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The differences between youth leaders 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 youth leader, becoming a youth worker takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a youth worker has an average salary of $32,242, which is higher than the $29,481 average annual salary of a youth leader.
The top three skills for a youth leader include CPR, fine arts and academic enrichment. The most important skills for a youth worker are direct supervision, CPR, and crisis intervention.
| Youth Leader | Youth Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $29,481 | $32,242 |
| Hourly rate | $14.17 | $15.50 |
| Growth rate | 12% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 31,851 | 87,360 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A youth leader is a young individual who is responsible for building a sense of community within the church youth that can provide an opportunity for both spiritual and social development. Youth Leaders organize regular social, educational, and spiritual oriented events with parents and volunteers to maintain a vibrant program. They establish support and appropriate relationships with their youth members and their families. Youth leaders also maintain social media and emails to provide information publicly to youth members about their organized events.
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 leaders and youth workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Youth Leader | Youth Worker | |
| Average salary | $29,481 | $32,242 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $37,000 | Between $25,000 And $40,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Freehold, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | First Book | Salt Lake County |
| Best paying industry | Education | Education |
There are a few differences between a youth leader and a youth worker in terms of educational background:
| Youth Leader | Youth Worker | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 53% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Criminal Justice |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | SUNY at Albany |
Here are the differences between youth leaders' and youth workers' demographics:
| Youth Leader | Youth Worker | |
| Average age | 45 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 45.3% Female, 54.7% | Male, 42.6% Female, 57.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 14.5% Asian, 5.2% White, 63.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | 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 | 14% | 10% |