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The differences between launch managers and product 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 launch manager and a product manager. Additionally, a product manager has an average salary of $111,729, which is higher than the $111,309 average annual salary of a launch manager.
The top three skills for a launch manager include project management, lifecycle management and APQP. The most important skills for a product manager are product management, QA, and product strategy.
| Launch Manager | Product Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $111,309 | $111,729 |
| Hourly rate | $53.51 | $53.72 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 109,170 | 125,678 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
A launch manager is primarily in charge of overseeing and spearheading the efforts in introducing new products and services to the market. Their responsibilities include setting objectives, performing research and analysis to establish marketing plans, coordinating with different teams in finding and developing marketing opportunities, managing timelines and budgets, supervising promotional procedures, and conducting inspections to ensure the quality and readiness of products and services for launch. Furthermore, as a launch manager, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals while implementing the company's policies and regulations.
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.
Launch managers and product managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Launch Manager | Product Manager | |
| Average salary | $111,309 | $111,729 |
| Salary range | Between $72,000 And $171,000 | Between $81,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | Annapolis, MD | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a launch manager and a product manager in terms of educational background:
| Launch Manager | Product Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between launch managers' and product managers' demographics:
| Launch Manager | Product Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.4% Female, 26.6% | Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7% |
| 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% |