Salary AI Book a Demo

Direct Support Professionals Salary in the United States

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

As of September 01, 2026, the average salary for a Direct Support Professionals in the United States is $170,055 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $82.

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

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $211,714
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $143,741 to $191,861
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $119,783
Salary Factors Salary-Boosting Skills Salary by Experience Related Job Salaries Top Paying Cities Explore Related Jobs

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): $156,898
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $159,091
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $162,745
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $166,400
  • Expert (over 8 years): $172,571
Levels Salary
Entry Level Direct Support Professionals$156,898
Intermediate Level Direct Support Professionals$159,091
Senior Level Direct Support Professionals$162,745
Specialist Level Direct Support Professionals$166,400
Expert Level Direct Support Professionals$172,571
View as Graph

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: $188,285.
  • California: $187,571.
  • Massachusetts: $185,071.

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: $214,490
  • San Francisco: $212,142
  • Oakland: $207,671

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.
Skills Demand Percentage
Coaching 8.55%
Process Development 2.36%
Microsoft Office 0.88%
See More Skills

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.

  • Prioritization: Can increase your salary by up to 69%.
  • Insight: Can increase your salary by up to 46%.
  • Process Development: Can increase your salary by up to 43%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Prioritization $287,393
69%
Insight $248,280
46%
Process Development $243,179
43%
Get Latest Data

Direct Support Professionals Salary by Industry: Top Paying Sectors

For Direct Support Professionals roles, the industry you choose can impact your earning potential by as much as 60% (the gap between the highest and lowest paying industries). Data shows that the highest-paying industry, Healthcare, offers compensation 30% above the average. Conversely, Direct Support Professionals positions in Edu., Gov't. & Nonprofit typically offer lower base pay, as this sector often view Direct Support Professionals as a support function rather than a direct revenue driver.

The top paying industry for a Direct Support Professionals

Industry Sector Average Annual Salary Average Hourly Rate Pay vs.Avg
Healthcare$221,072$106.030%

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.

Last Updated on September 01, 2026
$143,741
Average $170,055/year
$191,861
$11,978
Average $14,171/month
$15,988
$2,764
Average $3,270/week
$3,690
$69
Average $82/hour
$92
Annual Salary Monthly Pay Weekly Pay Hourly Wage
75th Percentile $191,861 $15,988 $3,690 $92
Average $170,055 $14,171 $3,270 $82
25th Percentile $143,741 $11,978 $2,764 $69

Most common benefits for Direct Support Professionals

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

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.

For Employees

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

Get a Salary Increase

Search thousands of open positions to find your next opportunity.

Search Job Openings

For Employers

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

Adjust Employee Salary

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

Price My Industry Jobs

FAQ about Direct Support Professionals

1. What industry pays the highest salary for Direct Support Professionals?

The Healthcare industry offers the highest average compensation for Direct Support Professionals roles, with salaries approximately 30% above the market median.

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