Activities director vs recreation director

The differences between activities directors and recreation directors 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 a recreation director. Additionally, a recreation director has an average salary of $48,525, which is higher than the $44,982 average annual salary of an activities director.

The top three skills for an activities director include patients, rehabilitation and resident care. The most important skills for a recreation director are community resources, therapeutic recreation, and nursing home.

Activities director vs recreation director overview

	Activities Director	Recreation Director
Yearly salary	$44,982	$48,525
Hourly rate	$21.63	$23.33
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	6,845	8,479
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

What does an activities director do?

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.

What does a recreation director do?

Recreation directors may take part in leading activities like canoeing, wilderness first-aid, rock climbing, camping, and resource management for this dynamic career. Responsibilities include implementation and success assurance of recreation programs, as well as management of schedules for activities and facilities. They also handle the recruitment, training, and supervision of staff and volunteers.

Activities director vs recreation director salary

Activities directors and recreation directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Activities Director	Recreation Director
Average salary	$44,982	$48,525
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $74,000	Between $30,000 And $77,000
Highest paying City	Huntington, NY	Milpitas, CA
Highest paying state	Mississippi	California
Best paying company	Microsoft	Downtown United Soccer Club
Best paying industry	Health Care	Education

Differences between activities director and recreation director education

There are a few differences between an activities director and a recreation director in terms of educational background:

	Activities Director	Recreation Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 57%	Bachelor's Degree, 71%
Most common major	Business	Recreation Management
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Northwestern University

Activities director vs recreation director demographics

Here are the differences between activities directors' and recreation directors' demographics:

	Activities Director	Recreation Director
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%	Male, 48.0% Female, 52.0%
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, 12.2% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between activities director and recreation director duties and responsibilities

Activities director example responsibilities.

Manage updated JCC social media, including Facebook.
Manage pet therapy/pat visitation protocol.
Attend interdisciplinary care plan meetings and document in MDS and resident medical records as appropriate.
Plan, organize, and run the afterschool
Create reports, handouts, and PowerPoint presentations.
Assist teachers with reading and mathematics lessons and activities.

Recreation director example responsibilities.

Manage recreation staff and programming for assist living and rehabilitation and skil nursing facilities.
Organize and provide staff training material regarding Alzheimer's disease.
Conduct monthly resident council meetings, daily initial evaluations, standard MDS and interdisciplinary care plan documentation.
Advance technical knowledge of all office equipment including Microsoft office and POS systems.
Expand programming, develop outdoor adventure programs, and maintain current city programs.
Design and layout seasonal brochure, create flyers, signs and periodically upload recreation information to town website.

Activities director vs recreation director skills

Common activities director skills

Patients, 15%
Rehabilitation, 10%
Resident Care, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Home Health, 7%
MDS, 6%

Common recreation director skills

Community Resources, 15%
Therapeutic Recreation, 14%
Nursing Home, 14%
Customer Service, 10%
Provides Supervision, 7%
Recreation Programs, 5%

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Activities Director
Activities Director vs Recreation Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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