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The differences between public information officers and community development directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a public information officer and a community development director. Additionally, a community development director has an average salary of $109,396, which is higher than the $56,725 average annual salary of a public information officer.
The top three skills for a public information officer include press releases, web content and community outreach. The most important skills for a community development director are economic development, oversight, and project management.
| Public Information Officer | Community Development Director | |
| Yearly salary | $56,725 | $109,396 |
| Hourly rate | $27.27 | $52.59 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 129,237 | 66,252 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
The primary job of a public information officer involves the promotion of a positive public image on social media. Public information officers offer significant information during a crisis. They collect facts and distribute them to the media and organize special events like awards ceremonies. Typically, they work for large organizations and government agencies. They maintain their online presence that can be part of the duties of public information. Also, they can work for long hours on an irregular schedule, especially when the incidents or situations affect the organization.
The job of a community development director is to manage and direct the management and planning initiatives for a community or city organization. Your duties will include collaborating with community partners in developing strategies to improve the community, architectural and economic initiatives, monitoring budgets for department initiatives, and participating in business development efforts. As a community development director, it is your responsibility to develop and maintain the community development department's short- and long-term developmental goals. It is also your duty to develop and coordinate marketing strategies for economic development.
Public information officers and community development directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Public Information Officer | Community Development Director | |
| Average salary | $56,725 | $109,396 |
| Salary range | Between $38,000 And $83,000 | Between $70,000 And $169,000 |
| Highest paying City | Fairfield, CA | San Jose, CA |
| Highest paying state | Delaware | California |
| Best paying company | City of Fairfield | Bazaarvoice |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a public information officer and a community development director in terms of educational background:
| Public Information Officer | Community Development Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 76% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Communication | Business |
| Most common college | Northwestern University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between public information officers' and community development directors' demographics:
| Public Information Officer | Community Development Director | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.7% Female, 56.3% | Male, 38.6% Female, 61.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 75.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 5.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 8.9% Asian, 5.1% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |