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The differences between site managers and general managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-8 years to become a site manager, becoming a general manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a general manager has an average salary of $71,581, which is higher than the $59,192 average annual salary of a site manager.
The top three skills for a site manager include customer service, safety procedures and oversight. The most important skills for a general manager are customer service, cleanliness, and food safety.
| Site Manager | General Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $59,192 | $71,581 |
| Hourly rate | $28.46 | $34.41 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 47,853 | 442,690 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.25 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 8 | 6 |
The tasks of a Site Manager may vary, but the responsibility will always revolve around supervising the construction project and its employees, making sure that the project is completed within the allotted time, budget, and quality. Site Managers are required to have great communication and leadership skills as they are often the ones to engage with the clients and coordinate with the employees. Moreover, It is also the Site Manager's responsibility to ensure the safety of employees, prepare site reports, conduct quality control procedures, assess and solve problems, negotiate contracts, and secure permits needed for the project.
A general manager is responsible for handling the overall operations in the business. General managers manage the staff tasks efficiently, monitor the productivity and efficiency of the work environment, implement new strategies to improve the business performance, recognize the team's best efforts, and effective allocation of budget resources. A general manager must have excellent communication, decision-making, and critical-thinking skills to identify areas of improvement in handling customer complaints, connecting with vendors and other lines of businesses that will direct the company towards its successful objectives.
Site managers and general managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Site Manager | General Manager | |
| Average salary | $59,192 | $71,581 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $109,000 | Between $40,000 And $126,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Hawaii |
| Best paying company | Meta | NVIDIA |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a site manager and a general manager in terms of educational background:
| Site Manager | General Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between site managers' and general managers' demographics:
| Site Manager | General Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.4% Female, 36.6% | Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.5% Asian, 2.8% White, 71.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.4% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 10% |