How Much Do Lawn Mowers Make Per Hour

What Do American Lawn Care Workers Get Paid

Believe it or not, there are people out there paying close attention to what American lawn and garden employees are getting paid. The US Bureau of Labor and Statistics does its homework on US lawn maintenance employees, and finds that, as of 2011, the average lawn care worker made about $25,650 per year, or $12.33 an hour. The Bureau projects that a quarter of a million jobs will be added to this industry by 2020. They also note that there is a lot of variation in worker pay, depending on job and location.

Here are some of the details about whoâs making the most, and why. Check out where your company fits into the national picture:

People who work on government- and school-owned lawns were the highest paid. These employees saw higher pay than those who worked for private contractors.The Northeast and Pacific coast had the highest paid lawn care workers while workers in the South were some of the lowest paid.Employees who specialized in skills like pesticide application were better paid than those with more general skills like lawn mowing. The average pesticide specialist was paid $31,690 per year, or $15.85 per hour. Some reported rates as high as $17.83 per hour.Trimmers and pruners were the highest paid of all, earning $32,970 per year or $15.85 per hour. A high portion of those polled received $18.74 an hour, or more.

What Is A Fair Hourly Rate Or Lawn Care Are You Getting Ripped Off

So youre about to hire a lawn care service and youre wondering.

What is a fair price to pay for landscaping?

Or what is a fair hourly rate to pay for lawn care services?

The good news is that you’re not alone,

Look, the fact is, this is a question we often get running the GreenPal platform. And, helping homeowners all over America find, schedule, and pay local lawn care services.

It gets better. We decided to research to get to the bottom of what is a fair hourly rate to pay for lawn mowing services.

Here is what we learned!

How Much Do Various Types Of Lawn Mowers Cost

• Average reel mower cost: $104
• Average walk-behind lawn mower cost: $363
• Average riding lawn mower cost: $2,450
• Average robot mower cost: $1,470

Reel mowers are the most affordable type of mower, with an average cost of $104. The most expensive options are riding lawn mowers or robot lawn mowers, premium models of which can cost almost $20,000.

Most fancy lawn mowers dont reach those extreme prices, though. Mid-range riding mowers cost closer to $2,450, and the average cost of a robot lawn mower is $1,470.

Walk-behind lawn mowers, a category that includes manual push lawn mowers and self-propelled mowers, fall in the middle with an average price of $363. These mowers are the most common for residential use.

To calculate the costs given throughout this guide, we used prices from Amazon, Home Depot, Lowes, and the manufacturers websites. The high-end costs are the highest prices we could find from those sources, while the low-end costs are the lowest prices we found.

The average costs come from averaging the prices of the first 10 featured products in each category on Amazon, Lowes, and Home Depots websites.

Each power source comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. Well go over the details of each one to help you decide which lawn mower power source will give you the best bang for your buck.

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Lawn Care Costs: Things To Consider

Charging the right grass-cutting service price is key for professionals. Youll need to maximize your earnings per hour, account for your overhead overhead costs, and ensure youre making a regular profit.

Lets take a look at some of the business costs contractors need to consider when thinking about lawn care prices.

How Much Does Instant Lawn Cost

And if you are wondering what maintenance-free instant lawn costs, low to mid-priced synthetic grass can cost anywhere from $50 to $75 per square metre , while better quality lawn will be more like $75 to $100 per square metre . Regular turf or lawn, sold in rolls, costs significantly less, anywhere from $25 to $35 per square metre, but you do have more maintenance costs with real lawn.

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How Much To Pay A Teenager For Yard Work

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This post may contain affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I may earn a commission. Also, as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Finding the ideal yard and garden care service can be tricky and expensive.

Maybe your child or teen would like to take on the task, or perhaps you know a teenager in the neighborhood willing to take on yard work.

But now the big question is: how much to pay a teenager for yard work?

In July 2022, the average hourly rate to pay a teenager for yard work in the United States is $10 $15 an hour. If you pay a flat rate per job, offer $25 for mowing, weeding, and edging a large lawn. You can pay $15 for trimming bushes and $10 for clearing debris. Set a rate and be ready to haggle.

Several other factors might influence precisely how much you decide to pay a teenager for yard work.

This article will discuss the main factors determining how much to pay a teenager for yard work.

Reviewed And Edited By Steve Hansen Of Costimates

Steve Hansen is the Lead Editor of Costimates. An avid home improvement professional with more than 35 years experience in both DIYprojects, as well as working as a construction foreman in residential new home building, upfits, repairs and remodeling.

