Direct Support Professional (dsp) salary: $19.50/hr$780/wk$40,560/yr median.
Pay range $18.00$720$37,440–$20.50/hr$820/wk$42,640/yr across the middle 50% of active Home Care Nursing Support postings nationwide.
888 unique employers · 1,418 cities · 91 states. Pay moved -2.5% over the last 30 days.
How Direct Support Professional (dsp) pay is distributed.
10% of postings pay under $16.50/hr$660/wk$34,320/yr. The top 10% pay above $23.00/hr$920/wk$47,840/yr.
How Direct Support Professional (dsp) pay has moved month over month.
Median pay moved from $19.00 in Nov 2025 to $19.50 in Apr 2026 (+2.6%). Bars show monthly posting volume; the line tracks the posting-weighted median.
| Month | Median /hr/wk/yr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2025 | $19.00$760$39,520 | $17.50$700$36,400–$20.50$820$42,640 | 188 |
| Dec 2025 | $19.50$780$40,560 | $18.00$720$37,440–$20.50$820$42,640 | 642 |
| Jan 2026 | $20.00$800$41,600 | $18.00$720$37,440–$20.50$820$42,640 | 314 |
| Feb 2026 | $19.50$780$40,560 | $17.50$700$36,400–$20.50$820$42,640 | 271 |
| Mar 2026 | $20.00$800$41,600 | $18.00$720$37,440–$21.00$840$43,680 | 1,050 |
| Apr 2026 | $19.50$780$40,560 | $17.50$700$36,400–$21.50$860$44,720 | 1,215 |
Direct Support Professional (dsp) pay across every state with live data.
Showing all 34 states with live data. Bars scale to the highest-paying state.
The metros writing the biggest Direct Support Professional (dsp) paychecks.
| City | State | Median /hr/wk/yr | P25–P75 | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| toms river | NJ · NEW JERSEY | $22.50$900$46,800 | $21.00$840$43,680–$26.50$1,060$55,120 | 15 |
| los angeles | CA · CALIFORNIA | $21.75$870$45,240 | $19.38$775$40,310–$22.75$910$47,320 | 12 |
| township of brick | NJ · NEW JERSEY | $21.75$870$45,240 | $20.50$820$42,640–$26.88$1,075$55,910 | 12 |
| portland | OR · OREGON | $21.50$860$44,720 | $21.50$860$44,720–$22.63$905$47,070 | 12 |
| nj | US · US | $21.00$840$43,680 | $20.00$800$41,600–$23.00$920$47,840 | 47 |
Where the top of the market is paying for Direct Support Professional (dsp).
| Employer | Median /hr/wk/yr | Range | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abound Health | $28.00$1,120$58,240 | $28.00$1,120$58,240–$28.00$1,120$58,240 | 64 |
| ALAY Home Care | $25.50$1,020$53,040 | $21.00$840$43,680–$25.50$1,020$53,040 | 25 |
| Almost Family, LLC | $23.00$920$47,840 | $22.00$880$45,760–$23.00$920$47,840 | 15 |
| ALPINE HOME HEALTH CARE | $23.00$920$47,840 | $23.00$920$47,840–$23.00$920$47,840 | 7 |
| Caring Professionals Homecare | $23.00$920$47,840 | $23.00$920$47,840–$23.00$920$47,840 | 7 |
| cddc | $23.00$920$47,840 | $18.50$740$38,480–$27.50$1,100$57,200 | 6 |
| CommonSpirit Health | $24.50$980$50,960 | $20.50$820$42,640–$27.00$1,080$56,160 | 7 |
| Empowered Services | $24.00$960$49,920 | $24.00$960$49,920–$24.00$960$49,920 | 19 |
| Guided Steps | $23.00$920$47,840 | $23.00$920$47,840–$23.00$920$47,840 | 9 |
| Top Care Support | $25.00$1,000$52,000 | $24.50$980$50,960–$26.00$1,040$54,080 | 5 |
Showing all 10 employers with live pay data.
How Direct Support Professional (dsp) pay shifts by schedule and contract type.
Per Diem pays the most at $20.50/hr$820/wk$42,640/yr median — 41% above Staff at $14.50/hr$580/wk$30,160/yr. Fulltime drives the volume with 2,304 active postings.
How to become a Direct Support Professional (dsp).
Nursing support roles provide hands-on patient care under the direction of nurses and physicians. The category covers Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs), patient care techs, hospital aides, monitor techs, unit clerks, and direct-care staff in long-term care and home health. These are the largest entry points into healthcare — short training programs, fast credentialing, and immediate patient contact.
