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The differences between release managers and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a release manager has an average salary of $109,886, which is higher than the $91,578 average annual salary of a project manager.
The top three skills for a release manager include release management, project management and software development. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Release Manager | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $109,886 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $52.83 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 38,547 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 6 | - |
A release manager is responsible for supervising project releases across various platforms by closely coordinating with technology and project teams, ensuring the stability and efficiency of outputs according to clients' specifications and business needs. Release managers handle the delivery management procedures from conceptualization to production, maintaining budget requirements and adherence to timetables. They also perform quality check processes to identify possible defects and inconsistencies with the deliverables and adjusting initial project plans as needed.
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.
Release managers and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Release Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $109,886 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $147,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between a release manager and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Release Manager | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Computer Science | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between release managers' and project managers' demographics:
| Release Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 61.4% Female, 38.6% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |