Horticulturist vs plant breeder

The differences between horticulturists and plant breeders 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 plant breeder. Additionally, a plant breeder has an average salary of $78,129, 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 plant breeder are harvest, greenhouse, and data management.

Horticulturist vs plant breeder overview

	Horticulturist	Plant Breeder
Yearly salary	$36,583	$78,129
Hourly rate	$17.59	$37.56
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	327	8,845
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	2	2

Horticulturist vs plant breeder salary

Horticulturists and plant breeders have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Horticulturist	Plant Breeder
Average salary	$36,583	$78,129
Salary range	Between $22,000 And $60,000	Between $51,000 And $119,000
Highest paying City	Wellesley, MA	Philadelphia, PA
Highest paying state	Connecticut	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Stanford Health Care	Nufarm
Best paying industry	Government	-

Differences between horticulturist and plant breeder education

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

	Horticulturist	Plant Breeder
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 60%	Bachelor's Degree, 62%
Most common major	Plant Sciences	Plant Sciences
Most common college	Cornell University	Cornell University

Horticulturist vs plant breeder demographics

Here are the differences between horticulturists' and plant breeders' demographics:

	Horticulturist	Plant Breeder
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 59.4% Female, 40.6%	Male, 75.0% Female, 25.0%
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, 3.7% Unknown, 2.7% Hispanic or Latino, 5.9% Asian, 9.4% White, 78.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.2%
LGBT Percentage	19%	19%

Differences between horticulturist and plant breeder 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.

Plant breeder example responsibilities.

Manage daily operations of USDA facility.
Maintain an OSHA compliant work environment, enforce affirmative attendance policy, maintain complete inventory records and met/exceed production goals.
Travel and work with vendors on equipment upgrades in the extrusion process and tooling rebuilds.

Horticulturist vs plant breeder skills

Common horticulturist skills

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

Common plant breeder skills

Harvest, 38%
Greenhouse, 22%
Data Management, 16%
DNA, 9%
Capital Budgets, 7%
Plant Selection, 4%

Horticulturist vs. similar jobs

Horticulturist related careers

Horticulturist related jobs

What similar roles do

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Horticulturist
Horticulturist vs Plant Breeder

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs