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The differences between principal investigators and supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a principal investigator, becoming a supervisor takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, a principal investigator has an average salary of $84,635, which is higher than the $53,902 average annual salary of a supervisor.
The top three skills for a principal investigator include patients, data collection and project management. The most important skills for a supervisor are customer service, safety procedures, and sales floor.
| Principal Investigator | Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $84,635 | $53,902 |
| Hourly rate | $40.69 | $25.91 |
| Growth rate | 5% | - |
| Number of jobs | 44,475 | 224,920 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 2 |
A Principal Investigator is the primary person who is responsible for designing, conducting, and reporting a research project. They report to a designated official such as the department head or division chief.
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.
Principal investigators and supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Principal Investigator | Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $84,635 | $53,902 |
| Salary range | Between $59,000 And $120,000 | Between $31,000 And $92,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | New York, NY |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Incyte | Reed Smith |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a principal investigator and a supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Principal Investigator | Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 53% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Psychology | Business |
| Most common college | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between principal investigators' and supervisors' demographics:
| Principal Investigator | Supervisor | |
| Average age | 47 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.2% Female, 47.8% | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 14.0% Asian, 4.3% White, 66.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 | 16% | 6% |