How Much Do Lawn Care Workers Make

Salary For Landscaping And Groundskeeping Workers

Also known as: Golf Course Laborer, Greenskeeper, Greenskeeper Laborer, Grounds Caretaker, Grounds Maintenance Worker, Hedge Trimmer, Lawn Care Worker, Lawn Caretaker, Lawn Maintenance Worker, Lawn Mower

SEE MORE SALARIES FOR CONSTRUCTION PROFESSIONALS

The Factors Of Determining A Fair Lawn Care Rate

It’s crazy because it’s not as straightforward a question as you might think

• First of all should you try to negotiate an hourly rate with your lawn care service provider?

• Should you worry about effectively how much youre paying them per hour?

• And what is a fair hourly rate to pay for lawn mowing services?

After all. You don’t want to come off like this person. Do you?

How Much Money Can A Solo Lawn Care Business Owner Make

A lot of times a new lawn care business owner will be working solo and wondering what kind of income can they potentially make? How many lawns can the average solo lawn care business owner service? To get some insight we asked our friend on the Gopher Lawn Care Business Forum to share with us some of what they have found as a solo lawn care business operators.Chuck:I work by myself. I can get most of my average $25 per cut lawns done in 20-25 minutes. Once I have done it a few times & have the lawn under control & trained the way I cut it, meaning the grass isnt too long, the trimming never gets out of hand & the edging has been done before so I dont have to dig out the edges of a driveway that have been covered over 2 seasons ago!

I have a few I can mow in about 17 minutes. Here is my lawn care routine. When I arrive on scene I check the time, get out of the truck, mow, weed eat, edge & blow off. Trailer closed ready to roll, back in the truck. I hustle like heck though. I kinda get in a mode like a machine & keep going all day until my mowing list is done. I should say though, Ive gotten very used to using a line trimmer to do edging. Its kind of an art form to do it right but it saves lots of time, the machine is in your hand & running already!

Steve:What kind of mower are you using to do this?

Steve:How do you suggest coming up with a pricing strategy?

Heres an example:

You May Like: How To Estimate Lawn Mowing Jobs

Ways Your Lawn Care Business Can Make Money In The Winter

As a lawn care service provider, one of the biggest challenges youll face is how to bring in a profit during the off-season. After all, clients dont need their lawns mowed or fertilized when theres snow on the ground, or when the grass growing slows down.

However, that doesnt mean youre out of luck. With some strategic planning, creative thinking, and a little bit of hustle, you can make the slow months generate an income.

We asked, and the Jobber lawn care community answered. They share their tips on how to stay in the black once the season slows down below.

The Best Incentives To Keeping Local Top Talent

So far, we’ve discussed about the various ways to properly pay lawn care employees as well as various payment models.

Now, let’s talk about the best incentives for keeping local top talent.

Take a look at a few different types of perks lawn care businesses can offer to remain competitive:

• Flexibility
• Company events
• incentive program

“I have done all sorts of things . My favorite was handing out scratch-off tickets if the crews hit their quota for the week. If all met it by noon on Friday, then a lunch party was provided at 1:00 PM, and they got paid for it. It helped keep overtime down, yet they were being rewarded. They also got the big scratch-off $10 ticket, and we had fun hanging out, talking shop at the end of the week. I had a ton of respect for my employees, and I tried to keep it on a professional level.”

– Karl Naegler CNLPVP New York State Nursery and Landscape Association Board

For more ideas on rewarding employees, check out Chad Reinholz’s incentive ideas for the green industry.

Remember, salary and pay are still very important to employees but many consider benefits to also be in the conversation.

As you determine how much to pay lawn care employees, keep these numbers in mind:

• 80% of employees prefer new or additional benefits over a pay increase
• 90% of millennials prefer benefits over a pay raise

You May Like: Where Are Cub Cadet Lawn Mowers Made

Price Your Lawn Care Services

Figuring out how much youre going to charge for services is a huge part of starting your lawn care business. Jason Creel says, its important that you dont charge very bare minimum prices in your lawn care business.

Why? He explains:

You need to be making a good profit in your lawn care business so that when it comes time to bring on employees, you can pay them enough to get a quality employee, versus one thats going to be a hindrance to your business.

Setting prices for your services affects the types of clients you get, how much financial wiggle room you have. It also impacts how much you can grow and scale your business in the future.

• Calculating your hourly rate with employees
• Factoring in overhead and equipment
• Making adjustments for special services and materials
• Estimating profitability
• Factoring in taxes and fees

Once you have calculated an hourly rate that works for your business, you can create a pricing sheet based on service costs and yard sizes. This will help you to quickly and easily provide accurate, consistent, and fair lawn care estimates to clients.

Read through our step-by-step guide for pricing your lawn care services to learn how to do this.

How Much Should I Be Paying My Lawn Care Employees

When it comes to figuring out how much you should pay your lawn care employees, there is a sweet spot. Pay too much and you are going to lose money on each lawn mowing you perform. Pay too little and either you wont attract any applicants or you will attract the wrong kind of applicant. But where is that sweet spot and how do you find it? That is what one lawn care business owner was interested in knowing when he wrote us on the Gopher Lawn Care Business Forum.

He asked does anyone have any suggestions as to how to determine the hourly wage I should be paying for labor? The labor Im looking to hire is for lawn care only, no landscaping. Im looking at the idea of hiring some help and trying to come up with the right number. I obviously dont want to pay more than I need to, but I want it to be fair and attractive to a good employee.

At this point, Ive got one person Im talking with that would be working for me using my equipment. While Ive got another guy Im talking with that would be working for me that would be using his own equipment. Both individuals would be working on their own.

Also, should I be paying employees by the hour or by the job?

Beyond all that, I would hire somebody initially to just trim and blow off the grass while they worked with you. Then as your business grows, hire another to trim and blow off and start teaching the first guy to mow and use more expensive mowing equipment.

Also Check: Can I Rototill My Lawn

Frequently Asked Questions About A Lawn Care Salaries

The national average salary for a Lawn Care is $33,545 per year in United States. Filter by location to see a Lawn Care salaries in your area. Salaries estimates are based on 1793 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor by a Lawn Care employees.

The highest salary for a Lawn Care in United States is $47,332 per year.

The lowest salary for a Lawn Care in United States is $23,774 per year.

A Word On Irrigation Technicians

Its also worth mentioning that we do also hire irrigation technicians, which is even more of a specialty trade than our other roles. These pros must have horticultural knowledge and a good understanding of landscape water requirements. There is also a strong need for mechanical aptitude since irrigation techs are diagnosing and fixing problems.

Irrigation technicians make between $18 and $25 an hour.

Read Also: How To Estimate Lawn Mowing Jobs

How Much Does A Trugreen Technician Make

How much does trugreen pay per hour?

Average TruGreen hourly pay ranges from approximately $11.29 per hour for Call Center Representative to $18.20 per hour for Customer Care Manager.

How much do trugreen specialists make?TruGreen Lawn Specialist

Contents

• 11 How do I get certified for lawn care?

How To Pay Yourself

Experts say there are some basic owners salary benchmarks for the green industry. The owner of a business doing $300,000 in sales will probably pay himself $36,000 annually before dividends. This is about 12 percent of sales.

Therefore, if your business does about $500,000 in sales, youll make about $40,000 before dividends. And, for companies that are in the $1-million range, owners are looking at a salary of $60,000 to $70,000 .

Industry best practices say any landscape business owner needs to master job costing before they can truly know how much their business can make and how much to pay themselves.

Any tips to share? Let us know!

*This article is an update to an original article we ran in 2013. Updated Nov. 1, 2021.

Read Also: What Is Pre Emergent Lawn Care

So What Is A Fair Rate

No doubt about it, the consensus among the lawn care services who participated in our poll is that the average charge for professional lawn mowing services is around $1 per minute of grass cutting.

Put another way, let’s say it takes your lawn mowing service 30 minutes to mow your yard by himself. You can figure the $30 per lawn mowing is a fair price to pay based on average market pricing.

Now let’s say he has a helper and there are 2 men on the lawn care team?

Well, then he needs to be in and out of your lawn in 15-20 mins for that $30 price.

Make sense?

See Lawn Care Workers Salaries In Other Areas

Recommended Reading: Does Lowes Rent Riding Lawn Mowers

How Much Do Landscapers Make

At Grassperson, our minimum wage is dictated by the Department of Labors prevailing wage rate, since we utilize the visa program. This year, that wage is set at $13.75.

The starting wage for crew members on either a maintenance or landscaping crew is between $13.75 and $16 an hour, depending upon experience.

For crew leaders, the range is more like $16 to $19 an hour, also depending upon experience.

How Much Does A Fall Yard Cleanup Cost

National Average Cost:$307

Furthermore, how much should a yard cleanup cost?

Most people will spend between $200 and $550 to hire a fall yard cleanup service for a half acre yard with an average amount of trees. The national average reported cost is $342. The minimum cost a homeowner paid was $75 while the maximum reported cost was $950.

Likewise, what is included in a fall clean up? A thorough fall clean–up includes pruning, protecting plants, and clearing drainage areas of debris. It also means applying pre-emergent herbicides to stop weed seed germination while temperatures are moderate. Ultimately, fall clean–up prepares your commercial property for a strong, healthy spring.

One may also ask, how much does it cost to have leaves raked?

Average Cost: The average cost to have leaves professionally removed is $330, but most HomeAdvisor members report paying in the $173 to $489 range. This cost will vary based on the size and type of yard you have, as well as how many trees are in the vicinity.

How much should I charge to rake a yard?

You’ll pay $5 per bag or $10 to $15 per hour for independent operators raking leaves. Professionals usually charge double that, but get the job done quickly and leave a cleaner yard.

You May Like Also

Don’t Miss: How To Change Oil In Craftsman Lawn Mower

General Liability Costs Depend On Your Landscaping Profession

Businesses with large premises, such as a commercial tree service company, typically pay more for general liability insurance than smaller businesses like a landscape designer. Your industry risk, building maintenance, years in operation, and your location will also affect your premium.

The annual median cost for a tree service company is $1,650, while the median for a landscape designer is $507 or less than $45 a month. As you can see, the cost can vary significantly across professions.

Learn how to save money on your policy, which coverage limits to choose, and more on Insureon’s general liability insurance cost analysis page.

A Word About Pay Rate

Beware of companies that try to lure you with a high starting rate for the first 30 days. There are some companies out there that arent so concerned with ethics, and theyll basically poach landscape workers from other companies with this higher pay tactic. After the 30 days is up, the pay rate may drop down to lower than what the worker was previously making.

Read Also: What Is The Best Lawn Mower For Steep Hills

Use Software To Quote Invoice And Manage Lawn Care Clients

Although you may not think your business is big enough to use software when you first start out, it will be down the road.

Choosing how to keep track of quotes, invoices, and manage clients in the beginning will help to keep you organized once your business takes off.

READ MORE:The best lawn care apps in 2021

The longer you wait, the more time youll have to invest in moving your growing client list data over to your software system.

Plus, it takes time to choose the right software for your business. The busier you become, the more challenging it will be.

Our 100% free Job Toolkit makes it easy to create, win, track, and get paid for jobsno handwritten napkins required.

Your Landscaping Vehicles And Their Use Determine Commercial Auto Costs

Among landscaping businesses that purchase commercial auto insurance with Insureon, 40% pay less than $1,500 per year and 41% pay between $1,500 and $3,000 per year.

The cost depends on the vehicle’s value and how much you drive, along with your history of accidents and claims. For example, landscape designers pay a median premium of $245 per month, or $2,935 annually. In contrast, the median cost for irrigation businesses is $155 per month, or $1,855 annually.

Learn how coverage limits and other factors affect the cost of this policy on Insureon’s commercial auto insurance cost analysis page.

Also Check: Lowes Belt Sander Rental

Look At Your Competitors

Spend some time looking at your competitors in your area to see the rates that they charge. Do they charge more than you? Do they charge less than you? How much experience do they have? As you find out the answers to these questions, you can determine a reasonable price for lawn care services in your area.

You don’t want to lose money with too little of a charge, but you also don’t want to lose customers by charging more than your competitors. As you find that right balance, you’ll gain customers and make money.

What Our Research Indicates About Landscaping Rates

GreenPal recently conducted a poll of over 10,000 lawn care service providers all over the country about how much they charge for weekly or bi-weekly lawn mowing services.

As it turns out.

78% of lawn care professionals we polled responded they charge at least $60 per man per hour. Or $1 a minute.

Next. 12% responded they charge on average $50 per man per hour

Lastly, 10% responded they charge $40 per man per hour or less

But thats just part of the story

Also Check: How To Change Oil In Craftsman Lawn Mower

How Much Do Grass Cutters Make An Hour

grass cutterhourhour

. Just so, how much money do grass cutters make?

The average salary for “grass cutter” ranges from approximately $12.69 per hour for Groundskeeper to $18.30 per hour for Cabinet Maker.

Beside above, how much do lawn care technicians make? National Average

Likewise, how much do lawn workers make?

As of 2011, general landscaping and groundskeeping workers reported an average annual income of $25,650 and an average hourly wage of $12.33. Half of all general landscaping and groundskeeping workers earned hourly wages of between $9.28 and $14.29.

How much do landscapers make UK?

A mid-career Landscaper with 5-9 years of experience earns an average total compensation of £9.65 based on 70 salaries. An experienced Landscaper with 10-19 years of experience earns an average total compensation of £9.97 based on 67 salaries.