Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between real estate developers and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a real estate developer has an average salary of $93,510, which is higher than the $91,578 average annual salary of a project manager.
The top three skills for a real estate developer include financial statements, property management and due diligence. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Real Estate Developer | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $93,510 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $44.96 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 3% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 87,865 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 48 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
A real estate developer obtains and develops land, turning it into a real estate asset. Part of their job is to conduct extensive research and analyses, coordinate with experts, gather and analyze data, negotiate with land sellers, and prepare properties for development. They also oversee construction operations from planning to execution, set budgets and guidelines, establish timelines and objectives, generate leads for potential clients, and maintain an active communication line with contractors for a smooth and efficient workflow.
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.
Real estate developers and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Real Estate Developer | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $93,510 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $66,000 And $131,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | Catonsville, MD | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | California |
| Best paying company | RSM US | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Media | Technology |
There are a few differences between a real estate developer and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Real Estate Developer | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 71% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between real estate developers' and project managers' demographics:
| Real Estate Developer | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 48 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.9% Female, 33.1% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.1% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 5.4% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | 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 | 12% | 10% |