Direct Support Professionals Salary in the United States

How much does a Direct Support Professionals make in the United States?

As of May 18, 2021, the average salary for a Direct Support Professionals in the United States is $176,228 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $85.

However, a Direct Support Professionals's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $218,833
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $149,073 to $198,529
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $124,351
Compensation Planning
Develop a Job Description
Pay Equity
2025 Compensation Trend
AI-Powered Talent
AI Onboarding
Salary Salary + Bonus Benefits
Paid Annually Paid Monthly Paid Semimonthly Paid Biweekly Paid Weekly Paid Hourly
View as table View as graph 25% $149,073 10% $124,351 90% $218,833 75% $198,529 $176,228 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Direct Support Professionals Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary		 Monthly
Pay		 Weekly
Pay		 Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $198,529 $16,544 $3,818 $95
Average $176,228 $14,686 $3,389 $85
25th Percentile $149,073 $12,423 $2,867 $72
Check out Direct Support Professionals Job Openings in the United States
DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL CAREGIVER

CRSI - Greenville, OH

DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL CAREGIVER

CRSI - London, OH

DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL CAREGIVER

CRSI - Bryan, OH

DIRECT SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL CAREGIVER

CRSI - Lima, OH

Search More Direct Support Professionals Jobs in the United States
Choose Similar Job
Choose Category
Cost of Living
Average Salary for United States
See it in Action

Key Factors That Influence Direct Support Professionals Salaries

A Direct Support Professionals's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Direct Support Professionals Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of a Direct Support Professionals's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $162,859
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $164,993
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $168,551
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $172,109
  • Expert (over 8 years): $178,226
Levels Salary
Entry Level Direct Support Professionals$162,859
Intermediate Level Direct Support Professionals$164,993
Senior Level Direct Support Professionals$168,551
Specialist Level Direct Support Professionals$172,109
Expert Level Direct Support Professionals$178,226
$162,859 0 yr
$164,993 < 2 yrs
$168,551 2-4 yrs
$172,109 5-8 yrs
$178,226 > 8 yrs
View as Table
View as Graph

What Am I Worth?

How Do Direct Support Professionals Salaries Vary from State to State?

Your salary can change significantly depending on where you work. States with a higher cost of living and strong industrial sectors often pay more to attract Direct Support Professionals. For example, consider the average annual salaries in these key locations:

  • District of Columbia: $195,119.
  • California: $194,379.
  • Massachusetts: $191,789.

Top Paying Cities for Direct Support Professionals

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $222,276
  • San Francisco: $220,091
  • Oakland: $215,209

What Skills Can Increase a Direct Support Professionals's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Coaching (Mentioned in 8.55% Job Postings): Coaching is a form of development in which an experienced person, called a coach, supports a learner or client in achieving a specific personal or professional goal by providing training and guidance.
  • Process Development (Mentioned in 2.36% Job Postings): Process development consists of designing and developing, as well as evaluating costs and efficiency.
  • Microsoft Office (Mentioned in 0.88% Job Postings): Microsoft Office is a suite of desktop productivity applications that is designed by Microsoft for business use. You can create documents containing text and images, work with data in spreadsheets and databases, create presentations and posters.
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Coaching 8.55%
Process Development 2.36%
Microsoft Office 0.88%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on a Direct Support Professionals's salary.
  • Leadership: Can increase your salary by up to 15%.
  • Accountability: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
  • Support Services: Can increase your salary by up to 9%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Leadership
 $202,662
15%
Accountability
 $192,088
9%
Support Services
 $192,088
9%
Collaboration
 $186,801
6%
Initiative
 $185,039
5%
Planning
 $183,277
4%
Get Latest Data

How Education impacts a Direct Support Professionals's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Direct Support Professionals enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for a Direct Support Professionals with a Bachelor's Degree is between $169,122 and $188,853).

Direct Support Professionals Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Direct Support Professionals
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 14.0%
High School 14.0%
Associates 13.0%
Bachelors 38.0%
Masters 35.0%
Doctorate 0.0%
view as graph

Direct Support Professionals Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how a Direct Support Professionals's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

  • Hourly
  • Monthly
  • Weekly
  • Yearly
  • Table View
Last Updated on May 18, 2021
$149,073
Average $176,228/year
$198,529
$12,423
Average $14,686/month
$16,544
$2,867
Average $3,389/week
$3,818
$72
Average $85/hour
$95
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $198,529 $16,544 $3,818 $95
Average $176,228 $14,686 $3,389 $85
25th Percentile $149,073 $12,423 $2,867 $72

Salaries of jobs related to Direct Support Professionals

Salary Trends for Direct Support Professionals

Salaries for a Direct Support Professionals can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary increased from $119,240 in 2023 to around $119,736 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Direct Support Professionals salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Direct Support Professionals Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$119,240
2024
$120,108
2025
$119,736
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $119,240
2024 $120,108
2025 $119,736
2026
View More
2027
View More

Most common benefits for Direct Support Professionals

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
For Employers

If your compensation planning software is too rigid to deploy winning incentive strategies, it’s time to find an adaptable solution.

Compensation Planning

Common company salaries for Direct Support Professionals

Here are companies hiring for Direct Support Professionals and their salaries, click below for more details.

Find Your Next Direct Support Professionals Job

Ready to take the next step in your career? Browse thousands of current Direct Support Professionals job openings on our job board. Use the search bar below to find your perfect match.

United States
For Employees

Get a Salary Increase

Analyze the market and your qualifications to negotiate your salary with confidence.

Search Job Openings

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

For Employers

Adjust Employee Salary

Individualize employee pay based on unique job requirements and personal qualifications.

Price My Industry Jobs

Get the latest market price for benchmark jobs and jobs in your industry.

Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

With the most extensive online, real-time compensation data available, Salary.com helps you pinpoint your exact pay target.

Are you an HR manager or compensation specialist?

Salary.com's CompAnalyst platform offers:

  • Detailed skills and competency reports for specific positions
  • Job and employee pricing reports
  • Compensation data tools, salary structures, surveys and benchmarks.
Learn about CompAnalyst