City manager vs general manager

The differences between city managers and general managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a city manager, becoming a general manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a city manager has an average salary of $76,188, which is higher than the $71,581 average annual salary of a general manager.

The top three skills for a city manager include human resources, economic development and oversight. The most important skills for a general manager are customer service, cleanliness, and food safety.

City manager vs general manager overview

	City Manager	General Manager
Yearly salary	$76,188	$71,581
Hourly rate	$36.63	$34.41
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	8,928	442,690
Job satisfaction	-	4.25
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	52	44
Years of experience	-	6

What does a city manager do?

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.

What does a general manager do?

A general manager is responsible for handling the overall operations in the business. General managers manage the staff tasks efficiently, monitor the productivity and efficiency of the work environment, implement new strategies to improve the business performance, recognize the team's best efforts, and effective allocation of budget resources. A general manager must have excellent communication, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills to identify areas of improvement in handling customer complaints, connecting with vendors and other lines of businesses that will direct the company towards its successful objectives.

City manager vs general manager salary

City managers and general managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	City Manager	General Manager
Average salary	$76,188	$71,581
Salary range	Between $40,000 And $142,000	Between $40,000 And $126,000
Highest paying City	Hayward, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	Hawaii
Best paying company	Apple	NVIDIA
Best paying industry	Start-up	Manufacturing

Differences between city manager and general manager education

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

	City Manager	General Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 63%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

City manager vs general manager demographics

Here are the differences between city managers' and general managers' demographics:

	City Manager	General Manager
Average age	52	44
Gender ratio	Male, 69.6% Female, 30.4%	Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3%
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, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	12%	10%

Differences between city manager and general manager 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.

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General manager example responsibilities.

Generate positive EBITDA and improve cash flow by managing costs and inventory.
Manage all recruiting and training efforts, and develop systems to track ROI comparison results.
Work as a FOH AGM and train to manage all staff functions including training, hiring, food and labor controls.
Develop yearly budget for multiple hotels that include revenue, labor, fix and variable costs to achieve overall EBITDA goal.
Task primarily with building logistics infrastructure, managing operational expenses, and supporting start up strategies.
Train and manage FOH staff and improve overall quality, organization and professionalism of restaurant and bakery.

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City manager vs general manager skills

Common city manager skills

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

Common general manager skills

Customer Service, 20%
Cleanliness, 18%
Food Safety, 7%
Guest Service, 4%
Payroll, 4%
Math, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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