Life guard vs certified lifeguard

The differences between life guards and certified lifeguards can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a life guard has an average salary of $28,842, which is higher than the $28,264 average annual salary of a certified lifeguard.

The top three skills for a life guard include CPR, first-aid and emergency situations. The most important skills for a certified lifeguard are first-aid, water safety, and in-service training.

Life guard vs certified lifeguard overview

	Life Guard	Certified Lifeguard
Yearly salary	$28,842	$28,264
Hourly rate	$13.87	$13.59
Growth rate	-	-
Number of jobs	29,752	36,332
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Average age	26	26
Years of experience	-	-

Life guard vs certified lifeguard salary

Life guards and certified lifeguards have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Life Guard	Certified Lifeguard
Average salary	$28,842	$28,264
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $35,000	Between $22,000 And $35,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between life guard and certified lifeguard education

There are a few differences between a life guard and a certified lifeguard in terms of educational background:

	Life Guard	Certified Lifeguard
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 50%	Bachelor's Degree, 64%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Life guard vs certified lifeguard demographics

Here are the differences between life guards' and certified lifeguards' demographics:

	Life Guard	Certified Lifeguard
Average age	26	26
Gender ratio	Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9%	Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 7.6% Hispanic or Latino, 13.9% Asian, 4.4% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%	Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 7.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.8% Asian, 4.3% White, 68.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between life guard and certified lifeguard duties and responsibilities

Life guard example responsibilities.

Examine any injuries patrons acquire using the facility and apply first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary.
Advance because of performance, knowledge and leadership.
Rescue any drowning victims out of water, call for emergency assistance and perform first-aid resuscitative measures when necessary.
Learned CPR and necessary skills to help in the advent of an emergency, observe pool to make sure everyone are safe
Participate in ongoing CPR and a education and maintain proficiency in preparation for emergencies.
Maintain general appearance and cleanliness of assign area and perform general housekeeping of assign area; maintain water safety equipment.

Certified lifeguard example responsibilities.

Acquire skills in CPR, safety regulations, leadership and responsibility
Work as a beach patrol lifeguard for several summers (2007 and 2008) amounting to 6 months.
Perform rescues and administer first-aid in emergency situations.
Provide first responder first aid when necessary.
Implement basic first aid and first responder procedures.
Coordinate swim meets and ensure that they run smoothly.

Life guard vs certified lifeguard skills

Common life guard skills

CPR, 30%
First-Aid, 22%
Emergency Situations, 8%
Pool Deck, 5%
Safety Hazards, 4%
Rescue Techniques, 4%

Common certified lifeguard skills

First-Aid, 39%
Water Safety, 17%
In-Service Training, 7%
Rescue Techniques, 7%
Professional Attitude, 3%
Emergency Situations, 2%

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Zippia Careers
Protective Service Industry
Life Guard
Life Guard vs Certified Lifeguard

Updated January 8, 2025

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