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The differences between irrigation technicians and ground workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an irrigation technician and a ground worker. Additionally, an irrigation technician has an average salary of $35,472, which is higher than the $29,875 average annual salary of a ground worker.
The top three skills for an irrigation technician include golf courses, trenchers and sprinkler heads. The most important skills for a ground worker are mowing, GRASS, and hand tools.
| Irrigation Technician | Ground Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $35,472 | $29,875 |
| Hourly rate | $17.05 | $14.36 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 27,291 | 33,720 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 42% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An irrigation technician is responsible for installing, testing, and maintaining irrigation equipment such as sprinklers, suction valves, and pumps. Typical duties for this position include operating heavy machinery for trenching, installing wiring systems for irrigation timers, and inspecting equipment for a day's work. In addition, an irrigation technician may be required to travel to the client's location to install, test, or perform preventative maintenance of irrigation equipment. You are also expected to dig trenches and install lines and pipes and troubleshoot and replace faulty parts.
Groundworkers are part of the construction staff who prepares a site before building. They are responsible for removing the sewage, redirecting water flows using pumps, cementing the project site, and laying the curb. Usually, they provide the tools they need for projects. Groundworkers require basic numeracy because of the nature of their role. They must also be decisive and confident in the quality of their work. Most importantly, this job requires a high level of fitness for safe working in the location.
Irrigation technicians and ground workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Irrigation Technician | Ground Worker | |
| Average salary | $35,472 | $29,875 |
| Salary range | Between $27,000 And $45,000 | Between $24,000 And $37,000 |
| Highest paying City | Concord, CA | Seattle, WA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Alaska |
| Best paying company | San Diego College of Continuing Education | Mount St. Mary's University |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Government |
There are a few differences between an irrigation technician and a ground worker in terms of educational background:
| Irrigation Technician | Ground Worker | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 42% | High School Diploma, 38% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between irrigation technicians' and ground workers' demographics:
| Irrigation Technician | Ground Worker | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.1% Female, 3.9% | Male, 85.7% Female, 14.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.0% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 26.0% Asian, 2.0% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% | Black or African American, 9.5% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 21.8% Asian, 2.1% White, 61.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |