Climber vs ground worker

The differences between climbers and ground workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a climber and a ground worker. Additionally, a climber has an average salary of $42,388, which is higher than the $29,875 average annual salary of a ground worker.

The top three skills for a climber include hand tools, line clearance and power saws. The most important skills for a ground worker are mowing, GRASS, and hand tools.

Climber vs ground worker overview

	Climber	Ground Worker
Yearly salary	$42,388	$29,875
Hourly rate	$20.38	$14.36
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	4,477	33,720
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 38%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	2	2

Climber vs ground worker salary

Climbers and ground workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Climber	Ground Worker
Average salary	$42,388	$29,875
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $57,000	Between $24,000 And $37,000
Highest paying City	-	Seattle, WA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Mount St. Mary's University
Best paying industry	-	Government

Differences between climber and ground worker education

There are a few differences between a climber and a ground worker in terms of educational background:

	Climber	Ground Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 55%	High School Diploma, 38%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Climber vs ground worker demographics

Here are the differences between climbers' and ground workers' demographics:

	Climber	Ground Worker
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 96.8% Female, 3.2%	Male, 85.7% Female, 14.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.8% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 1.5% White, 62.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%	Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 2.1% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between climber and ground worker duties and responsibilities

Climber example responsibilities.

Install lte and umts anttennnas.
Train in the proper use of rigging equipment (porta wrap, pulleys, ect.
Operate heavy equipment trucks with booms and lift systems, company service trucks and vehicles, and a cherry picker.
Hand dig area between old and new poles to ensure enough room to transfer wires, dips etc to new poles.
Train in the proper use of rigging equipment (porta wrap, pulleys, ect.

Ground worker example responsibilities.

Manage hardscape installation team and project
Operate vehicles and power equipment such as mowers, snow blowers, electric clippers, sod cutters, or pruning saws.
Aid in the maintenance of equipment as needed (lawn mowers, tractors, weed-eaters, leaf blowers, etc . )
Mow rough, greens, fairways, hand water greens, spread seed on greens and fairways, rake sand traps.
Used both hand shovels and plow trucks to remove snow.
Operate backhoe and bobcat to assist plumbing and irrigation dept.

Climber vs ground worker skills

Common climber skills

Hand Tools, 20%
Line Clearance, 10%
Power Saws, 10%
Transmission Lines, 7%
CPR, 6%
OSHA, 5%

Common ground worker skills

Mowing, 12%
GRASS, 10%
Hand Tools, 9%
Grounds Maintenance, 8%
Blowers, 4%
Routine Maintenance, 4%

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Building and Grounds Maintenance Industry
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Climber vs Ground Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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