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The differences between lead program managers and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a lead program manager has an average salary of $119,480, which is higher than the $91,578 average annual salary of a project manager.
The top three skills for a lead program manager include project management, program management and portfolio. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Lead Program Manager | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $119,480 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $57.44 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 200,688 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A lead program manager is responsible for coordinating departmental projects and ensuring that the programs adhere to the business guidelines and functions to achieve long-term goals and objectives. Lead program managers strategize techniques in developing business plans and managing budget allocation across departments. They also coordinate with clients for progress updates and modify program plans as needed. A lead program manager must have excellent communication and leadership skills to finalize program outputs and assist the team in resolving project issues and delays.
Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.
Lead program managers and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Lead Program Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $119,480 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $89,000 And $158,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Airbnb | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a lead program manager and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Lead Program Manager | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between lead program managers' and project managers' demographics:
| Lead Program Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.7% Female, 36.3% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.1% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |