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City manager vs station manager

The differences between city managers and station 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 station manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a city manager has an average salary of $76,188, which is higher than the $58,357 average annual salary of a station manager.

The top three skills for a city manager include human resources, economic development and oversight. The most important skills for a station manager are safety standards, oversight, and corrective action.

City manager vs station manager overview

City ManagerStation Manager
Yearly salary$76,188$58,357
Hourly rate$36.63$28.06
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs8,928347,820
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Average age5244
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 station manager do?

A station manager is primarily responsible for spearheading and overseeing station operations, ensuring efficiency and smooth workflow. They are in charge of managing the workforce and budgets, setting objectives and timelines, liaising with managers, establishing guidelines, delegating tasks, and monitoring the progress of projects, addressing and solving issues should there be any. Furthermore, as a station manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the company's policies and regulations.

City manager vs station manager salary

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

City ManagerStation Manager
Average salary$76,188$58,357
Salary rangeBetween $40,000 And $142,000Between $34,000 And $98,000
Highest paying CityHayward, CANewark, NJ
Highest paying stateCaliforniaNew York
Best paying companyAppleAstronics
Best paying industryStart-upTechnology

Differences between city manager and station manager education

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

City ManagerStation Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 63%Bachelor's Degree, 61%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaUniversity of Pennsylvania

City manager vs station manager demographics

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

City ManagerStation Manager
Average age5244
Gender ratioMale, 69.6% Female, 30.4%Male, 70.1% Female, 29.9%
Race ratioBlack 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, 15.3% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage12%10%

Differences between city manager and station 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.
  • Show more

Station manager example responsibilities.

  • Manage all brewery operations including special project management, raw material ordering and handling, production scheduling, and client interfacing.
  • Cover all operations within USPS and FedEx.
  • Work externally to integrate FedEx products and services into customer supply chain logistics.
  • Collect money daily, make deposits daily, run collection reports for each station.
  • Train employees and schedule shifts for DJs, plan events, create radio commercials, communicate with recording studios.
  • Establish airport and local community relations as liaison with airport, city officials, FAA, police and fire departments.
  • Show more

City manager vs station manager skills

Common city manager skills
  • Human Resources, 9%
  • Economic Development, 8%
  • Oversight, 7%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Public Works, 6%
  • Payroll, 6%
Common station manager skills
  • Safety Standards, 11%
  • Oversight, 11%
  • Corrective Action, 8%
  • Payroll, 7%
  • Station Operations, 5%
  • Direct Reports, 5%

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