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The differences between general managers and chief operating officers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a general manager, becoming a chief operating officer takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a chief operating officer has an average salary of $136,604, which is higher than the $71,581 average annual salary of a general manager.
The top three skills for a general manager include customer service, cleanliness and food safety. The most important skills for a chief operating officer are healthcare, customer service, and oversight.
| General Manager | Chief Operating Officer | |
| Yearly salary | $71,581 | $136,604 |
| Hourly rate | $34.41 | $65.67 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 442,690 | 128,993 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.25 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Average age | 44 | 52 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
A general manager is responsible for handling the overall operations in the business. General managers manage the staff tasks efficiently, monitor the productivity and efficiency of the work environment, implement new strategies to improve the business performance, recognize the team's best efforts, and effective allocation of budget resources. A general manager must have excellent communication, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills to identify areas of improvement in handling customer complaints, connecting with vendors and other lines of businesses that will direct the company towards its successful objectives.
A chief operating officer, also known as a COO, is a high-ranking official who oversees a company or organization's daily administrative and overall operations. They are typically the second in the chain of command, reporting directly to the company's chief executive officer, also known as a CEO. Among their duties include developing strategies and guidelines, reviewing reports, performing assessments, and implementing the company's policies, standards, and regulations. Additionally, they lead and empower staff to reach goals, helping solve issues and concerns when any arise.
General managers and chief operating officers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| General Manager | Chief Operating Officer | |
| Average salary | $71,581 | $136,604 |
| Salary range | Between $40,000 And $126,000 | Between $81,000 And $229,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Jersey City, NJ |
| Highest paying state | Hawaii | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | NVIDIA | Baker McKenzie |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a general manager and a chief operating officer in terms of educational background:
| General Manager | Chief Operating Officer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between general managers' and chief operating officers' demographics:
| General Manager | Chief Operating Officer | |
| Average age | 44 | 52 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3% | Male, 76.6% Female, 23.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 7.5% Asian, 7.5% White, 76.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 12% |