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The differences between horticulturists and landscapers 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 landscaper. Additionally, a horticulturist has an average salary of $36,583, which is higher than the $28,952 average annual salary of a landscaper.
The top three skills for a horticulturist include GRASS, irrigation systems and horticulture. The most important skills for a landscaper are mowing, taking care, and GRASS.
| Horticulturist | Landscaper | |
| Yearly salary | $36,583 | $28,952 |
| Hourly rate | $17.59 | $13.92 |
| Growth rate | 8% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 327 | 11,147 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 4 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | High School Diploma, 49% |
| Average age | 40 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
The primary role of a horticulturist is to care, maintain, and cultivate plant propagation. Horticulturists may work in various environments with plants such as garden centers or arboretum. These professionals use scientific knowledge about plant cultivation and propagation. They provide technical information to farmers and flower and vegetable growers. Part of their job is to perform disease and pest experiments and investigations with improved plant varieties with greater disease resistance. Also, they may assist in the regeneration of degraded land in the mining industry.
A landscaper is responsible for maintaining gardens, plant areas, and other outdoor facilities. Landscapers' duties include reviewing and adjusting landscape design based on the clients' specifications, analyzing garden layouts, measuring land areas and surfaces for the design outlines, installing irrigation systems, maintaining plant growth, and applying fertilizers regularly. Landscapers will also work on removing weeds, trimming overgrown plants, checking defects on landscape equipment, and coordinating with other outdoor design professionals. A landscaper should be knowledgeable about the recent landscaping trends to suggest designs and improve the landscape presentation.
Horticulturists and landscapers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Horticulturist | Landscaper | |
| Average salary | $36,583 | $28,952 |
| Salary range | Between $22,000 And $60,000 | Between $23,000 And $36,000 |
| Highest paying City | Wellesley, MA | Santa Clara, CA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Stanford Health Care | Princeton University |
| Best paying industry | Government | Health Care |
There are a few differences between a horticulturist and a landscaper in terms of educational background:
| Horticulturist | Landscaper | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | High School Diploma, 49% |
| Most common major | Plant Sciences | Business |
| Most common college | Cornell University | - |
Here are the differences between horticulturists' and landscapers' demographics:
| Horticulturist | Landscaper | |
| Average age | 40 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 59.4% Female, 40.6% | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% |
| 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, 9.8% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.4% Asian, 1.5% White, 61.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 19% | 3% |