First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$58,430

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$47,390 – $72,590

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

130,760

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+4%

At or above the all-jobs rate (3.5% to under 7%)

Openings a year (projected)

23,900

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in landscaping or groundskeeping activities. Work may involve reviewing contracts to ascertain service, machine, and workforce requirements; answering inquiries from potential customers regarding methods, material, and price ranges; and preparing estimates according to labor, material, and machine costs.

Main tasks

• Establish and enforce operating procedures and work standards that will ensure adequate performance and personnel safety.
• Schedule work for crews, depending on work priorities, crew or equipment availability, or weather conditions.
• Tour grounds, such as parks, botanical gardens, cemeteries, or golf courses, to inspect conditions of plants and soil.
• Monitor project activities to ensure that instructions are followed, deadlines are met, and schedules are maintained.
• Direct activities of workers who perform duties, such as landscaping, cultivating lawns, or pruning trees and shrubs.
• Inspect completed work to ensure conformance to specifications, standards, and contract requirements.
• Plant or maintain vegetation through activities such as mulching, fertilizing, watering, mowing, or pruning.
• Direct or perform mixing or application of fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, or fungicides.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

High school diploma or equivalent

Work experience in a related job: less than 5 years

O*NET Job Zone 3

Medium preparation

Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 7 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers

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• First-Line Supervisors of Farming, Fishing, and Forestry Workers

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• First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers

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• First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers

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• First-Line Supervisors of Material-Moving Machine and Vehicle Operators

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• First-Line Supervisors of Entertainment and Recreation Workers, Except Gambling Services

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