Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between production managers and product managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a production manager, becoming a product manager takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a product manager has an average salary of $111,729, which is higher than the $78,064 average annual salary of a production manager.
The top three skills for a production manager include continuous improvement, customer service and quality standards. The most important skills for a product manager are product management, QA, and product strategy.
| Production Manager | Product Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $78,064 | $111,729 |
| Hourly rate | $37.53 | $53.72 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 95,561 | 125,678 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Average age | 46 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 10 |
Production managers work in show business, whether in film, television shows, or theatre productions. They oversee the whole production and ensure that all agreements are met. They manage finances and budget allocation. They oversee the design of costumes and sets. They also manage the timeline of filming and ensure that the production or filming will finish within the agreed timeline. Production managers also ensure that all stakeholders are satisfied. They build meaningful working relationships with everyone involved, from directors to actors to crew members. They try to mitigate any potential challenges in the production budget and schedule.
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.
Production managers and product managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Production Manager | Product Manager | |
| Average salary | $78,064 | $111,729 |
| Salary range | Between $50,000 And $120,000 | Between $81,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Rhode Island | California |
| Best paying company | Cheniere Energy | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Retail |
There are a few differences between a production manager and a product manager in terms of educational background:
| Production Manager | Product Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 62% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between production managers' and product managers' demographics:
| Production Manager | Product Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 76.6% Female, 23.4% | Male, 65.3% Female, 34.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.3% Asian, 5.1% White, 60.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | 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 | 6% | 10% |