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The differences between managers and supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a manager, becoming a supervisor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a manager has an average salary of $58,651, which is higher than the $53,902 average annual salary of a supervisor.
The top three skills for a manager include customer service, payroll and food safety. The most important skills for a supervisor are customer service, safety procedures, and sales floor.
| Manager | Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $58,651 | $53,902 |
| Hourly rate | $28.20 | $25.91 |
| Growth rate | 6% | - |
| Number of jobs | 1,236,194 | 224,920 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.57 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 2 |
Managers are responsible for a specific department, function, or employee group. They oversee their assigned departments and all the employees under the department. Managers are responsible that the department they are handling is functioning well. They set the department goals and the steps they must take to achieve the goals. They are also in charge of assessing the performance of their departments and their employees. Additionally, managers are responsible for interviewing prospective candidates for department vacancies and assessing their fit to the needs of the department. Managers also set the general working environment in the department, and they are expected to ensure that their employees remain motivated.
Supervisors are responsible for overseeing the daily functions of employees in a specific team, department, or even a work shift. They create work schedules, organize work processes and workflows, train new hires, provide necessary reports related to the team function and the employees, monitor and evaluate employee performance, and ensure that goals of the specific team or department are met. When needed, supervisors also provide guidance to employees in terms of their career or even personal challenges. They also help in fostering harmonious work relationships by resolving interpersonal conflicts at work. To be successful in their role, they must have leadership skills, time management skills, decision-making capabilities, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills.
Managers and supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Manager | Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $58,651 | $53,902 |
| Salary range | Between $37,000 And $92,000 | Between $31,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | - | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | Alaska |
| Best paying company | - | Reed Smith |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a manager and a supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Manager | Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 49% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between managers' and supervisors' demographics:
| Manager | Supervisor | |
| Average age | 44 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 51.0% Female, 49.0% | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 6% |