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The differences between project managers and program managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a program manager has an average salary of $96,084, which is higher than the $91,578 average annual salary of a project manager.
The top three skills for a project manager include project management, project scope and customer service. The most important skills for a program manager are project management, program management, and oversight.
| Project Manager | Program Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $91,578 | $96,084 |
| Hourly rate | $44.03 | $46.19 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 12% |
| Number of jobs | 167,116 | 197,556 |
| Job satisfaction | 4.17 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
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.
A program manager is responsible for monitoring the project's progress, improving and developing new strategies, and coordinate various projects across the organization to ensure the success of the business objective. Program managers also manage the program's expenses, ensuring that the projects adhere to the budget goals without compromising the quality and accuracy of the result. A program manager should regularly connect with the different teams of every project under the program to keep track of the processes and procedures for the timely delivery of the product.
Project managers and program managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Manager | Program Manager | |
| Average salary | $91,578 | $96,084 |
| Salary range | Between $64,000 And $129,000 | Between $65,000 And $141,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between a project manager and a program manager in terms of educational background:
| Project Manager | Program Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 68% | Bachelor's Degree, 66% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between project managers' and program managers' demographics:
| Project Manager | Program Manager | |
| Average age | 47 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% | Male, 52.9% Female, 47.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |