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The differences between technical managers and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a technical manager has an average salary of $116,619, which is higher than the $91,578 average annual salary of a project manager.
The top three skills for a technical manager include project management, infrastructure and architecture. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.
| Technical Manager | Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $116,619 | $91,578 |
| Hourly rate | $56.07 | $44.03 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 116,732 | 167,116 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4.17 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 40 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | - |
A technical manager is responsible for maintaining the company's information systems database and analyzing technology system matters to ensure its efficiency and accuracy in supporting business operations. Technical managers perform network checks regularly to assess any possible malfunctions that might compromise the company's cybersecurity. They carefully analyze business and clients' specifications on working with systems integration, responding to end-users' concerns and inquiries. A technical manager must have excellent knowledge of the information technology systems industry, as well as a strong command on network codes to conduct adjustments and manage network infrastructure.
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.
Technical managers and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $116,619 | $91,578 |
| Salary range | Between $84,000 And $161,000 | Between $64,000 And $129,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | A.T. Kearney | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Technology |
There are a few differences between a technical manager and a project manager in terms of educational background:
| Technical Manager | Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Carnegie Mellon University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between technical managers' and project managers' demographics:
| Technical Manager | Project Manager | |
| Average age | 40 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 83.7% Female, 16.3% | Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 8.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 14.6% Asian, 6.4% White, 65.2% 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 | 14% | 10% |