Technical Product Manager Salary: What is the Average?
Product management is an extensive field that usually requires the best of the best. As a result, salaries such as the technical product manager’s salary tend to be generous.
A lot has changed over the years in terms of technology. As a result, technical product managers now have many more duties and responsibilities. That has, inadvertently, increased the demand for particular PM skill sets, knowledge areas, technology solutions and an agile project management methodology.
In this article, we’ll focus on what technical product managers do today and what the average technical product manager’s salary looks like.
What is the Average Base Salary for a Technical Product Manager?
According to Glassdoor, the national average salary for a technical product manager in the United States is $63,200. The total of technical product managers in the United States is estimated to be around 100,000.
According to salary info on technical product managers, the job pays the most in San Jose, California, where the annual mean wage is $81,452—29% above the national average. After San Jose, the highest-paying cities are New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Boston, and Austin, respectively.
Each city and state tend to have varying levels of technical product manager salaries. In states such as California, where major tech companies such as Google, Facebook, and Amazon have their offices, the average yearly salary is relatively higher.
If you’re looking to level up your technical product manager salary, then check out our certification courses to help you do just that.
Is there a Gender Disparity in how much a Technical Product Manager makes?
Based on almost 800 anonymous reviews on PayScale, there is no outstanding gender-based pay gap in technical product manager jobs. The total compensation depends on the individual’s experience and knowledge.
The gender breakdown is as follows:
- Female Technical Product Managers: 34.9%
- Male Technical Product Managers: 64.7%
- Self-Defining Technical Product Managers: 0.4%
The total compensation depends on several things, including what industry, company, and products you’re associated with. Other than that, an individual’s experience, past projects, and knowledge make a huge difference. Furthermore, any additional degrees or certifications, along with a Bachelor’s degree, also play a role in determining the total pay.
What are Technical Product Manager Salary Ranges?
Since many factors play a role in determining a technical product manager’s salary, the salary range is rather extensive.
As a result, the salary range for a technical product manager is between $63,000 to $146,000.
If you look at the salary data, you’ll find that many of the technical product manager salaries are below the national average. However, technical and product management directors and managers who work in high-profile companies tend to have much higher salaries, and that makes the national average higher.
Other than the salary, the additional cash compensation is $7,626, on average, and the typical range is between $2,208 to $15,137.
Average Technical Product Manager Salary Range Concerning Size
The following list details the changes in the average salary and salary range for technical product managers concerning different sizes:
- 0-50 Employees: The average base pay is $56,467, and the salary ranges from $39,000 to $75,000.
- 51-200 Employees: The average base pay increases a little to $58,238, and the salary ranges from $44,000 to $77,000.
- 201-500 Employees: With another bump, the average salary is $60,012, and the range is $42,000 to $80,000.
- 501-1000 Employees: With a slight increase, the average pay is $61,040, and ranges from $42,000 and $81,000.
- 1001-5000 Employees: The average base pay increases a little to $62,576, and the range is $43,000 to $83,000.
- 5001+ Employees: Increasing again, the average salary goes to $64,617, while the salary range is $45,000 and $85,000.
These numbers show that companies mostly pay technical product managers the national average, or slightly above it.
Average Technical Product Manager Salary Range concerning Years of Experience
The following list breaks down the changes in the average salary and salary ranges concerning the years of experience a technical product manager has in their field.
- 0-1 Years of Experience: The typical starting base salary for newcomers is $56,546, and the salary range is $39,000 to $75,000.
- 1-3 Years of Experience: The average base salary slightly increases to $57,601 and ranges from $40,000 to $77,000.
- 4-6 Years of Experience: With a small bump, the average salary is $61,925. The salary range is $43,000 to $82,000.
- 7-9 Years of Experience: With another major bump, the average is at $65,877, and the salary range is between $46,000 to $87,000.
- 10-14 Years of Experience: This level of experience gets you an average salary of $66,533 and the salary range is usually between $46,000 and $88,000.
- 15+ Years of Experience: Technical product managers with more than 15 years of experience get an average salary of $75,568, and their typical salary range is between $53,000 and $100,000.
Starting from just the first year, technical product managers have a chance of earning above the national average—depending on the.