“Like most homeowners, I became frustrated with the lack of quality information available on specific homeimprovement repairs and renovations. In 2015, Costimates was formed to help homeowners learn as much as possibleabout various projects and their costs so they could make better financial decisions.“

About Costimates

Costimates is an online library of home improvement cost estimates, to help homeowners learn, plan, budget and compare repair pricing and replacement costs around their house. We also match homeowners to qualified contractors in their local area for free quotes and quality home improvement services.

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Get Experience And Have Fun

Just a fair warning: youâre going to make mistakes and thatâs okay. Remember to cut yourself some slack . Youâre the one out there grinding and working hard. Youâre the entrepreneur that is showing ambition and building something for yourself. Even though it can be stressful at times, it can also be extremely fun if you let it be. Way to go. Seriously, way to go.

If youâre looking for a way to alleviate some of the pressure of running this wildly successful business youâre building, take a look at our app that helps you get organized, increase efficiency, and get paid faster. It also does some of those fancy things I mentioned above like tracking time and generating a daily route. You can sign up in less than a minute and use the free version forever if you want. Iâll leave that up to you 🙂

How Much Money Should My Lawn Company Make Per Hour

This questions is from Jacob, and the question is, How much money should I be making per hour as a business? I cant tell you exactly, but I can give you some information that will probably help you. Let me first give an example in commercial. Commercial maintenance, first youve got to understand theres a lot of factors that go into this. Thats why there is no real easy rule of thumb. You could talk to one guy thats predominantly commercial and youre going to hear a lower hourly number whereas, if you talk to a guy thats residential youre going to hear a higher number.

If you talk to a guy thats doing lawn mowing, youre going to a number whereas, if you talk to a guy thats doing irrigation, youre going to hear a higher hourly number. Its all over the board. Thats why I say there is no way I can possibly directly answer, but I can give you some clues.

Lets start with commercial. In commercial you might hear a guy say, Yeah, we have to achieve a $25 per man hour number. You might hear somebody else say, I need to achieve a $30 man hour number, or $35 man hour number. Thats kind of a range, $25 to $35 is a range Ive heard in the commercial space, and the reason youre going to hear But youve got to analyze it more than that. A guy could be in commercial and he could say, Our goal, we need to achieve $28 per man hour to be competitive in this market and at this moment in time.

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What Are Top 5 Best Paying Related Lawn Mower Jobs In Texas

We found at least 5 jobs related to the LAWN Mower job category that pay more per year than a typical LAWN Mower salary in Texas. Top examples of these roles include: Doctor Care Anywhere, Driving Doctor, and Commission Doctor.

Importantly, all of these jobs are paid between $24,290 and $48,780 more than the average LAWN Mower salary of $24,834. If youre qualified, getting hired for one of these related LAWN Mower jobs may help you make more money than that of the average LAWN Mower position.

How Do I Keep My Grass Short Without Mowing

Dont Want to Mow Your Grass? Check out these 5 Alternatives!

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Factors Impacting The Cost Of Lawn Mowing

Type of lawn

A big expanse may take less time to cut than smaller ones with lots of plantings. If your lawn is difficult to access or hard to mow due to a slope, this can increase the rate. A hand mower may have to replace a riding mower, raising lawn mowing prices per hour.

Size of lawn

If you have an acre or more, your price will be higher. It takes longer to mow a broad expanse, even using the high-powered riding mowers that are used today.

Time of year

At the peak of the mowing season, you may pay higher rates. Cheap lawn mowing services and specials may be available during the slow-growth winter months.

Insured companies

You may get a higher rate from an insured company, but you will also know that they are more likely to take pride in a job well done.

Added costs

Many services include the cost of tidying. They will blow or sweep cuttings from sidewalk and driveway. Edging may be included, especially if you have a contract. This service cuts down on the work that the mowing company will have to do because it eliminates the need for extensive weed-eating. It is advisable to ask what is included when you are getting quotes.

Location

Lawn mowing services prices may be affected by the area in which you live. Your hourly rate will be higher if you live in New South Wales or the Australian Capital Territory. Queensland, South Australia and Victorian lawns will cost about the same per hour. The least expensive hourly rates are in Western Australia and Tasmania.

Hourly Rates That Make Sense

Be more competitive bidding maintenance work, while making more money on construction projects. Who couldnt use more money?

