Mower operator vs gardener

The differences between mower operators and gardeners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a mower operator and a gardener. Additionally, a gardener has an average salary of $32,912, which is higher than the $31,027 average annual salary of a mower operator.

The top three skills for a mower operator include GRASS, mowing and rakes. The most important skills for a gardener are GRASS, mowing, and hand tools.

Mower operator vs gardener overview

	Mower Operator	Gardener
Yearly salary	$31,027	$32,912
Hourly rate	$14.92	$15.82
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	27,318	5,411
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Average age	41	41
Years of experience	2	2

Mower operator vs gardener salary

Mower operators and gardeners have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mower Operator	Gardener
Average salary	$31,027	$32,912
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $40,000	Between $22,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	-	Union City, CA
Highest paying state	-	Hawaii
Best paying company	-	UC Santa Barbara
Best paying industry	-	Media

Differences between mower operator and gardener education

There are a few differences between a mower operator and a gardener in terms of educational background:

	Mower Operator	Gardener
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 58%	Bachelor's Degree, 44%
Most common major	General Studies	Plant Sciences
Most common college	-	-

Mower operator vs gardener demographics

Here are the differences between mower operators' and gardeners' demographics:

	Mower Operator	Gardener
Average age	41	41
Gender ratio	Male, 94.3% Female, 5.7%	Male, 56.4% Female, 43.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.7% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 20.8% Asian, 1.6% White, 62.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.4%	Black or African American, 7.8% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 28.0% Asian, 1.8% White, 56.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.5%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between mower operator and gardener duties and responsibilities

Mower operator example responsibilities.

Maintain, operate, and manage a riding lawn-mower to ensure that it run to the best of itscapabilities.
Operate different power mowers, blowers, weed whackers, trimmers etc.
Mow grass, weed whacking, and blowing off remains.
Trim grass using the lawn mower, operate the weed eater, and leaf blower.
Drive mowing route, repairing mowers on the spot when they break, mowing yards to look neat and professional
Operate specialty mowers for fairways and greens along with rough and sand trap maintenance.

Gardener example responsibilities.

Manage hardscape installation team and project
General grounds maintenance of exterior landscaping, including trimming, weed control, lawn mowing, and applying fertilizer.
Operate and maintain lawn mowers and tractors for seeding, aeration, snow removal and fertilizing of grounds.
Operate vehicles or power equipment, such as mowers, snow blowers, chain-saws, electric clippers and pruning saws.
Operate a variety of equipment including hand and power tools, blowers, mowers, and drive a vehicle around campus.
Clean grounds using rakes, brooms, trash can, and hand blower.

Mower operator vs gardener skills

Common mower operator skills

GRASS, 40%
Mowing, 32%
Rakes, 18%
Mowers, 4%
Blowers, 2%
Snow Removal, 1%

Common gardener skills

GRASS, 20%
Mowing, 10%
Hand Tools, 7%
Blowers, 7%
Rakes, 5%
Grounds Maintenance, 5%

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Mower Operator vs Gardener

Updated January 8, 2025

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