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The differences between unit leaders and unit supervisors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 2-4 years to become a unit leader, becoming a unit supervisor takes usually requires 4-6 years. Additionally, a unit supervisor has an average salary of $48,749, which is higher than the $42,921 average annual salary of a unit leader.
The top three skills for a unit leader include conflict resolution, customer service and cash handling. The most important skills for a unit supervisor are patients, corrective action, and social work.
| Unit Leader | Unit Supervisor | |
| Yearly salary | $42,921 | $48,749 |
| Hourly rate | $20.64 | $23.44 |
| Growth rate | 10% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 63,952 | 37,120 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 6 |
A unit leader is responsible for managing logistics and route efficiency to increase territory profits. Responsibilities include leading operational projects in manufacturing, coordinating daily cash reconciliation, and reviewing analytical reports before submission to QA. Additionally, you will be responsible for compiling reports for management and developing department communication strategies. As a unit leader, you will be assessing clients for a variety of entitlement programs and performing vendor management and administrative duties related to facilitation, special projects, and web-based training.
A unit supervisor oversees and supervises employees, ensuring that work operations adhere to standards, guidelines, timelines, and budget. Although the extent of their responsibilities depends on their industry or company of employment, they are typically in charge of conducting regular inspections and assessments, setting objectives and guidelines, delegating responsibilities among staff, and producing progress reports, submitting them to higher-ranking managers. Moreover, aside from leading teams to reach goals, a unit supervisor also trains new members of the workforce, provides technical support to staff, and resolves issues and concerns to maintain smooth operations.
Unit leaders and unit supervisors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Unit Leader | Unit Supervisor | |
| Average salary | $42,921 | $48,749 |
| Salary range | Between $18,000 And $101,000 | Between $30,000 And $78,000 |
| Highest paying City | Schenectady, NY | Olympia, WA |
| Highest paying state | New York | Washington |
| Best paying company | Genentech | Berkshire Hathaway |
| Best paying industry | - | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between a unit leader and a unit supervisor in terms of educational background:
| Unit Leader | Unit Supervisor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 61% | Bachelor's Degree, 55% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | California State University - Bakersfield |
Here are the differences between unit leaders' and unit supervisors' demographics:
| Unit Leader | Unit Supervisor | |
| Average age | 42 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.8% Female, 58.2% | Male, 51.6% Female, 48.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 12.0% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 15.1% Asian, 5.1% White, 61.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% | Black or African American, 10.7% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 5.7% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |