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The differences between parks recreation directors and activity coordinators 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 activity coordinator. Additionally, a parks recreation director has an average salary of $48,942, which is higher than the $35,309 average annual salary of an activity coordinator.
The top three skills for a parks recreation director include aquatics, recreation programs and flag football. The most important skills for an activity coordinator are customer service, patients, and CPR.
| Parks Recreation Director | Activity Coordinator | |
| Yearly salary | $48,942 | $35,309 |
| Hourly rate | $23.53 | $16.98 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 7,782 | 20,364 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
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.
An activity coordinator is someone who creates and plans activities, outings, and events in various settings. Typically, they oversee creating programs, staffing events, and supervising the implementation of activities. They generally report to the activity director or community manager. One of their tasks is to collaborate with directors of studies to schedule the activities. Other tasks include coordinating staff with the activities and informing them of the decisions regularly. Also, they strategize, coordinate, and encourage the members to participate in the activities.
Parks recreation directors and activity coordinators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Parks Recreation Director | Activity Coordinator | |
| Average salary | $48,942 | $35,309 |
| Salary range | Between $28,000 And $85,000 | Between $28,000 And $44,000 |
| Highest paying City | Cupertino, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Mississippi | Mississippi |
| Best paying company | Icma-rc | Medical University of South Carolina |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Government |
There are a few differences between a parks recreation director and an activity coordinator in terms of educational background:
| Parks Recreation Director | Activity Coordinator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 61% |
| Most common major | Recreation Management | Psychology |
| Most common college | California State University - Long Beach | Duke University |
Here are the differences between parks recreation directors' and activity coordinators' demographics:
| Parks Recreation Director | Activity Coordinator | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9% | Male, 28.4% Female, 71.6% |
| 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, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.6% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |