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The differences between business unit managers and product managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a business unit manager, becoming a product manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a business unit manager has an average salary of $122,782, which is higher than the $111,729 average annual salary of a product manager.
The top three skills for a business unit manager include continuous improvement, customer service and product line. The most important skills for a product manager are product management, QA, and product strategy.
| Business Unit Manager | Product Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $122,782 | $111,729 |
| Hourly rate | $59.03 | $53.72 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 295,151 | 125,678 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 10 |
A business unit manager handles a unit or segment of the company. This unit may be a specialized team on specific projects or a part of a significant production process. The business unit manager ensures that the unit works efficiently and productively by implementing strategies and techniques that will enhance the productive output. A business unit manager also provides suggestions, offers solutions to problems, handles tasks delegation, planning production processes, and training and monitoring of employees in a unit.
A product manager is responsible for ensuring product development, providing the best marketing strategies, and effectively handling the sales and marketing team. Product managers' duties include monitoring the market trends and conditions, identifying business opportunities and plan initiatives, and collaborating the product launch process with the appropriate departments. A product manager is also responsible for generating ideas on improving product features, determining timetables and reasonable pricing, and analyzing product sales. A product manager must have excellent strategic and decision-making skills to contribute to its growth and profitability.
Business unit managers and product managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Unit Manager | Product Manager | |
| Average salary | $122,782 | $111,729 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $184,000 | Between $81,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | East Providence, RI | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Citi | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a business unit manager and a product manager in terms of educational background:
| Business Unit Manager | Product 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 unit managers' and product managers' demographics:
| Business Unit Manager | Product Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.8% Female, 17.2% | Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.3% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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 | 10% | 10% |