Average Technical Product Manager Salary for Related Jobs
It’s best to compare the technical product manager’s salary with the salaries of other product-based job titles.
Here are some product-related roles and their average salaries:
- Product Owner: They work alongside technical product managers and product strategists; their average base pay is $94,000.
- Product Manager: They’re often one step behind Sr. Product Managers; the average product manager’s salary is $108,992.
- Associate Product Manager: The national average for an associate product manager is $96,010.
- Senior Product Marketing Manager: Working above product marketing managers, they get around $121,244 on average.
- Director of Product Management: The director of product management position has an average salary of $149,238.
The salaries above may be different depending on your experience, education, knowledge, and certifications. They may also be different depending on where you live and work.
How do I Know if I’m Getting a Good Technical Product Manager Salary?
If you’re not sure whether you’re getting the right technical product manager salary, you can always compare it with the technical product manager salaries of your peers. You can browse through sites like Glassdoor, PayScale, and Salary.com to find out where you stand. They have salary data from thousands of people living in several cities and states.
You can use the filters to search for salary data of fellow technical product managers in your industry and with your level of experience. You can then develop a rough idea of whether you’re getting the right technical product manager reported salary.
What Does a Technical Product Manager Do?
Technical product managers are responsible for making sure all the technical aspects of a product are being tracked, inspected, and managed. They monitor, plan, and progress several programs to ensure products for customers are of the highest quality.
They’re part of the product development process from the till the finish. Initially, the job is to figure out whether any problems or issues might arise with a specific product vision, product life cycle, product strategy, or product roadmap.
During product development, Scrum technical product managers oversee the production and monitor the team’s product backlog process. They have to make sure everything is running smoothly and efficiently.
If you’re a technical product manager in the SaaS or other software development industry, you need technical software experience and knowledge. It’s essential to know how the product is made, what tools are used, and what processes are developed.
Using that information, technical product managers can plan, schedule, and enact deliverables. Meanwhile, they create contingency plans and risk mitigation strategies to minimize losses. Lastly, they make sure all relevant stakeholders have all the technical solutions and resources they need. They also plan project lifecycle deployment requirements to figure out those resources. They are responsible for scheduling and leading meetings and writing user stories to maximize performance.
Technical product managers need to have excellent communication skills and multi-tasking abilities. They need to collaborate with technical project managers, data scientists, senior business analysts, engineering managers, the Chief Product Officer (CPO), senior product managers, senior product management director, and senior technical product managers. Meanwhile, technical senior product manager employees usually consist of software engineering teams and a product team.
Perhaps, the most crucial part of their job is to analyze and predict potential technical issues and resolve them beforehand.
FAQs
Here are answers to the questions regarding technical product management:
What does a Product Manager technical do?
A Technical Product Manager (TPM) oversees the development and management of technology-focused products, ensuring they meet user needs and business goals. They bridge the gap between technical teams and non-technical business stakeholders, translating complex technical concepts into actionable plans. TPMs also prioritize features, manage product roadmaps, and ensure successful product launches.
Are technical product managers paid more?
Yes, Technical Product Managers often command higher salaries compared to non-technical Product Managers. This is due to their specialized skills and technical expertise, which are highly valued in tech-driven industries. Their ability to navigate both technical and business aspects of product development enhances their earning potential.
What is the highest salary for a Technical Product Manager?
The highest salaries for Technical Product Managers can exceed $250,000 annually, particularly in top tech companies and high-demand markets. Total average additional cash compensation, including bonuses and stock options, can push this figure even higher. Senior-level TPMs or those with extensive experience and expertise often achieve these top-tier earnings.
What does a tech Product Manager earn?
A Tech Product Manager in the United States typically earns between $120,000 and $180,000 annually. This range can vary based on experience, location, and company size, with top tech firms offering higher salaries. Average total compensation, including bonuses and stock options, can significantly enhance their overall earnings.
If you are new to technical product management and are looking to break in, we recommend taking our Product Manager Certification Course, where you will learn the fundamentals of being a more technical PM, how to dominate technical product manager interviews, and how to stand out as a more senior technical product manager candidate.
