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The differences between project planners and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project manager has an average salary of $91,578, which is higher than the $86,926 average annual salary of a project planner.
The top three skills for a project planner include project management, project planning and microsoft project. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Project Planner | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $86,926 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $41.79 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | -3% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 56,558 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 45 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
A project planner is responsible for determining project management procedures according to business requirements and client specifications. Project planners schedule deliverables of outputs for every milestone to ensure that the team follows the track of guidelines, adhering to the company policies and project plans. They write status reports, conduct cost expenses analysis, and strategize techniques in maximizing the team's productivity and efficiency. A project planner also identifies opportunities to improve project workloads and adjust procedures as necessary to meet the highest goals and objectives.
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.
Project planners and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Planner | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $86,926 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $118,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Davis, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Novo Nordisk | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Technology |
There are a few differences between a project planner and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Project Planner | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 67% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Western Carolina University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between project planners' and project managers' demographics:
| Project Planner | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 45 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 65.1% Female, 34.9% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 10.3% Unknown, 4.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 7.0% White, 60.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 10% |