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The differences between project supervisors 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 $53,609 average annual salary of a project supervisor.
The top three skills for a project supervisor include project management, customer service and safety standards. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Project Supervisor | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $53,609 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $25.77 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 20,450 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 46 | 47 |
| Years of experience | - | - |
A project supervisor is someone employed in industries like engineering, construction, manufacturing, as well as design and marketing industries to coordinate all aspects of a project. Common duties include participating in project planning, acting as a communication liaison, coordinating labor needs, and training employees. They meet with the account manager to assess and understand the client's needs and budget for the project. Together with the supply chain manager, they facilitate the purchasing and delivery of supplies needed to complete the project. Additionally, they make sure the project is completed on time and within budget.
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 supervisors and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Project Supervisor | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $53,609 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $29,000 And $97,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Union City, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Pacific Gas and Electric | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a project supervisor and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Project Supervisor | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between project supervisors' and project managers' demographics:
| Project Supervisor | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 5.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 23.0% Asian, 1.4% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0% | 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 | 2% | 10% |