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The differences between program directors and project directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project director has an average salary of $107,396, which is higher than the $80,664 average annual salary of a program director.
The top three skills for a program director include oversight, social work and patients. The most important skills for a project director are project management, oversight, and customer satisfaction.
| Program Director | Project Director | |
| Yearly salary | $80,664 | $107,396 |
| Hourly rate | $38.78 | $51.63 |
| Growth rate | 8% | - |
| Number of jobs | 82,810 | 116,968 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 40 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
Program directors are employees who oversee all aspects of a specific program in the company. They usually work in nonprofit organizations or are assigned to a department doing corporate social responsibility activities. Program directors ensure that the program is in line with the company's goals. They also ensure that the resources assigned to the program are properly managed and that all finances are accounted for. They create strategies to ensure the success of the program and communicate these to everyone involved. They lead the implementation and evaluation of the program.
A project director is an individual responsible for supervising workers from various departments given specific tasks to complete a given project. They create a budget to complete a job while monitoring the amount of money spent to ensure that overspending is avoided. They provide presentations to investors, business partners, and company executives to inform them about their progress and development. Project directors must have several years of experience and obtain at least a bachelor's degree in business economics or a related field to be hired.
Program directors and project directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Program Director | Project Director | |
| Average salary | $80,664 | $107,396 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $129,000 | Between $70,000 And $162,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Las Vegas, NV |
| Highest paying state | Georgia | Nevada |
| Best paying company | Mayo Clinic | Fried Frank |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a program director and a project director in terms of educational background:
| Program Director | Project Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between program directors' and project directors' demographics:
| Program Director | Project Director | |
| Average age | 40 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.4% Female, 58.6% | Male, 56.2% Female, 43.8% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 7.5% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.5% Asian, 8.8% White, 65.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 14% | 10% |