Horticulturist vs botanist

The differences between horticulturists and botanists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a horticulturist and a botanist. Additionally, a botanist has an average salary of $50,491, which is higher than the $36,583 average annual salary of a horticulturist.

The top three skills for a horticulturist include GRASS, irrigation systems and horticulture. The most important skills for a botanist are GPS, plant surveys, and rare plant.

Horticulturist vs botanist overview

	Horticulturist	Botanist
Yearly salary	$36,583	$50,491
Hourly rate	$17.59	$24.27
Growth rate	8%	1%
Number of jobs	327	6,922
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Horticulturist vs botanist salary

Horticulturists and botanists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Horticulturist	Botanist
Average salary	$36,583	$50,491
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $60,000	Between $33,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City	Wellesley, MA	New York, NY
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Alaska
Best paying company	Stanford Health Care	Forest
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between horticulturist and botanist education

There are a few differences between a horticulturist and a botanist in terms of educational background:

	Horticulturist	Botanist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 74%
Most common major	Plant Sciences	Biology
Most common college	Cornell University	University of California - Davis

Horticulturist vs botanist demographics

Here are the differences between horticulturists' and botanists' demographics:

	Horticulturist	Botanist
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 59.4% Female, 40.6%	Male, 58.2% Female, 41.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.4% Unknown, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 9.6% Asian, 9.1% White, 73.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%	Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 10.3% White, 71.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage	19%	10%

Differences between horticulturist and botanist duties and responsibilities

Horticulturist example responsibilities.

Manage payroll processing and all aspects of accounts receivable and payable.
Operate snow plows, snow blowers and large salt sprayers.
Maintain all flower beds, landscape areas, and turf grass areas.
Use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers.
Maintain inventory and help with Quickbooks.
Provide assistance with loading and unloading pigs.

Botanist example responsibilities.

Create and manage multidisciplinary, interagency research teams.
Develop and maintain wetland GIS database.
Complete GIS modeling for a number of TES plant species.
Identify and GPS blueberry patches, identify plant, tree and shrub species and create maps.
Organize and participate in elk population helicopter survey, utilizing census data to determine big game harvest values for upper management.
Participate in planning, organizing and coordinating a nation-wide program to provide comprehensive statistical information on marine recreational fisheries.

Horticulturist vs botanist skills

Common horticulturist skills

GRASS, 13%
Irrigation Systems, 9%
Horticulture, 9%
Grounds Maintenance, 7%
Mowing, 6%
Plant Material, 4%

Common botanist skills

GPS, 18%
Plant Surveys, 12%
Rare Plant, 9%
GIS, 9%
Wetland, 8%
Technical Reports, 7%

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Horticulturist vs Botanist

Updated January 8, 2025

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