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The differences between information technology directors and chief information officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become an information technology director, becoming a chief information officer takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a chief information officer has an average salary of $146,907, which is higher than the $138,906 average annual salary of an information technology director.
The top three skills for an information technology director include customer service, project management and cloud. The most important skills for a chief information officer are CIO, project management, and network infrastructure.
| Information Technology Director | Chief Information Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $138,906 | $146,907 |
| Hourly rate | $66.78 | $70.63 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 87,765 | 124,678 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 47 | 52 |
| Years of experience | 8 | - |
An information technology (IT) Director is an individual responsible for the management, strategy, and execution of an organization's IT infrastructure. He/She supervises a team of workers while working with the organization's management and external vendors and advisors. Aside from managing workers, an IT director should possess problem-solving skills and an aptitude for organizational thinking. An IT director must also identify new market opportunities and should lead an effort to improve the organization's IT process.
A chief information officer, also known as CIO, is responsible for the technological development within the company or organization. Primarily overseeing all information technology-related operations, a chief information officer takes the lead in setting the department's budget, developing strategies that will improve computer systems, and implementing policies to attain significant growth in profit and client base. Furthermore, a chief information officer is in charge of managing the workforce behind computer systems, ensuring their efficiency in accomplishing tasks and projects.
Information technology directors and chief information officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Information Technology Director | Chief Information Officer | |
| Average salary | $138,906 | $146,907 |
| Salary range | Between $97,000 And $197,000 | Between $98,000 And $219,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Tipping Point | Mayer Brown |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Agriculture |
There are a few differences between an information technology director and a chief information officer in terms of educational background:
| Information Technology Director | Chief Information Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between information technology directors' and chief information officers' demographics:
| Information Technology Director | Chief Information Officer | |
| Average age | 47 | 52 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% | Male, 81.4% Female, 18.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 7.4% White, 76.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 12% |