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The differences between product managers and account managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 8-10 years to become a product manager, becoming an account manager takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a product manager has an average salary of $111,729, which is higher than the $68,535 average annual salary of an account manager.
The top three skills for a product manager include product management, QA and product strategy. The most important skills for an account manager are customer service, account management, and healthcare.
| Product Manager | Account Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $111,729 | $68,535 |
| Hourly rate | $53.72 | $32.95 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 125,678 | 152,261 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Average age | 39 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 8 |
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.
Account managers are employees who act as the bridge between the company they represent and the client of the company. They are assigned to handle specific clients so that the company will be able to tailor-fit any product or service according to the clients' requirements. Account managers are responsible for maintaining a harmonious relationship between the two parties by ensuring that any agreement made is amenable to both the company and the client. They are also responsible for ensuring that the company will be able to provide the needs of the client within any limitation that the client may have. Account managers also ensure that the company's reputation and well-being are always considered in any dealings.
Product managers and account managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Manager | Account Manager | |
| Average salary | $111,729 | $68,535 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $152,000 | Between $42,000 And $110,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | NVIDIA |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a product manager and an account manager in terms of educational background:
| Product Manager | Account Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 70% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between product managers' and account managers' demographics:
| Product Manager | Account Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7% | Male, 54.8% Female, 45.2% |
| 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, 3.2% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 9.8% Asian, 4.1% White, 78.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 7% |