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The differences between digital product managers and product development managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a digital product manager and a product development manager. Additionally, a product development manager has an average salary of $113,437, which is higher than the $98,127 average annual salary of a digital product manager.
The top three skills for a digital product manager include product management, digital marketing and user experience. The most important skills for a product development manager are product development, project management, and lifecycle management.
| Digital Product Manager | Product Development Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $98,127 | $113,437 |
| Hourly rate | $47.18 | $54.54 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 129,203 | 166,871 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
It is the key role of digital product managers to develop new online products or services. They handle the company's existing products and determine strategies to improve the products through market data. It is their duty to articulate their business value to better understand the creation of the new product. A background and knowledge in digital technology is a requirement. They should develop skills in communication, marketing, delegation, analytics, business management, and market research.
A product development manager spearheads the development of new products within a company. Most of the time, their responsibilities revolve around conducting marketing research and analysis to determine consumers' needs, coordinating with the product development team to come up with new ideas, proposing business plans to the executives, and creating prototypes. A product development manager must also present a cost analysis, produce progress reports, and address inquiries and concerns. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the staff, all while adhering to the company's policies and regulations.
Digital product managers and product development managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Digital Product Manager | Product Development Manager | |
| Average salary | $98,127 | $113,437 |
| Salary range | Between $70,000 And $136,000 | Between $84,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Nevada |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a digital product manager and a product development manager in terms of educational background:
| Digital Product Manager | Product Development Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 73% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between digital product managers' and product development managers' demographics:
| Digital Product Manager | Product Development Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.2% Female, 38.8% | Male, 62.2% Female, 37.8% |
| 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% |