Ranch hand vs cowboy

The differences between ranch hands and cowboys can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cowboy has an average salary of $28,844, which is higher than the $27,569 average annual salary of a ranch hand.

The top three skills for a ranch hand include harvest, farm work and farm machinery. The most important skills for a cowboy are medical treatment, customer service, and food preparation.

Ranch hand vs cowboy overview

	Ranch Hand	Cowboy
Yearly salary	$27,569	$28,844
Hourly rate	$13.25	$13.87
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	4,309	400
Job satisfaction	1	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Average age	40	40
Years of experience	-	-

Ranch hand vs cowboy salary

Ranch hands and cowboys have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Ranch Hand	Cowboy
Average salary	$27,569	$28,844
Salary range	Between $21,000 And $34,000	Between $14,000 And $58,000
Highest paying City	Petersburg, ND	-
Highest paying state	North Dakota	-
Best paying company	Williams International	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between ranch hand and cowboy education

There are a few differences between a ranch hand and a cowboy in terms of educational background:

	Ranch Hand	Cowboy
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 51%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Ranch hand vs cowboy demographics

Here are the differences between ranch hands' and cowboys' demographics:

	Ranch Hand	Cowboy
Average age	40	40
Gender ratio	Male, 78.3% Female, 21.7%	Male, 67.2% Female, 32.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.2% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 26.8% Asian, 1.8% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%	Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 3.1% Hispanic or Latino, 26.8% Asian, 1.9% White, 62.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.2%
LGBT Percentage	3%	3%

Differences between ranch hand and cowboy duties and responsibilities

Ranch hand example responsibilities.

Manage habitat, predators, whitetail and several species of exotic animals.
Assist with lessons and summer camps which include helping riders groom, tack up and mount.
Relocate wheel line sprinklers used to irrigate crops.
Halter training fillies and colts, handling mares, studs and foals
Operate a backhoe to dig dirt and move large oil field equipment.
Clean livestock stalls and sheds using disinfectant solutions, brushes, and shovels.

Cowboy example responsibilities.

Manage milking, feeding, pasture rotation, cleaning, and administration of bovine medication for organic dairy operation
Manage regular routines of dairy calf sector, developing skill in feeding, housing, sanitation, parasite and disease control.
Clean and sanitize milking equipment and ensure equipment functionality.
Operate and perform maintenance on agricultural equipment CDL truck driver
Operate and maintain heavy equipment (i.e., tractors, combines, harvesters )
Develop and execute nutrient management plan.

Ranch hand vs cowboy skills

Common ranch hand skills

Harvest, 15%
Farm Work, 12%
Farm Machinery, 9%
Physical Characteristics, 7%
Cattle Ranch, 6%
Farm Animals, 4%

Common cowboy skills

Medical Treatment, 41%
Customer Service, 29%
Food Preparation, 10%
CDL, 6%
Farm Equipment, 3%
General Maintenance, 3%