Landscape contractor vs landscaper

The differences between landscape contractors 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 landscape contractor and a landscaper. Additionally, a landscape contractor has an average salary of $30,650, which is higher than the $28,952 average annual salary of a landscaper.

The top three skills for a landscape contractor include mowing, general maintenance and retaining walls. The most important skills for a landscaper are mowing, taking care, and GRASS.

Landscape contractor vs landscaper overview

	Landscape Contractor	Landscaper
Yearly salary	$30,650	$28,952
Hourly rate	$14.74	$13.92
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	19,038	11,147
Job satisfaction	-	4
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 49%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	2	2

Landscape contractor vs landscaper salary

Landscape contractors and landscapers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Landscape Contractor	Landscaper
Average salary	$30,650	$28,952
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $43,000	Between $23,000 And $36,000
Highest paying City	-	Santa Clara, CA
Highest paying state	-	Massachusetts
Best paying company	-	Princeton University
Best paying industry	-	Health Care

Differences between landscape contractor and landscaper education

There are a few differences between a landscape contractor and a landscaper in terms of educational background:

	Landscape Contractor	Landscaper
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 44%	High School Diploma, 49%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Landscape contractor vs landscaper demographics

Here are the differences between landscape contractors' and landscapers' demographics:

	Landscape Contractor	Landscaper
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 89.5% Female, 10.5%	Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 25.9% Asian, 2.3% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%	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	3%	3%

Differences between landscape contractor and landscaper duties and responsibilities

Landscape contractor example responsibilities.

Manage clients and run all landscape operations including groundskeeping, seasonal cleaning, and pressure washing
Used hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, punishing tools etc.
Used hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, saws, hedge, brush trimmers, and axes
Used hand or power tools such as fertilizer spreaders, mowers, blowers, edgers and weedwhackers.
Take, mulch, and prune grounds as needed.
Install sprinklers or lighting systems.

Landscaper example responsibilities.

Manage clients and run all landscape operations including groundskeeping, seasonal cleaning, and pressure washing
Manage hardscape installation team and project
Operate powered equipment such as mowers, tractors, snow blowers, chainsaws, sod cutters, pruning saws and edgers.
Install plants, landscape lighting, and hardscape features (including retaining walls, paving stones and ponds).
Used various tools to cut grass, prune small trees and shrubbery, paint, and perform other landscaping duties.
Operate weed-whacker, leaf blower, lawn mower, and use of handsaw, shovels, and clippers as needed.

Landscape contractor vs landscaper skills

Common landscape contractor skills

Mowing, 16%
General Maintenance, 8%
Retaining Walls, 8%
Lawn Care, 7%
Landscape Design, 6%
MOW, 5%

Common landscaper skills

Mowing, 19%
Taking Care, 14%
GRASS, 12%
Power Saws, 11%
Prune, 7%
Golf Courses, 6%

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Landscape Contractor vs Landscaper

Updated January 8, 2025

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