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The differences between product managers lead 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 manager lead and a product line manager. Additionally, a product manager lead has an average salary of $138,531, which is higher than the $97,237 average annual salary of a product line manager.
The top three skills for a product manager lead include architecture, QA and product management. The most important skills for a product line manager are product management, customer service, and PLM.
| Product Manager Lead | Product Line Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $138,531 | $97,237 |
| Hourly rate | $66.60 | $46.75 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 110,157 | 158,908 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
A product manager lead is responsible for supervising the development and strategic launch of the company's products from conceptualization to final market release. Product managers work closely with the marketing and sales team to identify efficient promotional techniques to enhance the brand's image across the market and develop outstanding features according to trends and public demands. They also handle media commitments and press releases and maximize product vision. A product manager lead directs the budgeting and sales forecasting, ensuring that the process adheres to budget limitations and deadlines.
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 managers lead and product line managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Product Manager Lead | Product Line Manager | |
| Average salary | $138,531 | $97,237 |
| Salary range | Between $99,000 And $192,000 | Between $52,000 And $178,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Walt Disney Company | ON Semiconductor |
| Best paying industry | Start-up | Energy |
There are a few differences between a product manager lead and a product line manager in terms of educational background:
| Product Manager Lead | Product Line Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between product managers lead' and product line managers' demographics:
| Product Manager Lead | Product Line Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 69.4% Female, 30.6% | 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% |