---
title: "Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker"
description: "Landscape or maintain grounds of property using hand or power tools or equipment. Workers typically perform a variety of tasks, which may include any…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/landscaping-and-groundskeeping-worker"
last-updated: "2026-08-23T15:56:39.581Z"
---

# Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker

**Category:** Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance · **SOC code:** 37-3011 · **O\*NET-SOC code:** 37-3011.00

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.

Also advertised as: Gardener; Greenskeeper; Grounds Maintenance Worker; Grounds Person; Grounds Specialist; Grounds Worker; Groundskeeper; Landscape Specialist.

## At a glance

- **Median annual wage:** $39,150 (BLS OEWS, May 2025)
- **Median hourly wage:** $18.82/hr
- **Wage range (10th–90th percentile):** $31,150 to $56,730, with the middle half between $36,190 and $46,830
- **Total US employment:** 952,640
- **Typical entry education:** No formal credential
- **Preparation required:** Little or no preparation — O\*NET rates this "Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed"
- **Projected growth:** +3.6% over 2024–2034 (BLS EP, 2024–2034)
- **Annual job openings:** 158,200 openings a year
- **AI-resilience score:** 69/100 — a NueCareer heuristic over O\*NET work activities and context, not a BLS or O\*NET figure

## Pay

National wage distribution, BLS OEWS, May 2025, across 952,640 US jobs.

| Percentile | Annual wage |
| --- | --- |
| 10th | $31,150 |
| 25th | $36,190 |
| 50th (median) | $39,150 |
| 75th | $46,830 |
| 90th | $56,730 |
| Mean (average) | $42,290 |

### Pay by state

The 15 highest-paying states, by median annual wage. The cost-of-living-adjusted column divides the state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, so the columns answer different questions: the first is what the job pays there, the second is what that pay buys there.

| State | Median annual wage | Cost-of-living adjusted | Employment |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| DC | $48,790 | $44,395 | 800 |
| MA | $48,670 | $46,021 | 22,880 |
| AK | $47,690 | $46,591 | 1,080 |
| WA | $46,950 | $43,873 | 22,550 |
| MN | $46,610 | $47,262 | 17,610 |
| VT | $46,230 | $47,194 | 2,700 |
| ME | $45,970 | $47,367 | 6,410 |
| HI | $45,920 | $41,764 | 7,040 |
| CO | $45,760 | $44,405 | 21,990 |
| CT | $45,740 | $44,146 | 13,490 |
| CA | $45,560 | $41,149 | 106,180 |
| MT | $45,350 | $47,916 | 4,270 |
| OR | $45,040 | $43,575 | 11,870 |
| NH | $44,890 | $43,095 | 6,050 |
| NY | $44,840 | $41,549 | 47,600 |

39 more states with published wage data are omitted here. The full table for all 54 states is at https://nuecareer.com/careers/landscaping-and-groundskeeping-worker/salary-by-state, or as JSON at https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/landscaping-and-groundskeeping-worker.

## Outlook

BLS projects employment to move from 1,192,500 in the 2024–2034 base year to 1,235,000 by the end of the cycle — a gain of 42,400 jobs, or +3.6%. About as fast as average: 3.6% against 3.1% projected for all occupations over the same cycle. About 158,200 openings a year are expected on average, counting openings from growth as well as from workers leaving the occupation permanently. Source: BLS EP, 2024–2034.

## How to get in

- **Typical entry education:** No formal educational credential (BLS Employment Projections).
- **Preparation level:** Little or no preparation — O\*NET's preparation band for this occupation is "Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed".
- **Related work experience typically required:** None.
- **Typical on-the-job training:** Short-term on-the-job training.

### Education people in this job actually hold

O\*NET surveys incumbents, so this distribution describes who is in the job today and can differ from the BLS entry requirement above.

| Education level | Share of workers |
| --- | --- |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 39.2% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 31.2% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 18.3% |
| High School Diploma | 8.2% |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 3.1% |

## What the work involves

- 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.
- Trim or pick flowers and clean flower beds.
- Operate vehicles or powered equipment, such as mowers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers, chainsaws, electric clippers, sod cutters, or pruning saws.
- Gather and remove litter.
- Follow planned landscaping designs to determine where to lay sod, sow grass, or plant flowers or foliage.
- Plant seeds, bulbs, foliage, flowering plants, grass, ground covers, trees, or shrubs, and apply mulch for protection, using gardening tools.
- Attach wires from planted trees to support stakes.

## Skills and knowledge

### Essential skills

- Speaking — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Critical Thinking — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Listening — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Monitoring — importance 2.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Reading Comprehension — importance 2.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Active Learning — importance 2.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Learning Strategies — importance 2.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Writing — importance 1.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Transferable skills

These are the skills that carry into other occupations, and they drive the related-occupation and career-change rankings on this site.

- Operation and Control — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Coordination — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Operations Monitoring — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Time Management — importance 2.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Social Perceptiveness — importance 2.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Service Orientation — importance 2.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Judgment and Decision Making — importance 2.5 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Complex Problem Solving — importance 2.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Knowledge areas

- English Language — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Customer and Personal Service — importance 3.2 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Chemistry — importance 3.0 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Mechanical — importance 2.9 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Public Safety and Security — importance 2.8 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Administration and Management — importance 2.7 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

### Abilities

- Multilimb Coordination — importance 3.6 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Manual Dexterity — importance 3.4 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Trunk Strength — importance 3.3 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Arm-Hand Steadiness — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Control Precision — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale
- Static Strength — importance 3.1 on the O\*NET 1–5 importance scale

## Who it suits

O\*NET rates every occupation on the six Holland (RIASEC) interest areas, on a 1–7 scale. This occupation's strongest areas are Realistic (R), Conventional (C).

| Interest area | Score (1–7) |
| --- | --- |
| R — Realistic | 7.00 |
| C — Conventional | 3.35 |
| A — Artistic | 1.90 |
| E — Enterprising | 1.81 |
| I — Investigative | 1.62 |
| S — Social | 1.45 |

### Personality fit

These scores are **derived by NueCareer**, not published by any government agency: they are cosine similarities between a personality type's trait profile and this occupation's O\*NET interest and work-style ratings, expressed 0–100. Treat them as a starting point for exploration, not as evidence that a type belongs in a job.

| Type | Fit score (0–100) |
| --- | --- |
| ISTJ | 82.1 |
| ISTP | 73.8 |
| ISFJ | 69.6 |
| ESTJ | 69.2 |
| INTJ | 61.2 |

Best-fitting types: ISTJ. The bank also flags this occupation as introvert-friendly, meaning O\*NET work-context ratings put it low on public contact and performing for the public.

## Related occupations

O\*NET's primary related occupations, in its own ranked order.

- [Pesticide Handler, Sprayer, and Applicator, Vegetation](https://nuecareer.com/careers/pesticide-handler-sprayer-and-applicator-vegetation) — median $46,340
- [Tree Trimmer and Pruner](https://nuecareer.com/careers/tree-trimmer-and-pruner) — median $50,960
- [Farmworker and Laborer, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse](https://nuecareer.com/careers/farmworker-and-laborer-crop-nursery-and-greenhouse) — median $35,660
- [First-Line Supervisor of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers](https://nuecareer.com/careers/first-line-supervisor-of-landscaping-lawn-service-and-groundskeeping-workers) — median $58,430
- [Agricultural Equipment Operator](https://nuecareer.com/careers/agricultural-equipment-operator) — median $41,730
- [Highway Maintenance Worker](https://nuecareer.com/careers/highway-maintenance-worker) — median $50,260
- [Helpers--Pipelayer, Plumber, Pipefitter, and Steamfitter](https://nuecareer.com/careers/helpers-pipelayer-plumber-pipefitter-and-steamfitter) — median $42,360
- [Operating Engineer and Other Construction Equipment Operator](https://nuecareer.com/careers/operating-engineer-and-other-construction-equipment-operator) — median $59,850
- [Maintenance and Repair Worker, General](https://nuecareer.com/careers/maintenance-and-repair-worker-general) — median $49,590
- [Faller](https://nuecareer.com/careers/faller) — median $52,100

## Sources

- **O\*NET** — O\*NET 30.3 Database, May 2026. https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html
- **BLS OEWS** — BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. https://www.bls.gov/oes/
- **BLS EP** — BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, 2024–2034. https://www.bls.gov/emp/
- **BLS OOH** — BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2024–2034 edition. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/
- **BEA RPP** — BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024. https://www.bea.gov/data/prices-inflation/regional-price-parities-state-and-metro-area

---

This bank includes information from the O\*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology

JSON representation of this page: https://nuecareer.com/api/v1/careers/landscaping-and-groundskeeping-worker