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The differences between landscapers and irrigation technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a landscaper and an irrigation technician. Additionally, an irrigation technician has an average salary of $35,472, which is higher than the $28,952 average annual salary of a landscaper.
The top three skills for a landscaper include mowing, taking care and GRASS. The most important skills for an irrigation technician are golf courses, trenchers, and sprinkler heads.
| Landscaper | Irrigation Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $28,952 | $35,472 |
| Hourly rate | $13.92 | $17.05 |
| Growth rate | 5% | 5% |
| Number of jobs | 11,147 | 27,291 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 49% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
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.
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.
Landscapers and irrigation technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Landscaper | Irrigation Technician | |
| Average salary | $28,952 | $35,472 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $36,000 | Between $27,000 And $45,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Clara, CA | Concord, CA |
| Highest paying state | Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Princeton University | San Diego College of Continuing Education |
| Best paying industry | Health Care | Construction |
There are a few differences between a landscaper and an irrigation technician in terms of educational background:
| Landscaper | Irrigation Technician | |
| Most common degree | High School Diploma, 49% | High School Diploma, 42% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | - | - |
Here are the differences between landscapers' and irrigation technicians' demographics:
| Landscaper | Irrigation Technician | |
| Average age | 41 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 91.0% Female, 9.0% | Male, 96.1% Female, 3.9% |
| 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, 9.0% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 26.0% Asian, 2.0% White, 57.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 3% | 3% |