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The differences between information technology managers and information technology administrators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become an information technology manager, becoming an information technology administrator takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an information technology manager has an average salary of $119,589, which is higher than the $73,195 average annual salary of an information technology administrator.
The top three skills for an information technology manager include customer service, project management and database. The most important skills for an information technology administrator are customer service, troubleshoot, and linux.
| Information Technology Manager | Information Technology Administrator | |
| Yearly salary | $119,589 | $73,195 |
| Hourly rate | $57.49 | $35.19 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 108,179 | 159,499 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 47 | 43 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 2 |
An information technology manager is responsible for supervising tasks for the company's network and information systems operations. Information technology managers require excellent knowledge of the information systems industry, a strong command of programming languages, and software and hardware application processes. An information technology manager reviews the performance of the IT department staff, ensuring that networks and systems maintain the highest quality and efficiency, and adjusting the specific system updates as needed. Information technology managers monitor the security of the system's database and identify business opportunities to utilize all business systems to improve the company's services.
An Information Technology (IT) administrator is an individual responsible for managing the day-to-day operation of an organization's IT systems and ensuring that the systems are running effectively. IT administrators must conduct consistent analyses of the computer system and install updates when needed. They are required to assess the organization's security programs and run the system for viruses and spyware. IT administrators also extend support to the organization's end-users and train them on desktop applications.
Information technology managers and information technology administrators have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Information Technology Manager | Information Technology Administrator | |
| Average salary | $119,589 | $73,195 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $169,000 | Between $50,000 And $105,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Hampshire | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Databricks |
| Best paying industry | - | Finance |
There are a few differences between an information technology manager and an information technology administrator in terms of educational background:
| Information Technology Manager | Information Technology Administrator | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Computer Science |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between information technology managers' and information technology administrators' demographics:
| Information Technology Manager | Information Technology Administrator | |
| Average age | 47 | 43 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 84.5% Female, 15.5% | Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.2% Hispanic or Latino, 9.9% Asian, 12.7% White, 65.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.8% White, 63.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 9% |