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The differences between groundsmen and irrigation technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a groundsman and an irrigation technician. Additionally, an irrigation technician has an average salary of $35,472, which is higher than the $33,013 average annual salary of a groundsman.
The top three skills for a groundsman include CDL, hand tools and lawn care. The most important skills for an irrigation technician are golf courses, trenchers, and sprinkler heads.
| Groundsman | Irrigation Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $33,013 | $35,472 |
| Hourly rate | $15.87 | $17.05 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 3,486 | 27,291 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 59% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Groundsmen or greenkeepers are professionals who take responsibility for the maintenance of materials and equipment. They make certain to provide enough stock of consumables. Part of their responsibilities is to make sure that the grounds, flowers, lawns, and shrubs are kept from plant diseases and harmful insects. They are also responsible for looking after the sports grounds, including bowling greens, racecourses, tennis courts, rugby pitches, and football fields.
An irrigation technician is responsible for installing, testing, and maintaining irrigation equipment such as sprinklers, suction valves, and pumps. Typical duties for this position include operating heavy machinery for trenching, installing wiring systems for irrigation timers, and inspecting equipment for a day's work. In addition, an irrigation technician may be required to travel to the client's location to install, test, or perform preventative maintenance of irrigation equipment. You are also expected to dig trenches and install lines and pipes and troubleshoot and replace faulty parts.
Groundsmen and irrigation technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Groundsman | Irrigation Technician | |
| Average salary | $33,013 | $35,472 |
| Salary range | Between $25,000 And $42,000 | Between $27,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | Billerica, MA | Concord, CA |
| Highest paying state | North Dakota | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Nashua Country Club | San Diego College of Continuing Education |
| Best paying industry | Manufacturing | Construction |
There are a few differences between a groundsman and an irrigation technician in terms of educational background:
| Groundsman | Irrigation Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 59% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between groundsmen' and irrigation technicians' demographics:
| Groundsman | Irrigation Technician | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 95.3% Female, 4.7% | Male, 96.1% Female, 3.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 11.1% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 20.4% Asian, 2.0% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 26.0% Asian, 2.0% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |