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The differences between software product managers and senior 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 a senior product manager. Additionally, a senior product manager has an average salary of $133,868, which is higher than the $110,785 average annual salary of a software product manager.
The top three skills for a software product manager include product management, software products and software development. The most important skills for a senior product manager are product management, cloud, and product strategy.
| Software Product Manager | Senior Product Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $110,785 | $133,868 |
| Hourly rate | $53.26 | $64.36 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 126,167 | 119,025 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| 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.
A senior product manager oversees the workflow and workforce involved in product and service development, ensuring a high return for its investments. They are primarily responsible for assessing and providing recommendations, producing review and reference documents, and obtaining feedback from consumers and high-ranking company personnel. Furthermore, as a senior product manager, they must lead a group of product managers, motivating and supervising them in their joint effort to accomplish goals according to the company's standards and policies.
Software product managers and senior product managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Product Manager | Senior Product Manager | |
| Average salary | $110,785 | $133,868 |
| Salary range | Between $78,000 And $155,000 | Between $98,000 And $182,000 |
| Highest paying City | Palo Alto, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | Roku |
| Best paying industry | Automotive | Start-up |
There are a few differences between a software product manager and a senior product manager in terms of educational background:
| Software Product Manager | Senior Product Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 73% | Bachelor's Degree, 72% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Georgia | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between software product managers' and senior product managers' demographics:
| Software Product Manager | Senior Product Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 75.4% Female, 24.6% | Male, 68.5% Female, 31.5% |
| 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% |