Self-employed vs private contractor

The differences between self-employeds and private contractors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a self-employed, becoming a private contractor takes usually requires More than 10 years. Additionally, a private contractor has an average salary of $45,674, which is higher than the $34,734 average annual salary of a self-employed.

The top three skills for a self-employed include windows, mowing and customer service. The most important skills for a private contractor are windows, snow removal, and RAN.

Self-employed vs private contractor overview

	Self-Employed	Private Contractor
Yearly salary	$34,734	$45,674
Hourly rate	$16.70	$21.96
Growth rate	8%	8%
Number of jobs	6,215	13,902
Job satisfaction	5	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Average age	41	46
Years of experience	6	-

Self-employed vs private contractor salary

Self-employeds and private contractors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Self-Employed	Private Contractor
Average salary	$34,734	$45,674
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $44,000	Between $27,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between self-employed and private contractor education

There are a few differences between a self-employed and a private contractor in terms of educational background:

	Self-Employed	Private Contractor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 38%	Bachelor's Degree, 41%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	-

Self-employed vs private contractor demographics

Here are the differences between self-employeds' and private contractors' demographics:

	Self-Employed	Private Contractor
Average age	41	46
Gender ratio	Male, 60.8% Female, 39.2%	Male, 73.7% Female, 26.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 5.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.1% Asian, 7.3% White, 59.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%	Black or African American, 5.9% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 20.0% Asian, 1.5% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	9%	2%

Differences between self-employed and private contractor duties and responsibilities

Self-employed example responsibilities.

Develop and manage the in-store informational PowerPoint presentations that run on multiple televisions to answer questions and provide information to customers.
Generate monthly, quarterly and yearly sales reports, correspondence, & PowerPoint presentations.
Complete jobs (lawn mowing, lawn cleaning, edging, trimmings bushes and trees) any aspect of lawn care.
Work with traditional video cameras and DSLR cameras.
Develop a website and Facebook page to increase networking.
Equip with a full-frame Nikon D600 and multiple lenses.

Private contractor example responsibilities.

Enter and manage data for timberline for JC/AP/AR for multiple companies.
Manage, oversee and troubleshoot production schedules, critical orders and product development.
Utilize QuickBooks to manage company finances, including project invoices, material purchases, and accounts receivable.
Manage and decide all remodel activities.
Prepare and submit EHR data require for third party, Medicare, and Medicaid compliance audits.
Apply coats of paint, varnish, stain, enamel and lacquer to decorate and protect interior and exterior surfaces.

Self-employed vs private contractor skills

Common self-employed skills

Windows, 15%
Mowing, 14%
Customer Service, 13%
Financial Statements, 13%
Payroll, 8%
Real Estate, 7%

Common private contractor skills

Windows, 36%
Snow Removal, 16%
RAN, 8%
Manual Labor, 6%
Troubleshoot, 6%
HVAC, 6%