landscaping workers, groundskeepers, pesticide handlers, tree trimmers, pruners

Grounds Maintenance & Landscaping Employment

Grounds maintenance workers held about 1.5 million jobs in 2004. Employment was distributed as follows:

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers 1,177,000
First-line supervisors/managers of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers 184,000
Tree trimmers and pruners 55,000
Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation 30,000
Grounds maintenance workers, all other 21,000

About one-third of the workers in grounds maintenance were employed in companies providing landscaping services to buildings and dwellings. Others worked for property management and real-estate development firms, lawn and garden equipment and supply stores, and amusement and recreation facilities, such as golf courses and racetracks. Some were employed by local governments, installing and maintaining landscaping for parks, schools, hospitals, and other public facilities.

Almost 1 out of every 4 grounds maintenance workers was self-employed, providing landscape maintenance directly to customers on a contract basis. About 1 of every 7 worked part time; about 8% were of school age.

Landscaper Earnings

Median hourly earnings in May 2004 of grounds maintenance workers were as follows:

First-line supervisors/managers of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers $16.99
Tree trimmers and pruners $12.57
Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation $12.30
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers $9.82
Grounds maintenance workers, all other $9.57

Median hourly earnings in the industries employing the largest numbers of landscaping and groundskeeping workers in May 2004 were as follows:

Elementary and secondary schools $13.25
Local government $11.25
Services to buildings and dwellings $9.78
Other amusement and recreation industries $9.14
Employment services $8.64

Source:

Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2006-07 Edition, Grounds Maintenance Workers, on the internet at http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos172.htm (visited August 23, 2006).