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The differences between project associates and project leaders can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project leader has an average salary of $98,559, which is higher than the $56,523 average annual salary of a project associate.
The top three skills for a project associate include project management, data collection and powerpoint. The most important skills for a project leader are project management, work ethic, and C++.
| Project Associate | Project Leader | |
| Yearly salary | $56,523 | $98,559 |
| Hourly rate | $27.17 | $47.38 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 107,546 | 221,165 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
A project associate (PA) is an individual who ensures that the activities of a project are running smoothly and properly implemented. Project associates are required to provide administrative coordination support to assigned projects and maintain project pending lists and meeting agendas. They must review and process invoices from consultants, subcontractors, and vendors to ensure that they are according to the project's requirements. In collaboration with the senior project officer, project associates should also assist in tracking and documenting project deliverables.
A project leader is responsible for supervising the team and managing the distribution of tasks to ensure the project's success with the highest efficiency and accuracy. Duties of a project leader include motivating the team, managing the team's needs and concerns, providing effective strategies to improve the team's performance, creating reports, monitoring the team's progress, and maintaining the coordination between team members. A project leader should have exceptional leadership skills to handle the team's operation and identify areas of improvement to deliver excellent results.
Project associates and project leaders have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Associate | Project Leader | |
| Average salary | $56,523 | $98,559 |
| Salary range | Between $39,000 And $80,000 | Between $70,000 And $138,000 |
| Highest paying City | Richmond, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Pennsylvania | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Boston Consulting Group |
| Best paying industry | Pharmaceutical | Professional |
There are a few differences between a project associate and a project leader in terms of educational background:
| Project Associate | Project Leader | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 69% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between project associates' and project leaders' demographics:
| Project Associate | Project Leader | |
| Average age | 47 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 43.5% Female, 56.5% | Male, 69.0% Female, 31.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.6% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 8.9% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 11% |