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The differences between line managers and product line managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a line manager, becoming a product line manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a product line manager has an average salary of $97,237, which is higher than the $56,406 average annual salary of a line manager.
The top three skills for a line manager include client facing, continuous improvement and service line. The most important skills for a product line manager are product management, customer service, and PLM.
| Line Manager | Product Line Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $56,406 | $97,237 |
| Hourly rate | $27.12 | $46.75 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 369,491 | 158,908 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 10 |
As line managers, they oversee other employees and the business operations while reporting to a higher manager. They play a significant role in the operation of the business from supervising and managing workers daily and acting as a link to upper management and employees. It is part of their responsibility to recruit and hire talent to fill team positions, provide training and learning to new hires, and ensuring that the employees are doing their jobs effectively and efficiently.
A product line manager is an individual who provides product and market intelligence by increasing the market share of a company. Product line managers must create competitive analysis and interpret market trends so that they can provide recommendations and guidance to the company. They are required to identify target markets and should come up with strategies for market penetration. Product line managers must also monitor the creation and development of new products as well as to measure the success of the products in the market.
Line managers and product line managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Line Manager | Product Line Manager | |
| Average salary | $56,406 | $97,237 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $116,000 | Between $52,000 And $178,000 |
| Highest paying City | New Brunswick, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Microsoft | ON Semiconductor |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between a line manager and a product line manager in terms of educational background:
| Line Manager | Product Line Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 56% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between line managers' and product line managers' demographics:
| Line Manager | Product Line Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3% | Male, 78.8% Female, 21.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.1% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 14.9% Asian, 6.3% White, 67.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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% |