The median pay for Residential Advisors is $42,240 a year ($20.31/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 3.5% through 2035, with about 16,500 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: High school diploma or equivalent.
- SOC 39-9041
- Personal Care and Service
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Residential Advisor in four numbers
- Median pay
- $42,240a year, or $20.31/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $30KTop 10% $61K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +3.5%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+3.5%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +3.5% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 16,50094,100 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202594.1K
- Projected 203597.4K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 94.1K Projected 2035 97.4K - Typical education
- High schoolneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school7.3%
- High school1.5%
- Some college50.3%
- Bachelor's31.3%
- Master's3.4%
- Doctorate6.3%
Highest education held by residential advisors Segment Value Less than high school 7.3% High school 1.5% Some college 50.3% Bachelor's 31.3% Master's 3.4% Doctorate 6.3%
Also advertised as: Hall Coordinator, Residence Director, Residence Hall Director, Residence Life Coordinator, Residence Life Director, Resident Advisor.
Pay
How much do Residential Advisors make?
Every residential advisor in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$42,240
Middle half earn $35,510 to $49,920
- 10th
- $29,870
- 25th
- $35,510
- 75th
- $49,920
- 90th
- $61,060
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $29,870 |
| 25th | $35,510 |
| Median | $42,240 |
| 75th | $49,920 |
| 90th | $61,060 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $42,240
- Median hourly wage
- $20.31/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $43,990
- People employed
- 84,760
Versus all US occupations
At $42,240, Residential Advisors earn 17% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $8,740 a year.
Versus personal care and service occupations
Inside the Personal Care and Service group, where the middle occupation pays $38,120, this is 11% above the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $61,060 or more while the bottom 10% earn $29,870, a gap of 2.0×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 9% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
New Hampshire posts the highest raw median ($49,010), but once local prices are taken into account North Dakota leads at $54,621 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Residential Advisors the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1New Hampshire | $49,010 | $47,050 | 420 |
| 2Minnesota | $48,770 | $49,452 | 3,410 |
| 3Washington | $48,640 | $45,452 | 1,810 |
| 4North Dakota | $48,590 | $54,621 | 260 |
| 5New York | $48,380 | $44,829 | 6,150 |
| 6Massachusetts | $48,190 | $45,567 | 5,120 |
| 7Montana | $47,230 | $49,902 | 350 |
| 8Oregon | $47,160 | $45,626 | 840 |
| 9Maryland | $46,950 | $44,732 | 2,640 |
| 10California | $46,650 | $42,133 | 8,120 |
Job outlook
Is Residential Advisor a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +3.5% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Residential Advisors | +3.5% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Residential Advisors to change 3.5% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 3,300 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 16,500 openings are projected each year, 17.5% of the 94,100 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Residential Advisor
- 1
Typical entry-level education
High school diploma or equivalent
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Some preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as residential advisors.
- Some College Courses50.3%
- Bachelor's Degree31.3%
- Less than a High School Diploma7.3%
- Doctoral Degree6.3%
- Master's Degree3.4%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Some College Courses | 50.3% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 31.3% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 7.3% |
| Doctoral Degree | 6.3% |
| Master's Degree | 3.4% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Residential Advisor do?
Coordinate activities in resident facilities in secondary school and college dormitories, group homes, or similar establishments. Order supplies and determine need for maintenance, repairs, and furnishings. May maintain household records and assign rooms. May assist residents with problem solving or refer them to counseling resources.
Day-to-day tasks
- Determine the need for facility maintenance and repair, and notify appropriate personnel.
- Mediate interpersonal problems between residents.
- Communicate with other staff to resolve problems with individual students.
- Observe students to detect and report unusual behavior.
- Make regular rounds to ensure that residents and areas are safe and secure.
- Provide emergency first aid and summon medical assistance when necessary.
- Order supplies for facilities.
- Enforce rules and regulations to ensure the smooth and orderly operation of dormitory programs.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantConstant contact with other people.
Face-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayHandling conflict situations at least monthly.
Cost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.8
- Monitoring3.8
- Critical Thinking3.6
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Writing3.0
- Active Learning3.0
- Learning Strategies2.8
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.9 |
| Speaking | 3.8 |
| Monitoring | 3.8 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.6 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.1 |
| Writing | 3.0 |
| Active Learning | 3.0 |
| Learning Strategies | 2.8 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Social Perceptiveness4.0
- Coordination3.8
- Negotiation3.6
- Service Orientation3.6
- Time Management3.6
- Persuasion3.4
- Complex Problem Solving3.1
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Social Perceptiveness | 4.0 |
| Coordination | 3.8 |
| Negotiation | 3.6 |
| Service Orientation | 3.6 |
| Time Management | 3.6 |
| Persuasion | 3.4 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Accounting software
- Analytical or scientific software
- Internet browser software
- Web page creation and editing software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Residential Advisor?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Residential Advisor |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 3 |
| Investigative | 2 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 5 |
| Enterprising | 4 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around teaching, helping and working directly with other people, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Social5.3
- Conventional4.6
- Enterprising3.8
- Realistic2.8
- Investigative2.4
- Artistic2.3
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Residential Advisor
O*NET related occupations
- Management
- Community and Social Service
- Personal Care and Service
First-Line Supervisor of Personal Service Workers
$48,590median a year
Most earn $34K to $75K
+6.3%High school - Community and Social Service
- Community and Social Service
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor
$64,330median a year
Most earn $45K to $105K
+2.9%Master's - Community and Social Service
More personal care and service careers
Median annual pay, with residential advisors highlighted
- Exercise Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor$47,160
- Residential Advisor$42,240
- Concierge$38,950
- Tour Guide and Escort$38,120
- Hairstylist$35,790
- Manicurist and Pedicurist$35,760
- Nanny$34,980
- Childcare Worker$34,980
- Gambling Dealer$34,320
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Exercise Trainer and Group Fitness Instructor | $47,160 |
| Residential Advisor | $42,240 |
| Concierge | $38,950 |
| Tour Guide and Escort | $38,120 |
| Hairstylist | $35,790 |
| Manicurist and Pedicurist | $35,760 |
| Nanny | $34,980 |
| Childcare Worker | $34,980 |
| Gambling Dealer | $34,320 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Residential Advisor appears on
Questions
Residential Advisor: frequently asked questions
How much do Residential Advisors make?
Residential Advisors earn a median of $42,240 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 17% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $20.31/hr. The middle half earn between $35,510 and $49,920. The top 10% earn $61,060 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Residential Advisor?
No. A bachelor's degree is not the norm: BLS reports a high school diploma or equivalent as the typical entry-level education for Residential Advisors. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 50.3% hold some college courses.
Is Residential Advisor a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.5% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 16,500 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Residential Advisor do?
Coordinate activities in resident facilities in secondary school and college dormitories, group homes, or similar establishments. A core O*NET task: determine the need for facility maintenance and repair, and notify appropriate personnel. Employers most often ask for Electronic mail software, Office suite software, Presentation software.
Which states pay Residential Advisors the most?
The highest state medians for Residential Advisors are New Hampshire ($49,010), Minnesota ($48,770), Washington ($48,640) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, North Dakota moves to the top at $54,621.
What personality type suits a Residential Advisor?
O*NET scores Residential Advisors highest on the Social, Conventional and Enterprising interest areas, so the work mixes teaching, helping and working directly with other people with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ESFJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.