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The differences between assistant directors, communications and public information officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become an assistant director, communications, becoming a public information officer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a public information officer has an average salary of $56,725, which is higher than the $54,965 average annual salary of an assistant director, communications.
The top three skills for an assistant director, communications include customer service, property management and professional development. The most important skills for a public information officer are press releases, web content, and community outreach.
| Assistant Director, Communications | Public Information Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $54,965 | $56,725 |
| Hourly rate | $26.43 | $27.27 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 36,340 | 129,237 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
An assistant communications director is responsible for managing the communicative operations across the company, handling the dissemination of information among employees, and releasing management announcements to media platforms. Assistant communications directors draft project techniques and strategies, as well as monitoring social media contents and press releases. They also identify business opportunities by analyzing recent trends that would generate more revenue resources and increase the company's profits. An assistant communications director must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in assessing business information to prevent miscommunications and negative publications.
The primary job of a public information officer involves the promotion of a positive public image on social media. Public information officers offer significant information during a crisis. They collect facts and distribute them to the media and organize special events like awards ceremonies. Typically, they work for large organizations and government agencies. They maintain their online presence that can be part of the duties of public information. Also, they can work for long hours on an irregular schedule, especially when the incidents or situations affect the organization.
Assistant directors, communications and public information officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Assistant Director, Communications | Public Information Officer | |
| Average salary | $54,965 | $56,725 |
| Salary range | Between $30,000 And $100,000 | Between $38,000 And $83,000 |
| Highest paying City | Boston, MA | Fairfield, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Delaware |
| Best paying company | Pace University | City of Fairfield |
| Best paying industry | Government | Professional |
There are a few differences between an assistant director, communications and a public information officer in terms of educational background:
| Assistant Director, Communications | Public Information Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 76% |
| Most common major | Business | Communication |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between assistant directors, communications' and public information officers' demographics:
| Assistant Director, Communications | Public Information Officer | |
| Average age | 48 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 34.1% Female, 65.9% | Male, 43.7% Female, 56.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 5.2% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 75.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 16% |