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The differences between activities directors and activities leaders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an activities director and an activities leader. Additionally, an activities director has an average salary of $44,982, which is higher than the $30,329 average annual salary of an activities leader.
The top three skills for an activities director include patients, rehabilitation and resident care. The most important skills for an activities leader are CPR, direct supervision, and homework assistance.
| Activities Director | Activities Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $44,982 | $30,329 |
| Hourly rate | $21.63 | $14.58 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 6,845 | 35,544 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An activities director is responsible for planning engaging events for the participants, considering individual interests and the safety of procedures and resources. Activities directors guide the activity staff on assisting the participants, ensuring that they are comfortable with joining the activities. Since most activities directors work at a healthcare facility or elderly institution, they must also monitor the health of the participants by conducting therapeutic activities and evaluate the participants' progress for every program. The activities director must be a critical-thinker, as well as have excellent communication skills to coordinate with facilities personnel for successful activity completion.
An activity leader's main duty is to offer sports programs and exercises that are riveting in a positive manner. The activities typically assigned to leaders are the ones they understand for the smooth promotion and planning of events. Usually, hotel resorts and summer camps seasonally employ activity leaders to make time for different exercises throughout the year. Working as an activities leader can also be viewed as a way to practically enhance a person's teaching or coaching skills, leadership and communication skills, and marketing skills when it comes to publicizing upcoming events.
Activities directors and activities leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Activities Director | Activities Leader | |
| Average salary | $44,982 | $30,329 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $74,000 | Between $20,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | Huntington, NY | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Mississippi | Mississippi |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | Bayer |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Health Care |
There are a few differences between an activities director and an activities leader in terms of educational background:
| Activities Director | Activities Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Business | Psychology |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between activities directors' and activities leaders' demographics:
| Activities Director | Activities Leader | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6% | Male, 32.9% Female, 67.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.6% Unknown, 5.9% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |