Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between site managers and plant 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 plant manager takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a plant manager has an average salary of $113,843, 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 plant manager are continuous improvement, customer service, and safety program.
| Site Manager | Plant Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $59,192 | $113,843 |
| Hourly rate | $28.46 | $54.73 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 47,853 | 275,962 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| 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.
In general, plant managers are responsible for the entire operations in a manufacturing plant. Plant managers plan, direct, organize, and run the optimum operations of the plant daily. They create and execute organizational or departmental goals procedures, and policies. They aim to increase the manufacturing production and the capacity and flexibility of its assets while keeping its current quality standards and unnecessary costs. They are expected to have a better understanding of the manufacturing industry like equipment use and mechanical aptitude.
Site managers and plant managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Site Manager | Plant Manager | |
| Average salary | $59,192 | $113,843 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $109,000 | Between $85,000 And $152,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Richmond, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Meta | Koch Industries |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Finance |
There are a few differences between a site manager and a plant manager in terms of educational background:
| Site Manager | Plant Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| 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 plant managers' demographics:
| Site Manager | Plant Manager | |
| Average age | 46 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 63.4% Female, 36.6% | Male, 93.7% Female, 6.3% |
| 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, 6.3% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 15.5% Asian, 6.4% White, 67.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 4% | 10% |