Work Environment
Grounds maintenance workers held about 1.2 million jobs in 2020. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up grounds maintenance workers was distributed as follows:
- Landscaping and groundskeeping workers - 1,117,800
- Tree trimmers and pruners - 66,400
- Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation - 27,300
- Grounds maintenance workers, all other - 15,300
The largest employers of grounds maintenance workers were as follows:
- Services to buildings and dwellings - 49%
- Self-employed workers - 20%
- Government - 8%
- Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries - 6%
- Educational services; state, local, and private - 3%
Grounds maintenance work is done outdoors in all kinds of weather. The work can be repetitive and physically demanding, requiring frequent bending, lifting, and shoveling.
Injuries and Illnesses
Grounds maintenance work can be dangerous. Workers who use equipment such as lawnmowers and chain saws must wear protective clothing, eyewear, and earplugs. Those who apply chemicals such as pesticides or fertilizers must wear protective gear, including appropriate clothing, gloves, goggles, and sometimes respirators.
Tree trimmers and pruners and grounds maintenance workers, all other, have some of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations. ("All other" titles represent occupations with a wide range of characteristics that do not fit into any of the other detailed occupations.)
And although fatalities are uncommon, tree trimmers and pruners experience one of the highest rates of occupational fatalities of all occupations. These workers, who often work at great heights, must always use fall protection gear in addition to wearing hardhats and eye protection for most activities.
Work Schedules
Many grounds maintenance jobs are seasonal. Jobs are most common in the spring, summer, and fall, when planting, mowing, and trimming are most frequent. However, many also provide other seasonal services, such as snow removal and installation and removal of holiday décor.
Job Outlook
Overall employment of grounds maintenance workers is projected to grow 8 percent from 2020 to 2030, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
About 173,200 openings for grounds maintenance workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers will be needed to keep up with increasing demand for lawn care and landscaping services from aging or busy homeowners and from large institutions, such as universities and corporate campuses.
Demand is also likely to increase for tree trimmers and pruners from municipalities that plant more trees in urban areas.
Earnings
The median hourly wage for grounds maintenance workers was $17.05 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $11.68, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $23.18.
Median hourly wages for grounds maintenance workers in May 2021 were as follows:
- Tree trimmers and pruners - $22.58
- Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation - $18.40
- Grounds maintenance workers, all other - $17.57
- Landscaping and groundskeeping workers - $16.55
In May 2021, the median hourly wages for grounds maintenance workers in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:
- Educational services; state, local, and private - $18.24
- Services to buildings and dwellings - $17.46
- Government - $15.97
- Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries - $14.20
Many grounds maintenance jobs are seasonal. Jobs are most common in the spring, summer, and fall, when planting, mowing, and trimming are most frequent. However, many also provide other seasonal services, such as snow removal and installation and removal of holiday décor.
