Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
The differences between software product managers and associate product managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 8-10 years to become both a software product manager and an associate product manager. Additionally, a software product manager has an average salary of $110,785, which is higher than the $89,963 average annual salary of an associate product manager.
The top three skills for a software product manager include product management, software products and software development. The most important skills for an associate product manager are product management, project management, and user stories.
| Software Product Manager | Associate Product Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $110,785 | $89,963 |
| Hourly rate | $53.26 | $43.25 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 126,167 | 107,763 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 10 | 10 |
Software product managers are individuals who lead and handle products from their inception to their phase-out. The managers establish customer value and carry out measurable benefits for business. They translate data from the discovery phase into product requirements. Understanding technology, expertise in the field, technical skills are necessary to become successful in this job. They analyze competition in the market and the factors that make it valuable.
An associate product manager is someone who assists the product development teams in the development of new product features. The duties of an associate include formulation of product strategies, collection of quantitative product data, and interpretation of consumer feedback. The requirements to qualify for the position include a bachelor's degree in computer science, marketing, business management, or a related field, the ability to maintain strong customer relations, and excellent communication skills.
Software product managers and associate product managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Product Manager | Associate Product Manager | |
| Average salary | $110,785 | $89,963 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $155,000 | Between $65,000 And $122,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a software product manager and an associate product manager in terms of educational background:
| Software Product Manager | Associate Product Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 80% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between software product managers' and associate product managers' demographics:
| Software Product Manager | Associate Product Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% | Male, 45.0% Female, 55.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | Black or African American, 3.0% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.7% Asian, 8.2% White, 74.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 10% | 10% |