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The differences between business unit managers and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a business unit manager has an average salary of $122,782, which is higher than the $91,578 average annual salary of a project manager.
The top three skills for a business unit manager include continuous improvement, customer service and product line. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Business Unit Manager | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $122,782 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $59.03 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 295,151 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
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.
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.
Business unit managers and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Business Unit Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $122,782 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $184,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | East Providence, RI | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Citi | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a business unit manager and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Business Unit Manager | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between business unit managers' and project managers' demographics:
| Business Unit Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 82.8% Female, 17.2% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| 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, 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% |