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The differences between area managers and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project manager has an average salary of $91,578, which is higher than the $73,472 average annual salary of an area manager.
The top three skills for an area manager include customer service, safety standards and logistics. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Area Manager | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $73,472 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $35.32 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 341,983 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
An Area Manager's responsibility is to oversee the business operations of all company branches within a particular area. Among the tasks involve creating strategies to achieve the sales target, monitoring and evaluating the performance and progress of stores including their workforce, adhering to the budget and regulations of the company, and focus on attaining the image and financial goals. Moreover, an Area Manager must communicate and coordinate with fellow managers and hire employees that would be a vital member of the company.
Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.
Area managers and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Area Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $73,472 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $107,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New York | California |
| Best paying company | Clifford Chance | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an area manager and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Area Manager | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between area managers' and project managers' demographics:
| Area Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |