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The differences between product developers and product owners 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 developer and a product owner. Additionally, a product owner has an average salary of $97,070, which is higher than the $88,629 average annual salary of a product developer.
The top three skills for a product developer include product development, R and develop user. The most important skills for a product owner are user stories, acceptance criteria, and product backlog.
| Product Developer | Product Owner | |
| Yearly salary | $88,629 | $97,070 |
| Hourly rate | $42.61 | $46.67 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 147,035 | 129,990 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
A product developer is responsible for creating the designs of an industrial product based on the client's specifications and budget requirements. Product developers work closely with the whole design team to strategize and execute plans within the agreed timeframe. Product developers must be updated with the current industry trends, developing designs that would be competitive in the market, boosting the company's brand image to attract potential clients, and generate more revenues. A product developer should have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as utilizing various software tools to create high-quality designs.
Product owners are at the forefront of an organization's development cycle. They have various duties and responsibilities, which include ensuring that the value of products created by the development team is maximized, creating a vision and defining the goals for development projects, and working closely with all stakeholders. As the product owner, you are responsible for ensuring that the development team maintains a consistent vision and overseeing the product backlog. You are also expected to supervise the actual product development stages and anticipate the needs of clients.
Product developers and product owners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Developer | Product Owner | |
| Average salary | $88,629 | $97,070 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $123,000 | Between $71,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | ORIX USA |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a product developer and a product owner in terms of educational background:
| Product Developer | Product Owner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between product developers' and product owners' demographics:
| Product Developer | Product Owner | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.1% Female, 38.9% | Male, 64.3% Female, 35.7% |
| 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% |