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The differences between product design managers and product line managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a product design manager and a product line manager. Additionally, a product design manager has an average salary of $133,190, which is higher than the $97,237 average annual salary of a product line manager.
The top three skills for a product design manager include product design, user research and sketch. The most important skills for a product line manager are product management, customer service, and PLM.
| Product Design Manager | Product Line Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $133,190 | $97,237 |
| Hourly rate | $64.03 | $46.75 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 146,576 | 158,908 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
A product design manager typically works with engineers and specialists in the joint effort to develop high-quality standard products. As a product design manager, they are responsible for managing product design teams, understanding and identifying a project's needs, performing research and analysis, setting objectives and guidelines, liaising with external parties, and presenting prototypes for client approval. Moreover, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage staff to reach product goals while enforcing the company's policies and regulations.
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.
Product design managers and product line managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Design Manager | Product Line Manager | |
| Average salary | $133,190 | $97,237 |
| Salary range | Between $91,000 And $193,000 | Between $52,000 And $178,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | ON Semiconductor |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Energy |
There are a few differences between a product design manager and a product line manager in terms of educational background:
| Product Design Manager | Product Line Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 75% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Graphic Design | Business |
| Most common college | University of Wisconsin - Madison | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between product design managers' and product line managers' demographics:
| Product Design Manager | Product Line Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.2% Female, 33.8% | Male, 78.8% Female, 21.2% |
| 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% |