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The differences between software project managers and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a software project manager has an average salary of $115,181, which is higher than the $91,578 average annual salary of a project manager.
The top three skills for a software project manager include project management, scrum and development process. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Software Project Manager | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $115,181 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $55.38 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 21% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 285,134 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 39 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | - |
A software project manager is responsible for leading software projects and development from its conceptualization to final deliverables. Software project managers coordinate with the clients for their specifications and requirements, including their budget limitations and timetables. They discuss the project outline with software developers and design engineers and gather all the ideas for the design plan. A software project manager reviews every successful milestone completion, revise project plans as needed, and ensure the stability and efficiency of software applications by running quality control tests.
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.
Software project managers and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Software Project Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $115,181 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $156,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Meta | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a software project manager and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Software Project 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 software project managers' and project managers' demographics:
| Software Project Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 39 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.2% Female, 32.8% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 8.1% Asian, 30.0% White, 52.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2% | 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 | 8% | 10% |