Mower operator vs grounds maintenance worker

The differences between mower operators 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 mower operator, becoming a grounds maintenance worker takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a mower operator has an average salary of $31,027, which is higher than the $28,562 average annual salary of a grounds maintenance worker.

The top three skills for a mower operator include GRASS, mowing and rakes. The most important skills for a grounds maintenance worker are GRASS, grounds maintenance, and mowing.

Mower operator vs grounds maintenance worker overview

	Mower Operator	Grounds Maintenance Worker
Yearly salary	$31,027	$28,562
Hourly rate	$14.92	$13.73
Growth rate	5%	5%
Number of jobs	27,318	115,674
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 58%	High School Diploma, 46%
Average age	41	47
Years of experience	2	4

Mower operator vs grounds maintenance worker salary

Mower operators and grounds maintenance workers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Mower Operator	Grounds Maintenance Worker
Average salary	$31,027	$28,562
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $40,000	Between $23,000 And $35,000
Highest paying City	-	Santa Rosa, CA
Highest paying state	-	Alaska
Best paying company	-	Lakeland Electric
Best paying industry	-	Finance

Differences between mower operator and grounds maintenance worker education

There are a few differences between a mower operator and a grounds maintenance worker in terms of educational background:

	Mower Operator	Grounds Maintenance Worker
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 58%	High School Diploma, 46%
Most common major	General Studies	Business
Most common college	-	-

Mower operator vs grounds maintenance worker demographics

Here are the differences between mower operators' and grounds maintenance workers' demographics:

	Mower Operator	Grounds Maintenance Worker
Average age	41	47
Gender ratio	Male, 94.3% Female, 5.7%	Male, 91.2% Female, 8.8%
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, 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%

Differences between mower operator and grounds maintenance worker 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.

Grounds maintenance worker example responsibilities.

Manage hardscape installation team and project
Operate hand or power tools and equipment such as: lawn mowers, shovels, snow blowers, rakes and trimmers.
Used lawn equipment to maintain grass, trees, flower beds, and paper pickup around the outside of where house.
Clean grounds using rakes, brooms, and hoses.
Mow, weed whack, rake, mulch, and prune the grounds as needed.
Remove weeds, debris and trash, edge, water, mow, prune and trim park landscapes.

Mower operator vs grounds maintenance worker skills

Common mower operator skills

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

Common grounds maintenance worker skills

GRASS, 16%
Grounds Maintenance, 11%
Mowing, 9%
Hand Tools, 7%
Mowers, 4%
Blowers, 4%

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Building and Grounds Maintenance Industry
Mower Operator
Mower Operator vs Grounds Maintenance Worker

Updated January 8, 2025

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