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House sitter vs pet sitter

The differences between house sitters and pet sitters can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a house sitter has an average salary of $51,771, which is higher than the $25,823 average annual salary of a pet sitter.

The top three skills for a house sitter include PET, water plants and plant care. The most important skills for a pet sitter are PET, walkers, and clients homes.

House sitter vs pet sitter overview

House SitterPet Sitter
Yearly salary$51,771$25,823
Hourly rate$24.89$12.41
Growth rate-28%
Number of jobs90,91821,735
Job satisfaction5-
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 43%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age4232
Years of experience-3

What does a house sitter do?

House Sitters are individuals who manage their clients' homes while these clients are away. Clients connect or engage with house sitters days or weeks before their planned trip. During this preparation period, clients and house sitters agree upon the scope of the engagement. House Sitters may be assigned to do basic household chores such as cleaning the house, watering the plants, laundry, collecting mail, and taking care of house pets. House Sitters are expected to spend their time on the property if there are no other errands outside. House sitters must build trust with their clients to ensure longevity in the business.

What does a pet sitter do?

A pet sitter is responsible for taking care of household pets while their owners are away. Pet sitters perform services for pet maintenance, including taking them to the veterinarian, monitoring their food, walk them in the park, and administer medications, if any. They also reach out to the pet owners for possible updates and emergencies, taking their instructions immediately. Apart from being highly communicative and organizational, a pet sitter should have an interest and passion in taking care of pets to ensure high-quality services.

House sitter vs pet sitter salary

House sitters and pet sitters have different pay scales, as shown below.

House SitterPet Sitter
Average salary$51,771$25,823
Salary rangeBetween $24,000 And $108,000Between $10,000 And $62,000
Highest paying City-Newport, RI
Highest paying state-Rhode Island
Best paying company-CARE
Best paying industry-Non Profits

Differences between house sitter and pet sitter education

There are a few differences between a house sitter and a pet sitter in terms of educational background:

House SitterPet Sitter
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 43%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common majorPsychologyBusiness
Most common college-University of Massachusetts Amherst

House sitter vs pet sitter demographics

Here are the differences between house sitters' and pet sitters' demographics:

House SitterPet Sitter
Average age4232
Gender ratioMale, 26.5% Female, 73.5%Male, 19.7% Female, 80.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 6.5% Hispanic or Latino, 17.0% Asian, 6.4% White, 59.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%Black or African American, 4.3% Unknown, 6.4% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 2.6% White, 68.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage6%11%

Differences between house sitter and pet sitter duties and responsibilities

House sitter example responsibilities.

  • Manage light grounds keeping work such as mowing and watering plants.
  • Apply quality temporary tattoo art to theme park customers, ensuring customer satisfaction according to their specifications.
  • Provide traditional and non-traditional henna tattoos for proms.

Pet sitter example responsibilities.

  • Help managed the company and train new walkers
  • Cat and dog feeding, medicine, dog walking, cleanup; 5 animals : 3 cats , 2 dogs.
  • Provide constant supervision and companionship for elopement risk and suicide precaution patients.
  • Provide care for dogs, fish, cats, bunnies, birds, snakes, hamsters and most other household pets.
  • Execute cash register POS system.
  • Specialize in extra TLC for elderly pets.
  • Show more

House sitter vs pet sitter skills

Common house sitter skills
  • PET, 77%
  • Water Plants, 6%
  • Plant Care, 3%
  • Mowing, 2%
  • Administer Medications, 2%
  • Child Care, 2%
Common pet sitter skills
  • PET, 90%
  • Walkers, 2%
  • Clients Homes, 2%
  • CPR, 1%
  • Topical Medications, 1%
  • Litter Boxes, 1%

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