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The differences between irrigators and grounds people can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an irrigator and a grounds person. Additionally, a grounds person has an average salary of $33,955, which is higher than the $26,562 average annual salary of an irrigator.
The top three skills for an irrigator include harvest, sprinklers and GRASS. The most important skills for a grounds person are ladders, PPE, and CDL.
| Irrigator | Grounds Person | |
| Yearly salary | $26,562 | $33,955 |
| Hourly rate | $12.77 | $16.32 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 5,808 | 37,122 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 42% | High School Diploma, 55% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An irrigator usually works on farmland and is responsible for the management and production of crops. They spend most of their time working in fields or gardens; they plant crops, water the soil, apply fertilizer, and apply pest-control measures. They have a daily routine of duties at their farm. They operate an irrigation controller and other types of machinery. Their core duty is to keep the agricultural land healthy.
A grounds person is responsible for the overall upkeep of an institution's grounds, public parks, and other similar areas. They are usually employed in schools, especially in schools with provisions for outdoor sports or lawn sports such as soccer, golf, tennis, and football, among others. A grounds person is in charge of the maintenance of the grass on the lawn, of the repairs and maintenance of fixtures such as lights, benches, and fountains, and even of the cleanliness of the area. As such, it is expected that a grounds person is familiar with taking care of plants, conducting routine maintenance work, and repairing fixtures.
Irrigators and grounds people have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Irrigator | Grounds Person | |
| Average salary | $26,562 | $33,955 |
| Salary range | Between $20,000 And $34,000 | Between $26,000 And $42,000 |
| Highest paying City | Brighton, CO | Waltham, MA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Ball | Schnitzer Steel |
| Best paying industry | Hospitality | Manufacturing |
There are a few differences between an irrigator and a grounds person in terms of educational background:
| Irrigator | Grounds Person | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 42% | High School Diploma, 55% |
| Most common major | Criminal Justice | General Studies |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between irrigators' and grounds people' demographics:
| Irrigator | Grounds Person | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 90.4% Female, 9.6% | Male, 93.9% Female, 6.1% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 7.3% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 41.5% Asian, 1.7% White, 43.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% | Black or African American, 11.3% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 22.7% Asian, 2.2% White, 58.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |