Home Residential Youth Worker Salary
Residential Youth Worker salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a residential youth worker is $70,200 per annum, before tax, up $14,500 since 2018.
DerivedIndicative estimate, not yet verified against official Jobs and Skills Australia / ABS data · Estimate
- Shift penalties, weekend and public holiday loadings and sleepover allowances often add a substantial amount to the base rate, so two people on the same award can take home different amounts.
- Pay also follows the state or territory award or enterprise agreement your employer uses, and some providers pay more where you hold a diploma or degree.
The median salary rose by $14,500 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than residential youth worker
The largest typical pay rise is $25,700 a year, moving into Youth Worker.
- Youth Worker+$25,700/yr
- Youth Justice Worker+$20,800/yr
How to negotiate a higher residential youth worker salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time residential youth worker salary is $70,200; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Casework and client support and Counselling and support work tend to command a premium over general residential youth worker experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Youth Worker pays a typical $25,700 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Residential Youth Worker salary questions
How much do residential youth workers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a residential youth worker is $70,200 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is residential youth worker pay rising or falling?
The median residential youth worker salary is up $14,500 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than residential youth worker?
Youth Worker pays a typical $25,700 a year more and draws on similar skills to residential youth worker.
Related salaries
- Youth Worker salary
- Family Support Worker salary
- Refuge Worker salary
- Youth Justice Worker salary
- Mental Health Worker salary
- Child Protection Practitioner salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.