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The differences between product development 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 development manager and a product line manager. Additionally, a product development manager has an average salary of $113,437, which is higher than the $97,237 average annual salary of a product line manager.
The top three skills for a product development manager include product development, project management and lifecycle management. The most important skills for a product line manager are product management, customer service, and PLM.
| Product Development Manager | Product Line Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $113,437 | $97,237 |
| Hourly rate | $54.54 | $46.75 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 166,871 | 158,908 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
A product development manager spearheads the development of new products within a company. Most of the time, their responsibilities revolve around conducting marketing research and analysis to determine consumers' needs, coordinating with the product development team to come up with new ideas, proposing business plans to the executives, and creating prototypes. A product development manager must also present a cost analysis, produce progress reports, and address inquiries and concerns. Furthermore, as a manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the staff, all while adhering to 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 development managers and product line managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Development Manager | Product Line Manager | |
| Average salary | $113,437 | $97,237 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $152,000 | Between $52,000 And $178,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Nevada | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | ON Semiconductor |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Energy |
There are a few differences between a product development manager and a product line manager in terms of educational background:
| Product Development Manager | Product Line Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between product development managers' and product line managers' demographics:
| Product Development Manager | Product Line Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 62.2% Female, 37.8% | 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% |