Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between category managers and marketing managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a category manager and a marketing manager. Additionally, a marketing manager has an average salary of $104,550, which is higher than the $102,035 average annual salary of a category manager.
The top three skills for a category manager include strategic sourcing, category strategy and supplier performance. The most important skills for a marketing manager are digital marketing, marketing campaigns, and project management.
| Category Manager | Marketing Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $102,035 | $104,550 |
| Hourly rate | $49.06 | $50.26 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 108,424 | 89,627 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
Category managers are usually employed in the retail industry. They are primarily responsible for the sales enhancement of a specific group of products. The managers are involved in pricing, marketing, inventory, and vendor management. Their daily tasks include meeting with suppliers to talk about the plans, conducting orientation to the market research company, and updating category reports. Qualified applicants must have a degree in business administration or a related field as well as relevant job experience in a related job.
Marketing managers are experienced employees who oversee the marketing department of the organization. They manage activities such as marketing campaigns, social media postings, company branding, and other strategic marketing activities. They provide strategic direction and come up with departmental goals. They also provide proper training for employees in the department to ensure that they have a deep understanding of its marketing tools. Marketing managers should be creative, should have good interpersonal skills, and should be flexible.
Category managers and marketing managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Category Manager | Marketing Manager | |
| Average salary | $102,035 | $104,550 |
| Salary range | Between $74,000 And $138,000 | Between $71,000 And $153,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | California |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a category manager and a marketing manager in terms of educational background:
| Category Manager | Marketing Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 74% | Bachelor's Degree, 75% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between category managers' and marketing managers' demographics:
| Category Manager | Marketing Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.7% Female, 44.3% | Male, 44.4% Female, 55.6% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |