Public works director vs owner

The differences between public works directors and owners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes More than 10 years to become both a public works director and an owner. Additionally, an owner has an average salary of $90,334, which is higher than the $88,965 average annual salary of a public works director.

The top three skills for a public works director include public works, infrastructure and building maintenance. The most important skills for an owner are customer service, payroll, and financial statements.

Public works director vs owner overview

	Public Works Director	Owner
Yearly salary	$88,965	$90,334
Hourly rate	$42.77	$43.43
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	14,361	86,486
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	52	52
Years of experience	-	-

What does a public works director do?

Public Works Directors can expect an average salary of $70K per year in a career that will demand strong communication skills, planning, organizational, and problem-solving skills. Also, strong leadership will be a must for implementing and recommending alternative courses of action for administrative problems. This career choice requires a bachelor's degree in public administration, business administration, liberal arts, or law and presents responsibilities such as daily maintenance of a city's infrastructure services, such as sewer, sanitation, or street maintenance, as well as sanitary sewer operations.

What does an owner do?

Owners, in the most basic sense, own the business, company, or organization. They are responsible for building the business. They create business plans and the general vision and mission of the company, set goals, work on these goals, and ensure that the business keeps running. They manage all aspects of their business, from finances to marketing to people, etc. When the business becomes stable, owners eventually hire more employees. As such, owners also become overseers who would ensure that the organization remains afloat.

Public works director vs owner salary

Public works directors and owners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Public Works Director	Owner
Average salary	$88,965	$90,334
Salary range	Between $58,000 And $134,000	Between $60,000 And $135,000
Highest paying City	San Rafael, CA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	Icma-rc	BP America Inc
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between public works director and owner education

There are a few differences between a public works director and an owner in terms of educational background:

	Public Works Director	Owner
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 56%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Civil Engineering	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

Public works director vs owner demographics

Here are the differences between public works directors' and owners' demographics:

	Public Works Director	Owner
Average age	52	52
Gender ratio	Male, 91.4% Female, 8.6%	Male, 63.1% Female, 36.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 7.5% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 7.5% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between public works director and owner duties and responsibilities

Public works director example responsibilities.

Manage key controls, CCTV, safety devices, and training activities.
Conceptualise, initiate & independently manage innovative after-school & lunch programs, and innovative successful school fundraiser.
Manage, delegate and perform facility repairs, apartment renovations, preventive maintenance and inventory control utilizing CMMS program for maintenance.
Provide management oversight of safety and training programs, ensure quality management certification and OSHA standards are maintain.
Complete all EPA require monthly testing.
Help with on air promotions and giveaways.

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Owner example responsibilities.

Manage web content and a PHP / MySQL application.
Create and develop a website to help clients easily manage their instagram account to gain exposure.
Execute all social media marketing and manage the company Facebook page/campaigns.
Manage human resource functions by generating payroll, scheduling and upholding company policies.
License Maryland home improvement contractor managing a small home improvement business that specializes in doors and windows.
Manage end to end business operations including hiring, scheduling visits, conducting customer consultations and performing pet visits.

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Public works director vs owner skills

Common public works director skills

Public Works, 12%
Infrastructure, 10%
Building Maintenance, 8%
Oversight, 6%
Project Management, 6%
Storm Water, 4%

Common owner skills

Customer Service, 25%
Payroll, 17%
Financial Statements, 8%
Product Development, 7%
Real Estate, 3%
Business Development, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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