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The differences between landscapers and grounds maintenance workers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a landscaper, becoming a grounds maintenance worker takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a landscaper has an average salary of $28,952, which is higher than the $28,562 average annual salary of a grounds maintenance worker.
The top three skills for a landscaper include mowing, taking care and GRASS. The most important skills for a grounds maintenance worker are GRASS, grounds maintenance, and mowing.
| Landscaper | Grounds Maintenance Worker | |
| Yearly salary | $28,952 | $28,562 |
| Hourly rate | $13.92 | $13.73 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 11,147 | 115,674 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 49% | High School Diploma, 46% |
| Average age | 41 | 47 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
A landscaper is responsible for maintaining gardens, plant areas, and other outdoor facilities. Landscapers' duties include reviewing and adjusting landscape design based on the clients' specifications, analyzing garden layouts, measuring land areas and surfaces for the design outlines, installing irrigation systems, maintaining plant growth, and applying fertilizers regularly. Landscapers will also work on removing weeds, trimming overgrown plants, checking defects on landscape equipment, and coordinating with other outdoor design professionals. A landscaper should be knowledgeable about the recent landscaping trends to suggest designs and improve the landscape presentation.
A grounds maintenance worker makes sure that the grounds of businesses, urban infrastructure, parks, and houses are in order and attractive. These workers provide a functional and pleasant outdoor environment to spaces. They mow, fertilize, and edge lawns. Their tasks may include removing damaged, unwanted, or dead trees in these areas. They also maintain the indoor plantings and gardens in public and commercial facilities like hotels, botanical gardens, and malls.
Landscapers and grounds maintenance workers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Landscaper | Grounds Maintenance Worker | |
| Average salary | $28,952 | $28,562 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $36,000 | Between $23,000 And $35,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Clara, CA | Santa Rosa, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Alaska |
| Best paying company | Princeton University | Lakeland Electric |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Finance |
There are a few differences between a landscaper and a grounds maintenance worker in terms of educational background:
| Landscaper | Grounds Maintenance Worker | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 49% | High School Diploma, 46% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between landscapers' and grounds maintenance workers' demographics:
| Landscaper | Grounds Maintenance Worker | |
| Average age | 41 | 47 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 11.7% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 18.0% Asian, 4.7% White, 60.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 2% |