Parks recreation director vs head counselor

The differences between parks recreation directors and head counselors 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 a head counselor. Additionally, a parks recreation director has an average salary of $48,942, which is higher than the $31,654 average annual salary of a head counselor.

The top three skills for a parks recreation director include aquatics, recreation programs and flag football. The most important skills for a head counselor are camper safety, leadership, and CPR.

Parks recreation director vs head counselor overview

	Parks Recreation Director	Head Counselor
Yearly salary	$48,942	$31,654
Hourly rate	$23.53	$15.22
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	7,782	35,991
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Parks recreation director vs head counselor salary

Parks recreation directors and head counselors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Parks Recreation Director	Head Counselor
Average salary	$48,942	$31,654
Salary range	Between $28,000 And $85,000	Between $13,000 And $71,000
Highest paying City	Cupertino, CA	-
Highest paying state	Mississippi	-
Best paying company	Icma-rc	-
Best paying industry	Automotive	-

Differences between parks recreation director and head counselor education

There are a few differences between a parks recreation director and a head counselor in terms of educational background:

	Parks Recreation Director	Head Counselor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 71%	Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common major	Recreation Management	Psychology
Most common college	California State University - Long Beach	Duke University

Parks recreation director vs head counselor demographics

Here are the differences between parks recreation directors' and head counselors' demographics:

	Parks Recreation Director	Head Counselor
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9%	Male, 44.0% Female, 56.0%
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, 13.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 60.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between parks recreation director and head counselor 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.

Head counselor example responsibilities.

Manage the dispute resolution/litigation process; responding to and resolving threaten litigation; responding to subpoenas and regulatory inquiries and investigations.
Complete full CPR training with certification.
Perform CPR and first aid when necessary.
Point person overseeing all phases of successful ACA accreditation visit.
Analyze product promotional initiatives, advisory board proposals, and medical education initiatives for fraud and abuse and FDA compliance.
Prepare ACA accreditation visit binder.

Parks recreation director vs head counselor skills

Common parks recreation director skills

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

Common head counselor skills

Camper Safety, 44%
Leadership, 16%
CPR, 12%
Role Model, 8%
Conflict Resolution, 4%
Staff Training, 4%

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Parks Recreation Director vs Head Counselor

Updated January 8, 2025

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