Career
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers
Care for lawns, gardens and grounds.
$39,150
Median pay
+4.7%
Job growth, 2025–35
149,500
Openings a year
No formal educational credential
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Mow or edge lawns, using power mowers or edgers.
- Operate vehicles or powered equipment, such as mowers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers, chainsaws, electric clippers, sod cutters, or pruning saws.
- Use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers, or axes.
- Prune or trim trees, shrubs, or hedges, using shears, pruners, or chain saws.
- Gather and remove litter.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on objects & tools, then information & systems?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Mow or edge lawns, using power mowers or edgers.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Operation and Control, Critical Thinking, Active Listening, Operations Monitoring.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though short-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $39,150 a year and 149,500 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations, GeneralCIP 01.0601
- Ornamental HorticultureCIP 01.0603
- Greenhouse Operations and ManagementCIP 01.0604
- Landscaping and GroundskeepingCIP 01.0605
- Plant Nursery Operations and ManagementCIP 01.0606
- Turf and Turfgrass ManagementCIP 01.0607
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation$46,340 · +3.9%
- Tree Trimmers and Pruners$50,960 · +4.2%
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse$35,660 · -2.4%
- First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers$58,430 · +4.0%
- Agricultural Equipment Operators$41,730 · +8.6%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.