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The differences between commercial product managers and product leads can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a commercial product manager and a product lead. Additionally, a product lead has an average salary of $118,828, which is higher than the $106,412 average annual salary of a commercial product manager.
The top three skills for a commercial product manager include treasury, product line and product development. The most important skills for a product lead are product management, project management, and architecture.
| Commercial Product Manager | Product Lead | |
| Yearly salary | $106,412 | $118,828 |
| Hourly rate | $51.16 | $57.13 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 139,724 | 95,557 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
The commercial product manager focuses on determining consumers' wants and needs and drafts a product plan for the business to tweak their product development to take advantage of the demand. The commercial product manager works with the marketing team on ensuring existing products and newly developed items fare well in the market. This position is tasked with monitoring product performance, determining weaknesses in the marketing strategy, and providing suggestions and recommendations to improve sales. The added responsibility of a commercial product manager is to help in conceptualizing product designs and marketing strategies.
A product lead is responsible for monitoring the development of new products and services of an organization, starting from brand conceptualization to official market release and distribution. Product leads identify effective product management by conducting data analysis and evaluating market statistics of customer demands. They coordinate with the clients on their specifications and requirements, including the budget limit and timely deliverables. A product lead manages the brand promotion on media platforms, creating content that adheres to the target audience.
Commercial product managers and product leads have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Commercial Product Manager | Product Lead | |
| Average salary | $106,412 | $118,828 |
| Salary range | Between $73,000 And $153,000 | Between $86,000 And $163,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Washington | California |
| Best paying company | Flexport | Airbnb |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a commercial product manager and a product lead in terms of educational background:
| Commercial Product Manager | Product Lead | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 80% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between commercial product managers' and product leads' demographics:
| Commercial Product Manager | Product Lead | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.0% Female, 30.0% | Male, 71.1% Female, 28.9% |
| 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% |