Do product managers get paid well?

Yes, product managers get paid well. The average annual base salary of a product manager is approximately $95,000. There are a number of factors that impact the salary of a product manager, including where and who they work for.

How much do associate product managers make?

Associate product managers make $80,000 per year on average. This means an average hourly wage for an associate product manager is approximately $46. The salary range for the position can be anywhere from $60,000 to over $100,000 per year.

What is the difference between an associate product manager and a product manager?

The difference between an associate product manager and a product manager is their level in the company and, subsequently, their specific responsibilities. An associate product manager does everything a product manager does in daily job duties but on a smaller scale.

What qualifications do I need to be a product manager?

Product managers need to have a minimum of a bachelor's degree and some relevant work experience. Education and work experiences are both essential in becoming a product manager, but both can vary a great deal.

What is an associate product manager and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted expert

Sachin Tuli

An associate product manager works to develop and launch products. They report to senior product managers and assist in the development of a product. That includes conducting market research, analyzing customer feedback, and collaborating with designers and engineers to ensure that products meet customer needs. An associate product manager also assists in managing the product lifecycle from ideation to launch, including defining product requirements and creating go-to-market plans.

What's a day at work look like for an associate product manager?

Sachin Tuli

Director, International Business Major, Wisconsin School of Business, University of Wisconsin-Madison

The pandemic accelerated ongoing shifts with work-from-anywhere and use of remote meeting technologies. With mass adoption at all levels, these trends are likely to persist to some degree across fields and industries. There will likely be less travel for a number of years, but concurrently we may see more cross-team and cross-national collaboration and coordination. From an international business perspective, firms do plan to continue their globalization efforts and we know that graduates themselves increasingly seek potential global opportunities and mobility when choosing which organizations to work for.

ScoreAssociate Product ManagerUS Average

Salary

7.0

Avg. Salary $89,963

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

7.5

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

3.1

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.23%

Asian 8.15%

Black or African American 3.04%

Hispanic or Latino 8.67%

Unknown 5.32%

White 74.58%

Gender

female 55.00%

male 45.00%

Age - 38

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 38

Stress level

7.5

Stress level is high

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.0

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

3.5

Work life balance is poor

6.4 - fair

What are the pros and cons of being an associate product manager?

Pros

Exposure to a variety of departments and roles within a company
Chance to work on innovative products and technologies
Potential for career advancement within the company
Ability to work with and learn from experienced product managers
Opportunities for networking and building professional relationships

Cons

Limited control over project decisions and direction
Heavy reliance on senior management for guidance and decision-making
Lack of clear career progression beyond the associate product manager role
High level of accountability for project success or failure
Potential for conflict with other departments or team members

Key steps to become an associate product manager

Explore associate product manager education requirements

Most common associate product manager degrees

Bachelor's

79.9 %

Master's

14.1 %

Associate

4.4 %

Start to develop specific associate product manager skills

Skills	Percentages
Product Management	9.45%
Project Management	5.95%
User Stories	5.29%
Market Research	5.25%
PowerPoint	4.41%

Complete relevant associate product manager training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 1-3 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New associate product managers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as an associate product manager based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real associate product manager resumes.

Research associate product manager duties and responsibilities

Manage e-commerce packaging program, displays and packaging.
Lead a cross-functional team to launch the diabetes monitoring product.
Manage seven brand categories in the livestock feed and pet feed industries
Manage POS analysis to build sales tools, identify trends, and report performance.

Apply for associate product manager jobs

Now it's time to start searching for an associate product manager job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do associate product managers rate their job?

-/5

5 stars

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1 star

Associate product manager reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2023

Cons

high expectations, constantly evolving technology, broad range of topics to learn (product management specifics, industry, technology, software development methods

Pros

Solve tough problems, work on agile teams, outlet for creativity,

A zippia user wrote a review on Jun 2020