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The differences between plant managers and area managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a plant manager and an area manager. Additionally, a plant manager has an average salary of $113,843, which is higher than the $73,472 average annual salary of an area manager.
The top three skills for a plant manager include continuous improvement, customer service and safety program. The most important skills for an area manager are customer service, safety standards, and logistics.
| Plant Manager | Area Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $113,843 | $73,472 |
| Hourly rate | $54.73 | $35.32 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 275,962 | 341,983 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
In general, plant managers are responsible for the entire operations in a manufacturing plant. Plant managers plan, direct, organize, and run the optimum operations of the plant daily. They create and execute organizational or departmental goals procedures, and policies. They aim to increase the manufacturing production and the capacity and flexibility of its assets while keeping its current quality standards and unnecessary costs. They are expected to have a better understanding of the manufacturing industry like equipment use and mechanical aptitude.
An Area Manager's responsibility is to oversee the business operations of all company branches within a particular area. Among the tasks involve creating strategies to achieve the sales target, monitoring and evaluating the performance and progress of stores including their workforce, adhering to the budget and regulations of the company, and focus on attaining the image and financial goals. Moreover, an Area Manager must communicate and coordinate with fellow managers and hire employees that would be a vital member of the company.
Plant managers and area managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Plant Manager | Area Manager | |
| Average salary | $113,843 | $73,472 |
| Salary range | Between $85,000 And $152,000 | Between $50,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | New York |
| Best paying company | Koch Industries | Clifford Chance |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Technology |
There are a few differences between a plant manager and an area manager in terms of educational background:
| Plant Manager | Area Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between plant managers' and area managers' demographics:
| Plant Manager | Area Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3% | Male, 69.1% Female, 30.9% |
| 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, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |