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Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers

Agriculture, Food and Natural ResourcesO*NET 37-3011.00United States

Landscape or maintain grounds of property using hand or power tools or equipment. Workers typically perform a variety of tasks, which may include any combination of the following: sod laying, mowing, trimming, planting, watering, fertilizing, digging, raking, sprinkler installation, and installation of mortarless segmental concrete masonry wall units.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$37,286

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+5.1%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
High school diploma or less

47.4% of the workforce

Employment
1.27M jobs

Growing to 1.33M by 2035

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What landscaping and groundskeeping workers do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • Gather and remove litter.
  • Use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers, or axes.
  • Operate vehicles or powered equipment, such as mowers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers, chainsaws, electric clippers, sod cutters, or pruning saws.
  • Water lawns, trees, or plants, using portable sprinkler systems, hoses, or watering cans.
  • Prune or trim trees, shrubs, or hedges, using shears, pruners, or chain saws.
  • Mix and spray or spread fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides onto grass, shrubs, or trees, using hand or automatic sprayers or spreaders.
  • Care for established lawns by mulching, aerating, weeding, grubbing, removing thatch, or trimming or edging around flower beds, walks, or walls.
  • Follow planned landscaping designs to determine where to lay sod, sow grass, or plant flowers or foliage.
  • Trim or pick flowers and clean flower beds.
  • Attach wires from planted trees to support stakes.
  • Plant seeds, bulbs, foliage, flowering plants, grass, ground covers, trees, or shrubs, and apply mulch for protection, using gardening tools.
  • Mow or edge lawns, using power mowers or edgers.
  • Rake, mulch, and compost leaves.
  • Decorate gardens with stones or plants.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$26,020
25th percentile
$32,145
50th percentile
$37,286
75th percentile
$47,938
90th percentile
$66,607

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $37,286 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+5.1%average or slower
20251,269,541 jobs
2035 projected1,334,002 jobs

64,461 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

High school diploma or less
47.4%
Certificate
31.2%
Bachelor's degree
18.3%
Associate degree
3.1%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Landscaping
  • Mowing
  • Groundskeeping
  • Irrigation (Landscaping And Agriculture)
  • Lawn Care
  • Weed Control
  • Lifting Ability
  • Pruning
  • Gardening
  • Hand Tools
  • Mulch
  • Landscape Maintenance
  • Power Tool Operation
  • Construction
  • Edger
  • Chainsaws
  • Machinery
  • Good Driving Record
  • Snow Removal
  • Trimming

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Operation and Control
Controlling operations of equipment or systems.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Operations Monitoring
Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Repairing
Repairing machines or systems using the needed tools.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Troubleshooting
Determining causes of operating errors and deciding what to do about it.
Equipment Maintenance
Performing routine maintenance on equipment and determining when and what kind of maintenance is needed.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
Equipment Selection
Determining the kind of tools and equipment needed to do a job.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Groundskeepers12,660 postings
  2. 02Landscapers5,003 postings
  3. 03Landscape Laborers4,076 postings
  4. 04Landscape Crew Members2,829 postings
  5. 05Groundspeople2,776 postings
  6. 06Lawn Care Technicians2,754 postings
  7. 07Landscape Technicians2,237 postings
  8. 08Grounds Maintenance Workers1,969 postings
  9. 09Gardeners1,665 postings
  10. 10Groundskeepers/Porters1,497 postings
  11. 11Landscaping Assistants1,273 postings
  12. 12Groundmen1,269 postings
  13. 13Groundworkers1,265 postings
  14. 14Greenskeepers1,137 postings
  15. 15Golf Course Maintenance Workers1,134 postings
  16. 16Landscape Maintenance Managers1,093 postings
  17. 17Roundsmen1,050 postings
  18. 18Garden Center Merchandisers867 postings
  19. 19Equipment Operators866 postings
  20. 20Grounds Crews838 postings

Top employers

  1. 01Brightview1,270 postings
  2. 02Asplundh Tree Experts953 postings
  3. 03Walmart673 postings
  4. 04MasTec470 postings
  5. 05The Davey Tree Expert Company441 postings
  6. 06Greystar Management Services380 postings
  7. 07SavATree304 postings
  8. 08Greystar270 postings
  9. 09ABM Industries250 postings
  10. 10Everstory Partners235 postings
  11. 11Pike Electric228 postings
  12. 12Intersolutions224 postings
  13. 13Xylem Tree Experts195 postings
  14. 14Edjoin.Org193 postings
  15. 15Simply Set Training & Merchandising181 postings
  16. 16Troon Golf, L.L.C.177 postings
  17. 17TruGreen175 postings
  18. 18Kendall Vegetation Services172 postings
  19. 19Labor Finders166 postings
  20. 20Arcis Golf142 postings

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