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The differences between supervisors and lead supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a supervisor and a lead supervisor. Additionally, a supervisor has an average salary of $53,902, which is higher than the $42,548 average annual salary of a lead supervisor.
The top three skills for a supervisor include customer service, safety procedures and sales floor. The most important skills for a lead supervisor are safety procedures, PET, and payroll.
| Supervisor | Lead Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $53,902 | $42,548 |
| Hourly rate | $25.91 | $20.46 |
| Growth rate | - | - |
| Number of jobs | 224,920 | 71,796 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Supervisors are responsible for overseeing the daily functions of employees in a specific team, department, or even a work shift. They create work schedules, organize work processes and workflows, train new hires, provide necessary reports related to the team function and the employees, monitor and evaluate employee performance, and ensure that goals of the specific team or department are met. When needed, supervisors also provide guidance to employees in terms of their career or even personal challenges. They also help in fostering harmonious work relationships by resolving interpersonal conflicts at work. To be successful in their role, they must have leadership skills, time management skills, decision-making capabilities, analytical skills, and problem-solving skills.
Lead supervisors are responsible for several duties within an organization. They are accountable for overseeing their members and making sure that the work they produce is of good quality. They mainly serve as role models for their staff members, who often seek guidance, leadership, and support from them. When issues arise between employees, lead supervisors should intervene by providing conflict management to ease the situation. They also have to delegate work to employees to get the job done efficiently.
Supervisors and lead supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supervisor | Lead Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $53,902 | $42,548 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $92,000 | Between $25,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Reed Smith | ABB |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a supervisor and a lead supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Supervisor | Lead Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 39% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between supervisors' and lead supervisors' demographics:
| Supervisor | Lead Supervisor | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% | Male, 63.0% Female, 37.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.2% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 4.6% White, 59.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 11.2% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 20.1% Asian, 4.4% White, 59.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 6% |