How Much Do Direct Care Specialists Make?
Having a clear understanding of earnings potential is important, especially if you are researching career paths or considering changing jobs. If you're one of those people, and you're curious what kind of salary direct care specialists make, you've come to the right place.
Using data from Lightcast,™ the Best Adult Colleges and Careers Guide has compiled rich information about salary for direct care specialists and related jobs, including details about average compensation, salary trends and job growth. We've also gathered advertised salaries from actual job postings to provide insight into what employers of direct care specialists are offering as compensation.
Keep reading to learn more about how much direct care specialists can expect to make in the United States.
At a Glance: Salary & Jobs for Direct Care Specialists
According to data from 2023, there were about 89,210 positions for direct care specialists in the United States. In terms of salary, the national median salary for direct care specialists was reported to be $44,034. Additionally, when examining job demand, employers across the country posted 7,376 job postings related to positions for direct care specialists.
How Much Money Do Direct Care Specialists Make?
Median salary is just one data point. To build a better understanding of how much money direct care specialists and related positions can expect to make in the United States, it can be helpful to look at the full range of compensation for those jobs.
Let's look more deeply at data that was reported to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) for detail into the lowest and highest salary earnings for direct care specialists.
Annual Salary for Direct Care Specialists
According to the BLS, the lowest earners for direct care specialists and related professions earned about $31,387 per year in 2023. Meanwhile, at the other end of the spectrum, the highest earners made about $73,715 annually.
As mentioned previously, the median salary for direct care specialists in the United States in 2023 was $44,034.
Annual Salary Range For Direct Care Specialists In 2023
Hourly Salary for Direct Care Specialists
The BLS also breaks down compensation for direct care specialists by hourly salary, and the median average hourly pay for direct care specialists in 2023 was $21. Lowest hourly earners took home $15 while the highest reported hourly salaries for direct care specialists was $35.
Hourly Salary Range For Direct Care Specialists In 2023
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Advertised Compensation for Direct Care Specialists
Data from the BLS is one way to dig into compensation for direct care specialists, but another way to build a more real-time understanding of salary is to look at actual job postings and see what compensation organizations are currently providing to fill open positions for direct care specialists.
Keep in mind that salary data is not included in every job posting, so the information compiled here is reflective of the data available through Lightcast.™
Annual Salary from Job Postings for Direct Care Specialists
Advertised Annual Salary
During a review of 5,644 job postings related to direct care specialists, advertised salary was included in 3,069 of them, which was 54%. Based on those postings, the median advertised salary for direct care specialists was $59,776 per year.
Hourly Salary from Job Postings for Direct Care Specialists
Advertised Hourly Salary
A similar analysis of job postings provides insight into advertised hourly salary for direct care specialists. Based on 42% of postings with advertised compensation, the median hourly salary for open positions for direct care specialists in the United States is about $29.
Salary Trend for Direct Care Specialists
If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the field, you may want to understand how compensation has changed over time for direct care specialists. The chart below provides a snapshot of advertised salaries over the past three years.
Based on compensation data that was included in job postings for direct care specialists dating back to September 2020, advertised salaries for direct care specialists have increased 18%.
Advertised Wage Trend For Direct Care Specialists
What's the Job Growth for Direct Care Specialists?
Another data point that someone thinking about a career path should consider is whether or not jobs are expected to see growth in the future. The chart below looks at projected employment for direct care specialists over the next 10 years.
According to the data obtained through Lightcast,™ there were 89,242 jobs for direct care specialists in the United States in 2023. By 2033, it is expected that about 5,924 jobs will be added. That's a 6.6% increase over the next 10-year period.
Employment Projections For Direct Care Specialists
Additional Links
Ready to dig deeper into career information about direct care specialists? Visit our other pages focused on salary and education for direct care specialists.
What do direct care specialists do?
Direct Care Specialists: How do you become one?
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