Parks recreation director vs activities leader

The differences between parks recreation 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 a parks recreation director and an activities leader. Additionally, a parks recreation director has an average salary of $48,942, which is higher than the $30,329 average annual salary of an activities leader.

The top three skills for a parks recreation director include aquatics, recreation programs and flag football. The most important skills for an activities leader are CPR, direct supervision, and homework assistance.

Parks recreation director vs activities leader overview

	Parks Recreation Director	Activities Leader
Yearly salary	$48,942	$30,329
Hourly rate	$23.53	$14.58
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	7,782	35,544
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

What does a parks recreation director do?

A parks recreation director manages and leads the operations of a park's recreation department. You will be responsible for department oversight, budget management and requisition, coordination with other town council departments, recreation publicity campaigns, and overseeing capital expenditure. Parks recreation directors are the policy and strategy leads for city parks and submit regular reports to the council parks boards. Staff recruitment and supervision, community engagement in recreation activities, and ensuring policy compliance are other core duties.

What does an activities leader do?

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.

Parks recreation director vs activities leader salary

Parks recreation directors and activities leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Parks Recreation Director	Activities Leader
Average salary	$48,942	$30,329
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $85,000	Between $20,000 And $45,000
Highest paying City	Cupertino, CA	Boston, MA
Highest paying state	Mississippi	Mississippi
Best paying company	Icma-rc	Bayer
Best paying industry	Automotive	Health Care

Differences between parks recreation director and activities leader education

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

	Parks Recreation Director	Activities Leader
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Recreation Management	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	Northwestern University

Parks recreation director vs activities leader demographics

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

	Parks Recreation Director	Activities Leader
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9%	Male, 32.9% Female, 67.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.8% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.1% 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%

Differences between parks recreation director and activities leader duties and responsibilities

Parks recreation director example responsibilities.

Manage recreation staff and programming for assist living and rehabilitation and skil nursing facilities.
Perform minor first aid and CPR as needed.
Acquire MDS data for the use of the clinical reimbursement team, as well as assessed patients.
Examine injure persons and administer first aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, if necessary, using training and medical supplies and equipment.
Maintain written and personal communication with general public and local community through ongoing PowerPoint presentations, weekly newsletters and monthly newspaper.

Activities leader example responsibilities.

Manage security and access policies base upon operational need-to-know and DOD regulations and requirements
Train and certify in CPR prior to each summer.
Uphold company standard of inventory management and WCM manufacturing principles.
Conduct and supervise appropriate programs and activities in a leadership capacity or direct by site supervisor.
Develop leadership skills while coordinating and instructing after school educational activities for students of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
Provide functional subject matter expertise daily technical operational and guidance on DOD and DA standard logistical systems.

Parks recreation director vs activities leader skills

Common parks recreation director skills

Aquatics, 17%
Recreation Programs, 8%
Flag Football, 6%
Recreational Facilities, 5%
CPR, 5%
Program Development, 4%

Common activities leader skills

CPR, 24%
Direct Supervision, 16%
Homework Assistance, 8%
Role Model, 7%
Physical Stamina, 7%
Safety Procedures, 6%

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Parks Recreation Director vs Activities Leader

Updated January 8, 2025

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