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The differences between business planners and planning managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a business planner, becoming a planning manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a business planner has an average salary of $119,250, which is higher than the $98,486 average annual salary of a planning manager.
The top three skills for a business planner include data analysis, strong analytical and financial analysis. The most important skills for a planning manager are project management, customer service, and strong analytical.
| Business Planner | Planning Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $119,250 | $98,486 |
| Hourly rate | $57.33 | $47.35 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 60,241 | 137,190 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 10 |
A business planner specializes in developing and implementing business plans and procedures. Their job entails conducting extensive research and analyses to identify key business participants, determine the strengths and weaknesses of existing operations, and find new business opportunities. They also perform risk assessments, address potential operational costs, and identify issues and concerns, resolving them promptly and efficiently. Through their research findings, a business planner develops strategies to optimize operations and prevent significant losses when problems arise, helping the company run smoothly and efficiently.
Planning managers perform various duties and responsibilities for an organization. These include planning and monitoring a project or department's budget, production schedule, and inventory, creating reports of new plans, programs, and regulations, and ensuring development proposals comply with requirements and regulations. Additionally, planning managers are expected to serve as an intermediary between developers, government entities, businesses, and communities. They also oversee site plans, rezoning, and special-use permits, set schedules for the project, and supervise other personnel such as developers and consultants.
Business planners and planning managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Planner | Planning Manager | |
| Average salary | $119,250 | $98,486 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $166,000 | Between $71,000 And $135,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | California |
| Best paying company | Pacific Gas and Electric | ZS |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a business planner and a planning manager in terms of educational background:
| Business Planner | Planning Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between business planners' and planning managers' demographics:
| Business Planner | Planning Manager | |
| Average age | 42 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 58.7% Female, 41.3% | Male, 64.1% Female, 35.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.6% Asian, 9.5% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 10% |