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The differences between supervisors and superintendents can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a supervisor, becoming a superintendent takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a superintendent has an average salary of $82,458, which is higher than the $53,902 average annual salary of a supervisor.
The top three skills for a supervisor include customer service, safety procedures and sales floor. The most important skills for a superintendent are OSHA, quality standards, and construction management.
| Supervisor | Superintendent | |
| Yearly salary | $53,902 | $82,458 |
| Hourly rate | $25.91 | $39.64 |
| Growth rate | - | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 224,920 | 22,580 |
| Job satisfaction | 5 | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Average age | 46 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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.
Superintendents oversee the administration of schools in a specific school district. They manage the educational programs of each school and create strategic decisions to ensure that the students are learning important subjects. They also supervise school administrators or principals and are responsible for hiring and guiding them. Superintendents should be familiar with their constituents and must always be ready to listen to their needs. It is important that superintendents are good decision-makers and communicators. They are expected to lead their respective districts in achieving their vision. Superintendents drive the team towards their goals and create strategic steps to ensure success.
Supervisors and superintendents have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Supervisor | Superintendent | |
| Average salary | $53,902 | $82,458 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $92,000 | Between $57,000 And $119,000 |
| Highest paying City | New York, NY | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Rhode Island |
| Best paying company | Reed Smith | BP America Inc |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Construction |
There are a few differences between a supervisor and a superintendent in terms of educational background:
| Supervisor | Superintendent | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 44% | Bachelor's Degree, 44% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between supervisors' and superintendents' demographics:
| Supervisor | Superintendent | |
| Average age | 46 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 55.8% Female, 44.2% | Male, 93.3% Female, 6.7% |
| 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, 12.0% Unknown, 4.0% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 4.2% White, 65.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 6% | 16% |