Data manager vs product manager

The differences between data managers and product managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a data manager, becoming a product manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a product manager has an average salary of $111,729, which is higher than the $108,359 average annual salary of a data manager.

The top three skills for a data manager include data analysis, visualization and data quality. The most important skills for a product manager are product management, QA, and product strategy.

Data manager vs product manager overview

	Data Manager	Product Manager
Yearly salary	$108,359	$111,729
Hourly rate	$52.10	$53.72
Growth rate	16%	10%
Number of jobs	147,574	125,678
Job satisfaction	-	5
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	47	39
Years of experience	8	10

What does a data manager do?

A data manager is responsible for monitoring the efficiency of the company's technology systems and network infrastructures. Data managers ensure the safety and security of the databases to avoid unauthorized access that may pose risks for business operations. They assist the technology team in developing data management protocols and smooth navigation of the network systems. A data manager must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as having a strong command on system codes and programming languages, to immediately identify inconsistencies, and perform troubleshooting to fix these discrepancies.

What does a product manager do?

A product manager is responsible for ensuring product development, providing the best marketing strategies, and effectively handling the sales and marketing team. Product managers' duties include monitoring the market trends and conditions, identifying business opportunities and plan initiatives, and collaborating the product launch process with the appropriate departments. A product manager is also responsible for generating ideas on improving product features, determining timetables and reasonable pricing, and analyzing product sales. A product manager must have excellent strategic and decision-making skills to contribute to its growth and profitability.

Data manager vs product manager salary

Data managers and product managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Data Manager	Product Manager
Average salary	$108,359	$111,729
Salary range	Between $73,000 And $160,000	Between $81,000 And $152,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	San Francisco, CA
Highest paying state	California	California
Best paying company	Meta	Meta
Best paying industry	-	Retail

Differences between data manager and product manager education

There are a few differences between a data manager and a product manager in terms of educational background:

	Data Manager	Product Manager
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	Carnegie Mellon University	University of Georgia

Data manager vs product manager demographics

Here are the differences between data managers' and product managers' demographics:

	Data Manager	Product Manager
Average age	47	39
Gender ratio	Male, 48.0% Female, 52.0%	Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.5% 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	11%	10%

Differences between data manager and product manager duties and responsibilities

Data manager example responsibilities.

Manage all Salesforce customer tech support inquiries.
Use of SalesForce and CRM for leads tracking.
Manage internal department & team initiatives including QA and documentation work.
Manage the profiling and cleansing of legacy data to new data structures.
Manage and lead scrum meetings for both reporting and commissioning development teams.
Manage CRO trials from selection, statement of work, through database lock.

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Product manager example responsibilities.

Lead collaborative efforts within the PMO, vendors, customers, and internal stakeholders.
Manage developers accountable for coding, database development, UI implementation, and system architecture.
Manage inventory service levels / overstocks /defective inventory and supplier buy-in opportunities to maximize ROI.
Lead customization of the company's administrative SaaS software solution by defining features and functionality for internal/external stakeholder teams.
Lead weekly meetings between engineering, sales/marketing, and QA departments to facilitate communication, collaboration and resolution of product issues.
Handle design and specification of administration system requirements to efficiently manage, operate, and support client API configurations and sessions.

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Data manager vs product manager skills

Common data manager skills

Data Analysis, 7%
Visualization, 6%
Data Quality, 6%
Data Collection, 4%
Project Management, 4%
Patients, 4%

Common product manager skills

Product Management, 11%
QA, 5%
Product Strategy, 5%
Project Management, 4%
Market Research, 4%
User Stories, 4%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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