Recreation program coordinator vs activities director

The differences between recreation program coordinators and activities 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 recreation program coordinator and an activities director. Additionally, an activities director has an average salary of $44,982, which is higher than the $41,569 average annual salary of a recreation program coordinator.

The top three skills for a recreation program coordinator include CPR, recreation programs and flyers. The most important skills for an activities director are patients, rehabilitation, and resident care.

Recreation program coordinator vs activities director overview

	Recreation Program Coordinator	Activities Director
Yearly salary	$41,569	$44,982
Hourly rate	$19.99	$21.63
Growth rate	10%	10%
Number of jobs	78,486	6,845
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	4	4

Recreation program coordinator vs activities director salary

Recreation program coordinators and activities directors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Recreation Program Coordinator	Activities Director
Average salary	$41,569	$44,982
Salary range	Between $30,000 And $56,000	Between $27,000 And $74,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Huntington, NY
Highest paying state	Alaska	Mississippi
Best paying company	University of Nevada, Reno	Microsoft
Best paying industry	Government	Health Care

Differences between recreation program coordinator and activities director education

There are a few differences between a recreation program coordinator and an activities director in terms of educational background:

	Recreation Program Coordinator	Activities Director
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 74%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Recreation Management	Business
Most common college	Northwestern University	University of Pennsylvania

Recreation program coordinator vs activities director demographics

Here are the differences between recreation program coordinators' and activities directors' demographics:

	Recreation Program Coordinator	Activities Director
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 42.9% Female, 57.1%	Male, 20.4% Female, 79.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 12.4% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.0% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%	Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	8%	8%

Differences between recreation program coordinator and activities director duties and responsibilities

Recreation program coordinator example responsibilities.

Manage funds and resources to include developing the annual NAF budget, which include submission and prioritization of program component requirements.
Incorporate knowledge of therapeutic concepts and methods for determining appropriate recreation therapy services for psychiatric, and chemically dependent, patients.
Maintain written and personal communication with general public and local community through ongoing PowerPoint presentations, weekly newsletters and monthly newspaper.

Activities director example responsibilities.

Manage updated JCC social media, including Facebook.
Manage pet therapy/pat visitation protocol.
Attend interdisciplinary care plan meetings and document in MDS and resident medical records as appropriate.
Plan, organize, and run the afterschool
Create reports, handouts, and PowerPoint presentations.
Assist teachers with reading and mathematics lessons and activities.

Recreation program coordinator vs activities director skills

Common recreation program coordinator skills

CPR, 26%
Recreation Programs, 20%
Flyers, 7%
Program Budget, 7%
Community Outreach, 6%
Community Events, 4%

Common activities director skills

Patients, 15%
Rehabilitation, 10%
Resident Care, 8%
Customer Service, 7%
Home Health, 7%
MDS, 6%

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Recreation Program Coordinator vs Activities Director

Updated January 8, 2025

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