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The differences between product line managers and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a product line manager has an average salary of $97,237, which is higher than the $91,578 average annual salary of a project manager.
The top three skills for a product line manager include product management, customer service and PLM. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Product Line Manager | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $97,237 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $46.75 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 158,908 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 39 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 10 | - |
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.
Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.
Product line managers and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Line Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $97,237 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $178,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | ON Semiconductor | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Energy | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product line manager and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Product Line Manager | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between product line managers' and project managers' demographics:
| Product Line Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 78.8% Female, 21.2% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| 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, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |