Home builder vs general contractor

The differences between home builders and general contractors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes More than 10 years to become a home builder, becoming a general contractor takes usually requires 6-8 years. Additionally, a general contractor has an average salary of $66,602, which is higher than the $59,987 average annual salary of a home builder.

The top three skills for a home builder include plumbing, windows and safety standards. The most important skills for a general contractor are plumbing, safety regulations, and contract negotiations.

Home builder vs general contractor overview

	Home Builder	General Contractor
Yearly salary	$59,987	$66,602
Hourly rate	$28.84	$32.02
Growth rate	2%	8%
Number of jobs	42,885	66,218
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	8

Home builder vs general contractor salary

Home builders and general contractors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Home Builder	General Contractor
Average salary	$59,987	$66,602
Salary range	Between $37,000 And $96,000	Between $41,000 And $107,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between home builder and general contractor education

There are a few differences between a home builder and a general contractor in terms of educational background:

	Home Builder	General Contractor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 48%	Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo

Home builder vs general contractor demographics

Here are the differences between home builders' and general contractors' demographics:

	Home Builder	General Contractor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 78.7% Female, 21.3%	Male, 90.6% Female, 9.4%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.6% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.9% Asian, 1.4% White, 68.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 3.6% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 2.8% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	2%	4%

Differences between home builder and general contractor duties and responsibilities

Home builder example responsibilities.

Manage and decide all remodel activities.
Coordinate set schedules for electricians, plumbers, and hvac personnel.
Hire, train and evaluate employees for all departments in HVAC division.
Hang, finish, and trim out exterior and interior doors, windows, and vents.
end custom work, renovations, remodel, new construction, additions, multifamily, restaurants, and bars.
Cut boards, put up siding, install windows, trim the interior, tile floors, and much more.

General contractor example responsibilities.

Manage the repair/replacement of mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and structural of primarily historical residences.
Manage third party contractors including safety oversight, environmental design specification compliance, and similar construction specifications and requirements.
Perform electrical, mechanical (HVAC), plumbing, framing, roofing and finishing construction for residential and commercial buildings.
Remodel restaurants, which include painting, dry wall, tiling, plumbing, electrical and laying carpet.
Assist and perform all duties with installation of cabinets, flooring, sheetrock, framing, concrete, and basic plumbing.
Experience in roofing, painting, digging of footers, and tile setting.

Home builder vs general contractor skills

Common home builder skills

Plumbing, 14%
Windows, 8%
Safety Standards, 8%
Financial Statements, 8%
Real Estate, 7%
Sub Contractors, 6%

Common general contractor skills

Plumbing, 17%
Safety Regulations, 12%
Contract Negotiations, 11%
Drywall Installation, 7%
Construction Projects, 4%
Payroll, 4%