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The differences between planning managers and planning directors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a planning manager and a planning director. Additionally, a planning director has an average salary of $131,978, which is higher than the $98,486 average annual salary of a planning manager.
The top three skills for a planning manager include project management, customer service and strong analytical. The most important skills for a planning director are project management, financial analysis, and business planning.
| Planning Manager | Planning Director | |
| Yearly salary | $98,486 | $131,978 |
| Hourly rate | $47.35 | $63.45 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 137,190 | 51,861 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
Planning managers perform various duties and responsibilities for an organization. These include planning and monitoring a project or department's budget, production schedule, and inventory, creating reports of new plans, programs, and regulations, and ensuring development proposals comply with requirements and regulations. Additionally, planning managers are expected to serve as an intermediary between developers, government entities, businesses, and communities. They also oversee site plans, rezoning, and special-use permits, set schedules for the project, and supervise other personnel such as developers and consultants.
Planning Directors are members of the executive team or the top management of a company. They oversee the company's plans and the strategies involved in reaching company goals. They manage the resources of the company by reviewing the budget and by overseeing human resources activities. They ensure that the company works toward its goals and that the company follows through with its plans. That being said, Planning Directors do not necessarily police the company's actions, especially if it deviates from the original plans. Instead, they steer the company towards the fulfillment of such plans. If the plan is no longer viable, they should be flexible enough to pursue new plans to achieve their goals still.
Planning managers and planning directors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Planning Manager | Planning Director | |
| Average salary | $98,486 | $131,978 |
| Salary range | Between $71,000 And $135,000 | Between $90,000 And $192,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New York |
| Best paying company | ZS | Exelixis |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between a planning manager and a planning director in terms of educational background:
| Planning Manager | Planning Director | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 69% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between planning managers' and planning directors' demographics:
| Planning Manager | Planning Director | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 64.1% Female, 35.9% | Male, 66.7% Female, 33.3% |
| 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% |