Small equipment operator vs fertilizer applicator

The differences between small equipment operators and fertilizer applicators can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fertilizer applicator has an average salary of $46,570, which is higher than the $36,820 average annual salary of a small equipment operator.

The top three skills for a small equipment operator include routine maintenance, customer specifications and asphalt. The most important skills for a fertilizer applicator are CDL, GPS, and mowing.

Small equipment operator vs fertilizer applicator overview

	Small Equipment Operator	Fertilizer Applicator
Yearly salary	$36,820	$46,570
Hourly rate	$17.70	$22.39
Growth rate	5%	1%
Number of jobs	45,412	2,969
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 39%
Average age	45	40
Years of experience	2	-

Small equipment operator vs fertilizer applicator salary

Small equipment operators and fertilizer applicators have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Small Equipment Operator	Fertilizer Applicator
Average salary	$36,820	$46,570
Salary range	Between $27,000 And $48,000	Between $23,000 And $90,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between small equipment operator and fertilizer applicator education

There are a few differences between a small equipment operator and a fertilizer applicator in terms of educational background:

	Small Equipment Operator	Fertilizer Applicator
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 46%	High School Diploma, 39%
Most common major	Business	Plant Sciences
Most common college	-	-

Small equipment operator vs fertilizer applicator demographics

Here are the differences between small equipment operators' and fertilizer applicators' demographics:

	Small Equipment Operator	Fertilizer Applicator
Average age	45	40
Gender ratio	Male, 86.7% Female, 13.3%	Male, 100.0% Female, 0.0%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 5.8% Unknown, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 0.9% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.0%	Black or African American, 3.1% Unknown, 2.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 1.7% White, 74.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.0%
LGBT Percentage	2%	3%

Differences between small equipment operator and fertilizer applicator duties and responsibilities

Small equipment operator example responsibilities.

Certify in the use of forklifts, clamp trucks and skidster
Field work include all preparation for planting through harvest on particular operation including liquid manure spreading.
Manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients using GMP format and aseptic techniques.

Fertilizer applicator example responsibilities.

Load and unload chemicals, mix herbicide, fill sprayers and used GPS and GIS systems.
Preform all troubleshooting and diagnostics for termite infestations.
Start motors and engage machinery, such as sprayer agitators or pumps or portable spray equipment.

Small equipment operator vs fertilizer applicator skills

Common small equipment operator skills

Routine Maintenance, 46%
Customer Specifications, 17%
Asphalt, 9%
Boats, 8%
General Maintenance, 4%
Mowing, 3%

Common fertilizer applicator skills

CDL, 60%
GPS, 39%
Mowing, 1%
Application Equipment, 1%

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Small Equipment Operator vs Fertilizer Applicator

Updated January 8, 2025

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