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The differences between technical project managers and product owners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a technical project manager, becoming a product owner takes usually requires 8-10 years. Additionally, a technical project manager has an average salary of $108,205, which is higher than the $97,070 average annual salary of a product owner.
The top three skills for a technical project manager include project management, technical project and scrum. The most important skills for a product owner are user stories, acceptance criteria, and product backlog.
| Technical Project Manager | Product Owner | |
| Yearly salary | $108,205 | $97,070 |
| Hourly rate | $52.02 | $46.67 |
| Growth rate | 16% | 10% |
| Number of jobs | 209,820 | 129,990 |
| Job satisfaction | 1 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 10 |
The role of technical project managers is to oversee the planning and management of projects within a company. They are considered as the lead subject matter expert in terms of technology concerns. They have varied duties that include ensuring the completion of projects within an established budget and time frame, hiring and training support members, and improving resource management and project planning. They also communicate with stakeholders and collaborate with other departments, all to attain a common goal.
Product owners are at the forefront of an organization's development cycle. They have various duties and responsibilities, which include ensuring that the value of products created by the development team is maximized, creating a vision and defining the goals for development projects, and working closely with all stakeholders. As the product owner, you are responsible for ensuring that the development team maintains a consistent vision and overseeing the product backlog. You are also expected to supervise the actual product development stages and anticipate the needs of clients.
Technical project managers and product owners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Project Manager | Product Owner | |
| Average salary | $108,205 | $97,070 |
| Salary range | Between $81,000 And $142,000 | Between $71,000 And $130,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton | ORIX USA |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between a technical project manager and a product owner in terms of educational background:
| Technical Project Manager | Product Owner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 66% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | University of Georgia |
Here are the differences between technical project managers' and product owners' demographics:
| Technical Project Manager | Product Owner | |
| Average age | 44 | 39 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 73.2% Female, 26.8% | Male, 64.3% Female, 35.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | 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 | 11% | 10% |