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Department Supervisor Vs Area Supervisor

The differences between department supervisors and area supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a department supervisor and an area supervisor. Additionally, a department supervisor has an average salary of $47,300, which is higher than the $40,965 average annual salary of an area supervisor.

The top three skills for a department supervisor include store management, product knowledge and plumbing. The most important skills for an area supervisor are ladders, cleanliness, and sales floor.

Department supervisor vs area supervisor overview

Department SupervisorArea Supervisor
Yearly Salary$47,300$40,965
Hourly rate$22.74$19.69
Growth Rate6%6%
Number Of Jobs216,893106,356
Job Satisfaction--
Most Common DegreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average Age4343
Years Of Experience66

What does a Department Supervisor do?

A department supervisor's role is to oversee and ensure a business operation's efficiency in a particular area. Acting as a leader, it is their responsibility to develop strategies on meeting goals within a timeline and ensure that the workforce is functioning effectively in a harmonious environment. Furthermore, a department supervisor is in charge of setting goals such as budget and results, evaluating employees' performances and activities, training new members of the workforce, handling and resolving issues, and enforcing the company's policies and regulations.

What does an area supervisor do?

An area supervisor opens and closes the store, maintains a comfortable and friendly shop environment, and supervises associates. Area supervisors are responsible for keeping track of daily operations in the business. They are in charge of the maintenance, production, and other work performed in certain areas. Their responsibilities include the recruitment and training of staff, solving customer issues, updating records, and completing other tasks assigned by directors. It is also their responsibility to schedule the work hours of employees.

Department supervisor vs area supervisor salary

Department supervisors and area supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Department SupervisorArea Supervisor
Average Salary$47,300$40,965
Salary RangeBetween $33,000 And $66,000Between $27,000 And $61,000
Highest Paying CityLakewood, NJLancaster, PA
Highest Paying StateNew JerseyAlaska
Best Paying CompanyClubTesla
Best Paying IndustryFinanceManufacturing

Differences between department supervisor and area supervisor education

There are a few differences between a department supervisor and an area supervisor in terms of educational background:

Department SupervisorArea Supervisor
Most Common DegreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most Common MajorBusinessBusiness
Most Common CollegeSUNY College of Technology at DelhiUniversity of Pennsylvania

Department supervisor vs area supervisor demographics

Here are the differences between department supervisors' and area supervisors' demographics:

Department SupervisorArea Supervisor
Average Age4343
Gender RatioMale, 57.9% Female, 42.1%Male, 58.4% Female, 41.6%
Race RatioBlack or African American, 8.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 18.2% Asian, 6.8% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 8.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 6.5% White, 61.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage9%9%

Differences between department supervisor and area supervisor duties and responsibilities

Department Supervisor Example Responsibilities.

  • Achieve a high degree of customer relations, in-stock, and store appearance.
  • Manage geotechnical aspects of an EIR/EIS for a coastal development in an environmentally sensitive lagoon.
  • Maintain an ISO certify department.
  • Home depot sales associate , 2/2012 to7/1012
  • Obtain good working knowledge of EDI.
  • Assist customers, complete callbacks and diamond counts
  • Show More

Area Supervisor Example Responsibilities.

  • Promote from associate to manage several departments including jewelry, housewares, automotive and electronics.
  • Demonstrate resourcefulness and imagination when managing professional responsibilities.
  • Schedule and lead safety meetings par OSHA regulations.
  • Train new and current employees run reports and stats for upper management.
  • Handle work flow, assign tasks, train new associates, run administrative machines.
  • Review laboratory documents and test paperwork to ensure the information is accurate and GMP compliant.
  • Show More

Department supervisor vs area supervisor skills

Common Department Supervisor Skills
  • Store Management, 21%
  • Product Knowledge, 19%
  • Plumbing, 18%
  • Math, 8%
  • Customer Satisfaction, 6%
  • Store Sales, 6%
Common Area Supervisor Skills
  • Ladders, 17%
  • Cleanliness, 16%
  • Sales Floor, 15%
  • Front End, 13%
  • Loss Prevention, 10%
  • Bank Deposits, 9%