CCollegeMatcher

Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers

US occupation · SOC 37-3011

Job titles people report: Athletic Fieldskeeper, Greenskeeper, Grounds Maintenance Worker, Grounds Specialist, Groundskeeper, Groundsman, Landscape Specialist, Landscape Technician (Landscape Tech), Landscaper, Outside Maintenance Worker

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025
$39,150
Half earn more, half earn less
Middle half earn
$36,190 – $46,830
25th to 75th percentile
People employed, May 2025
952,640
Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)
Projected change, 2025–35
+4.7%
At or above the all-jobs rate (3.5% to under 7%)
Openings a year (projected)
149,500
New jobs plus replacing people who leave
Typical education to enter
No formal educational credential
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

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.

Main tasks

  • 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.
  • Trim or pick flowers and clean flower beds.

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

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)
No formal educational credential
Training once hired: short-term on-the-job training
O*NET Job Zone 1–2
Little to some preparation
Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Interests it suits

The strongest of the six O*NET interest types for this occupation, highest first. The short glosses are ours.

  • Realistic: hands-on work with tools, machines, plants or animals
  • Conventional: organising information, records and procedures
  • Artistic: creating, designing and self-expression

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.

Kinesiology & Sports Science

  • Golf Course Operation and Grounds Management

Find colleges that fit you with our matcher: choose Kinesiology & Sports Science at the Major step.

Where many students take kinesiology & sports science

Ordered by the field's share of degrees awarded times undergraduate enrolment (College Scorecard), among colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online universities are included. It's a rough measure of how big the programme is. It says nothing about quality. The share counts every programme in the field, not only the ones linked to this career.

Agriculture

  • Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations, General
  • Ornamental Horticulture
  • Greenhouse Operations and Management
  • Landscaping and Groundskeeping
  • Plant Nursery Operations and Management
  • Turf and Turfgrass Management

Find colleges that fit you with our matcher: choose Agriculture at the Major step.

Where many students take agriculture

Ordered by the field's share of degrees awarded times undergraduate enrolment (College Scorecard), among colleges with at least 1,000 undergraduates. Online universities are included. It's a rough measure of how big the programme is. It says nothing about quality. The share counts every programme in the field, not only the ones linked to this career.

Related careers

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

← All careers

Sources

This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. CollegeMatcher has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. O*NET 31.0 Database · CC BY 4.0

Changes: we show the core tasks in the O*NET database with the highest importance ratings (up to eight, in that order), the top three O*NET interest types by score, and shortened Job Zone names. Titles, descriptions and task text are unchanged.

Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Projections, typical entry education and training: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2025–35. Fields of study: NCES and BLS CIP 2020–SOC 2018 Crosswalk. All public domain. OEWS · Employment Projections · CIP–SOC crosswalk