151,625 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
Youth Development Professionals are specialists in implementing and overseeing programs to help adolescents discover their abilities and interests. They are responsible for coordinating career days and field trips, organizing mentorship sessions, create youth outreach projects, and assisting community organizations in youth provision development. Other duties include supporting the training of volunteer youth workers as well as ensuring service provided adheres to professional standards and current regulations. A Youth Development Professional may specialize in a specific development sector, such as healthy living, experiential learning, or public service.
A Foster Care Worker helps improve the social and psychological functioning of children and their families as well as increases the family's well-being and the academic functioning of children. They counsel families about issues regarding their child's care and develop healthy living situations.
Youth development professionals and foster care workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Youth Development Professional | Foster Care Worker | |
| Average salary | $43,758 | $46,037 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $95,000 | Between $32,000 And $65,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jersey City, NJ | Baltimore, MD |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | MUFG EMEA | Riverview Health |
| Best paying industry | - | Construction |
There are a few differences between a youth development professional and a foster care worker in terms of educational background:
| Youth Development Professional | Foster Care Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Social Work |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Boston University |
Here are the differences between youth development professionals' and foster care workers' demographics:
| Youth Development Professional | Foster Care Worker | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.0% Female, 59.0% | Male, 20.1% Female, 79.9% |
| 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, 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 | 10% | 10% |