City manager vs city council member

The differences between city managers and city council members can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a city manager has an average salary of $76,188, which is higher than the $51,598 average annual salary of a city council member.

The top three skills for a city manager include human resources, economic development and oversight. The most important skills for a city council member are academic support, behavioral support, and course performance.

City manager vs city council member overview

	City Manager	City Council Member
Yearly salary	$76,188	$51,598
Hourly rate	$36.63	$24.81
Growth rate	6%	-
Number of jobs	8,928	10,395
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Average age	52	52
Years of experience	-	-

City manager vs city council member salary

City managers and city council members have different pay scales, as shown below.

	City Manager	City Council Member
Average salary	$76,188	$51,598
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $142,000	Between $24,000 And $108,000
Highest paying City	Hayward, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Apple	-
Best paying industry	Start-up	-

Differences between city manager and city council member education

There are a few differences between a city manager and a city council member in terms of educational background:

	City Manager	City Council Member
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 67%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

City manager vs city council member demographics

Here are the differences between city managers' and city council members' demographics:

	City Manager	City Council Member
Average age	52	52
Gender ratio	Male, 69.6% Female, 30.4%	Male, 53.3% Female, 46.7%
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, 3.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.6% Asian, 7.5% White, 76.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	12%	12%

Differences between city manager and city council member duties and responsibilities

City manager example responsibilities.

Manage debt issuance, debt service, redemptions and tax arbitrage calculations.
Interpret and apply GAAP and GASB and other applicable accounting guidelines.
Provide assistance in oversight and management of all city operations.
Deploy code enforcement oversight to counter deteriorating private properties as well as public infrastructure.
Complete major renovations and improvements to the city water plant and negotiate and purchase a new city police station building.
Save utility system from financial collapse while completing city wide meter installations with new water rate and tap fee schedules.

City council member example responsibilities.

Participate in lectures and run in mock elections.
Serve on a team of 9 Americorps members in a 2nd grade classroom.
Plan and implement literacy and mathematics lessons for intervention groups of 3rd grade students
Plan and implement literacy and mathematics lessons for intervention groups of 3rd grade students

City manager vs city council member skills

Common city manager skills

Human Resources, 9%
Economic Development, 8%
Oversight, 7%
Customer Service, 6%
Public Works, 6%
Payroll, 6%

Common city council member skills

Academic Support, 11%
Behavioral Support, 10%
Course Performance, 10%
Progress Monitoring, 7%
School Programming, 7%
City Ordinances, 7%

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City Manager vs City Council Member

Updated January 8, 2025

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