Clergy vs Directors, Religious Activities and Education: $61K vs $52K Median Pay

Clergy vs Directors, Religious Activities and Education: what changes?

Consider Clergy if you want to conduct religious worship and perform other spiritual functions associated with beliefs and practices of religious faith or denomination. Consider Directors, Religious Activities and Education if you would rather coordinate or design programs and conduct outreach to promote the religious education or activities of a denominational group. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Directors, Religious Activities and Education (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Clergy and Directors, Religious Activities and Education. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Clergy

National median pay (2025): $60,810
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Pray and promote spirituality.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 19,200

Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Clergy brief

Directors, Religious Activities and Education

National median pay (2025): $52,100
Route into the job: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 years
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Develop or direct study courses or religious education programs within congregations.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 13,000

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Directors, Religious Activities and Education brief

How the national numbers differ

Clergy has the edge on median pay

Clergy is at $60,810, compared with $52,100 for Directors, Religious Activities and Education.

Typical preparation differs.

Clergy: Bachelor's degree; More than one month and up to 12 months of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Directors, Religious Activities and Education: Bachelor's degree; Prior related experience: less than 5 years Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Directors, Religious Activities and Education has the edge on projected growth

Directors, Religious Activities and Education is at 3.3% projected growth, compared with 2.4% projected growth for Clergy.

Clergy has the edge on annual openings

Clergy is at 19,200 annual openings, compared with 13,000 annual openings for Directors, Religious Activities and Education.

50.4/ 100

Clergy

49.7/ 100

Directors, Religious Activities and Education

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence