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The differences between product line directors and product 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 line director and a product manager. Additionally, a product line director has an average salary of $138,939, which is higher than the $111,729 average annual salary of a product manager.
The top three skills for a product line director include project management, service line and oversight. The most important skills for a product manager are product management, QA, and product strategy.
| Product Line Director | Product Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $138,939 | $111,729 |
| Hourly rate | $66.80 | $53.72 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 155,656 | 125,678 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
Product line director positions will require good skills in project management, product development, and business development. Those who choose this career path will be called on to maintain a portfolio of all the company products and product lines--specifically, be responsible for creating, tracking, and monitoring all existing products with the company's portfolio.
A product manager is responsible for ensuring product development, providing the best marketing strategies, and effectively handling the sales and marketing team. Product managers' duties include monitoring the market trends and conditions, identifying business opportunities and plan initiatives, and collaborating the product launch process with the appropriate departments. A product manager is also responsible for generating ideas on improving product features, determining timetables and reasonable pricing, and analyzing product sales. A product manager must have excellent strategic and decision-making skills to contribute to its growth and profitability.
Product line directors and product managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Line Director | Product Manager | |
| Average salary | $138,939 | $111,729 |
| Salary range | Between $94,000 And $204,000 | Between $81,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Stanford Health Care | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Telecommunication | Retail |
There are a few differences between a product line director and a product manager in terms of educational background:
| Product Line Director | Product Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 65% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Wisconsin - Madison | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between product line directors' and product managers' demographics:
| Product Line Director | Product Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.4% Female, 27.6% | Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7% |
| 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% |