Residential builder vs home improvement contractor

The differences between residential builders and home improvement contractors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes More than 10 years to become both a residential builder and a home improvement contractor. Additionally, a home improvement contractor has an average salary of $50,140, which is higher than the $44,544 average annual salary of a residential builder.

The top three skills for a residential builder include residential buildings, safety codes and plumbing. The most important skills for a home improvement contractor are strong customer service, customer service, and ladders.

Residential builder vs home improvement contractor overview

	Residential Builder	Home Improvement Contractor
Yearly salary	$44,544	$50,140
Hourly rate	$21.42	$24.11
Growth rate	2%	5%
Number of jobs	10,527	55,210
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Average age	46	46
Years of experience	-	-

Residential builder vs home improvement contractor salary

Residential builders and home improvement contractors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Residential Builder	Home Improvement Contractor
Average salary	$44,544	$50,140
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $83,000	Between $34,000 And $72,000
Highest paying City	-	Plymouth, MA
Highest paying state	-	New York
Best paying company	-	Dynamics
Best paying industry	-	Start-up

Differences between residential builder and home improvement contractor education

There are a few differences between a residential builder and a home improvement contractor in terms of educational background:

	Residential Builder	Home Improvement Contractor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 47%	Bachelor's Degree, 33%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	-

Residential builder vs home improvement contractor demographics

Here are the differences between residential builders' and home improvement contractors' demographics:

	Residential Builder	Home Improvement Contractor
Average age	46	46
Gender ratio	Male, 82.8% Female, 17.2%	Male, 79.4% Female, 20.6%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 6.0% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 18.1% Asian, 1.5% White, 69.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 19.0% Asian, 1.5% White, 68.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	2%	2%

Differences between residential builder and home improvement contractor duties and responsibilities

Residential builder example responsibilities.

Manage the office for a small business; invoicing, accounts receivable, accounting, taxes, payroll, etc.
Utilize industry knowledge to anticipate and communicate changes and adjustments effecting project plans, specifications or design.
Work on top of stilts, ladders, and the top beams of buildings.

Home improvement contractor example responsibilities.

Train and manage new cooks and dishwashers and achieve significant improvements in their productivity.
Fill cracks, holes, or joints with caulks, putty, plaster, or fillers, using caulking guns.
Conduct carpentry work, specializing in flooring, painting, and tiling.
Complete various home improvement, landscaping, renovation, HVAC, and logging jobs.
Replace or repair drywall: tapes, beds and textures; patch holes in plaster or sheetrock.
Apply paints, to exterior and interior building surfaces such as plaster, sheetrock, concrete and wood.

Residential builder vs home improvement contractor skills

Common residential builder skills

Residential Buildings, 27%
Safety Codes, 17%
Plumbing, 15%
Construction Process, 11%
Residential Homes, 8%
Building Materials, 4%

Common home improvement contractor skills

Strong Customer Service, 34%
Customer Service, 19%
Ladders, 11%
Sales Floor, 9%
Plumbing, 5%
Drywall Repair, 4%

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Residential Builder vs Home Improvement Contractor

Updated January 8, 2025

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