Standard CNA path: enroll in a state-approved nursing assistant program (4-12 weeks), complete supervised clinical hours, and pass your state's competency exam to be added to the Nurse Aide Registry. Hospital PCT roles typically require a CNA plus phlebotomy and EKG training; specialty add-ons (telemetry, dialysis tech, OB tech) follow with short certificate programs.
| Degree | Duration | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| State-approved CNA programCNA | 4-12 weeks | Minimum 75 hours (federal floor) of classroom plus clinical training. Many states require 120+ hours. Programs are offered by community colleges, nursing homes, and the Red Cross. |
| Patient Care Technician programPCT | 12-20 weeks | Combines CNA training with phlebotomy and EKG. Common requirement for hospital PCT roles. |
| Monitor / telemetry tech programCert | 4-8 weeks | Focused training in cardiac rhythm interpretation. Often paired with CNA or PCT credentials. |
| Medication aide certificationCMA / QMA | 60-100 hours | State-regulated credential allowing CNAs to administer routine medications in long-term care. Not available in every state. |
Required to work as a nursing assistant. State Nurse Aide Registry maintained by each state's Department of Health. Federal minimum is 75 hours of training plus a competency exam.
Required for nearly all hospital and skilled-nursing positions.
Required for hospital PCT roles in most systems. Short certificate program plus an exam (NHA, ASCP, or AMT).
| Credential | Issued by | Pay impact |
|---|---|---|
| CMA / QMA medication aide Certified or Qualified Medication Aide Lets CNAs administer routine oral medications in long-term care. Recognized in roughly half of states. | State board | +5-10% |
| Telemetry / EKG certification Certified Cardiographic Technician / EKG Technician Required for cardiac monitor and telemetry tech positions. | CCI / NHA | +5-10% |
| Dementia / Alzheimer specialty training Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) Specialty credential for memory care and long-term care units. | NCCDP | +3-8% |
- 0-2 yearsCNA / Nursing assistant
Entry point into clinical healthcare. Direct patient care under nurse supervision. Many use this stage to confirm interest before pursuing nursing school.
- 1-4 yearsPatient Care Tech / Acute Care CNA
Hospital-based with broader scope (phlebotomy, EKG, point-of-care testing). Better pay than long-term care CNA roles in most markets.
- 3-7 yearsSpecialty tech (telemetry, ED, OR, dialysis)
Specialty-trained support role with focused scope. Often pursued as part of a longer plan toward nursing or allied health school.
- 5+ yearsLead CNA / Senior PCT
Mentor and trainer for new staff. Coordinates assignments and supports unit workflow.
- Path-dependentTransition to LPN / RN / Allied Health
The most common 'level 5' for nursing support is a transition into a credentialed clinical role (LPN, RN, surgical tech, respiratory therapy, etc.). Many employers offer tuition reimbursement to fund the move.
Schedule. Hospitals run 12-hour shifts (3 per week) covering days, nights, and weekends. Skilled nursing typically runs 8-hour shifts with three coverage windows. Home health is largely daytime with travel between patients.
Physical demands. Among the most physically demanding roles in healthcare. Frequent patient lifting, transfers, and repositioning. Mechanical lifts have reduced injury rates but back, knee, and shoulder strain remain common.
Demand for CNAs and patient care techs is structurally high — driven by an aging US population, persistent SNF understaffing, and steady hospital throughput. Turnover is high (industry-wide annual turnover ~50% in long-term care), which keeps openings widely available.
What clinicians ask about Direct Support Professional (dsp) pay.
What is the average Direct Support Professional (dsp) salary in 2026?
The median Direct Support Professional (dsp) salary is $19.50/hr (approximately $40,560/yr) based on 3,680 active job postings.
What is the pay range for Direct Support Professional (dsp)?
Hourly pay ranges from $18.00 at the 25th percentile to $20.50 at the 75th percentile, with the top 10% earning above $23.00/hr.
Which state pays Direct Support Professional (dsp) roles the most?
Alabama currently leads with a median of $17.61/hr across 0 postings.
How many employers are hiring Direct Support Professional (dsp)s?
Our dataset shows 888 unique employers posting Direct Support Professional (dsp) roles across 91 states.
Where does TrueRounds get Direct Support Professional (dsp) salary data?
All salary figures are computed from active US healthcare job postings with listed pay ranges, collected over a rolling 180-day window and weighted by posting volume.
Explore other Nursing Support tracks.
Direct Support Professional (dsp) sits inside the Home Care track. Here are sibling tracks across Nursing Support — same category, different clinical focus and pay envelope.
Active US healthcare postings. Weighted by volume. Refreshed daily.
Pay benchmarks are computed from active job postings with listed pay ranges, collected on a rolling 180-day window. Each role's percentiles are weighted by posting volume so a metro with two postings doesn't outweigh a metro with two hundred. Outliers (postings priced more than 4× the role median) are dropped to avoid contract-line distortion.
Use the data, then push back.
Bring these numbers into your next contract conversation. Recruiters know what the market pays — now you do too.