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The differences between city managers and chiefs of staff can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes More than 10 years to become both a city manager and a chief of staff. Additionally, a chief of staff has an average salary of $130,835, which is higher than the $76,188 average annual salary of a city manager.
The top three skills for a city manager include human resources, economic development and oversight. The most important skills for a chief of staff are PET, team support, and project management.
| City Manager | Chief Of Staff | |
| Yearly salary | $76,188 | $130,835 |
| Hourly rate | $36.63 | $62.90 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 8,928 | 124,272 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 52 | 52 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A city manager is responsible for monitoring city operations and manage staff to advise programs and initiatives for the benefits of the citizens. City managers oversee community projects and allocate adequate resources to support functions and societal activities. They also serve as a liaison to clear political disputes and officer conflicts. A city manager attends community events and meetings to represent the city, provide progress updates, and coordinate with other local organizations for sponsorship and funding events.
A chief of staff primarily supports an executive through performing various administrative tasks. Most of their responsibilities revolve around collaborating with other executive support personnel to devise strategies that will help the company, responding to inquiries and correspondence, approving communications letters, managing schedules, setting appointments, and serving as an advisor to the executive. Furthermore, when it comes to issues and disputes, the chief of staff must be quick to conduct research and perform damage control to help the executive and the company rise from the occasion.
City managers and chiefs of staff have different pay scales, as shown below.
| City Manager | Chief Of Staff | |
| Average salary | $76,188 | $130,835 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $142,000 | Between $85,000 And $200,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hayward, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Apple | Lyft |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a city manager and a chief of staff in terms of educational background:
| City Manager | Chief Of Staff | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between city managers' and chiefs of staff' demographics:
| City Manager | Chief Of Staff | |
| Average age | 52 | 52 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.6% Female, 30.4% | Male, 62.0% Female, 38.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 7.6% White, 76.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 7.8% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 12% | 12% |