Jim HustonA mistake many contractors make is to charge the same man-hour rate for maintenance and construction work. Their maintenance rates could be more competitive and their construction ones could contain more profit. CPAs often help clients calculate average rates without understanding some of the subtle reasons why they shouldnt be the same. Your construction hourly rate should be 20-25 percent higher than your maintenance hourly rate. Ill calculate hourly rates for both a two-man maintenance crew and a three-man construction crew using a one-day scenario. You can calculate your rates by substituting your costs in these scenarios.

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What Should I Beware Of

One thing to be mindful of when comparing lawn-mowing prices is whether the quote youre getting seems reasonable.

Also, keep in mind that a lawn-mowing professional or company might try to bump up the price simply because you live in a fancy neighborhood. Why? Because they think you can afford it, Farley says.

Regardless of what sort of neighborhood you live in, there are some things you can do to avoid lawn care rip-offs. The Better Business Bureau, Better Homes & Gardens, HomeAdvisor and the National Association of Lawn Care Professionals offer these tips:

Whats Included In The Price Of Lawn Mowing Services

Lawn care companies like to provide discounts on one-off services by bundling common lawn care services into a single package. These mowing packages often include mowing, edging, weeding, and leaf removal services.

Depending on what a lawn needs, its easy for homeowners to add on other services, such as watering and fertilization.

Remember that its common to provide discounts for committing to a long-term lawn care contract. Loyalty rewards are always appreciated in this hotly contested business.

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How Much Does A Lawn Mower Service Cost

The prices for lawn mowing depend on the size of your lawn and the degree of work involved. A one-time appointment may cost around $60 per hour while a regular service deal will charge $50 to $40 per hour. $40 per hour is the usual median rate but the per hour cost of riding lawn mower services is usually around $120.

How Much Do Other Lawnmowers Charge For Lawn Mowing

To answer this question, we talked to 200+ mowing providers who registered with GreenSocks. We asked them how they worked out what to charge for lawn mowing in their own mowing businesses .

Some have a minimum charge. Some do not. Some have a call out fee for lawn mowing quotes. Some do not. Some guessed every price. Some had worked out their own system for determining price. Here is a summary from our research of some common factors that influence lawn mowing charges:

Lawn size the bigger the yard, the more time required to mow it and therefore the higher the lawn mowing charge

Grass height tall and/or unruly grass might need whipper snippering first, or, need be mowed two or three times to ensure a neat and tidy finish

Grass density the mower will glide through some grass types but get stuck on other grass types

Clippings option mowing pros who mow with the catcher and collect the clippings usually charge a higher lawnmowing cost than when no clippings need to be collected

Removal of green waste + tip fees if clippings need removal because the customer doesnt want them in the wheelie bin or compost, extra fees tend to apply because of tip fees and the time needed to do the tip run

Lawn mowing equipment and clippings collection can affect how much to charge for lawn mowing

Edging work footpaths, stepping stones, trees, swimming pool, garden features and/or multiple lawn sections can create extra edging work that adds time and money to a lawn mowing quote

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Tree Pruning Or Trimming

Dont neglect the trees on your property. Its essential that you have them pruned every winter so that you wont end up with any dying branches.

This is a safety issue, and it will also encourage green growth when the spring arrives.

Beyond this, trees that are limbed-up and pruned allow more light to get to your lawn, which will improve the health and thickness of your lawn. It also just makes your property look better.

On average, homeowners with trees on their properties spend between about $292 and $638 to have tree branches pruned and to get their trees limbed up.

Beyond this number from my lawn care pricing chart, the exact price youll pay depends on the number of trees they have and the size of the trees.

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Labor And Mowing Time

Lawncare pros factor $50 to $75 or more per hour to cover the cost to pay their crew, fuel, equipment upkeep, insurance and other costs.

Commercial riding mowers cut at 8-12 MPH, so they cover an acre of ground in about 20-25 minutes. So, you can see that it takes just a few minutes to mow most suburban lots.

Using a walk-behind mower takes 2-3 times longer.

Primary labor-related cost factors, besides DIY vs Pro, are:

• Distance to your home from their facility or last job
• Whether the company is fully insured
• Length of your grass
• Configuration/complexity of your yard
• Whether they can use riding mowers or must cut with a walk-behind, narrower-width mower

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Is It Worth Paying For Lawn Care

Hiring a professional lawn care company in your area saves more time than money, but it can be financially beneficial in the long run as well. If you don’t have the time to keep up with mowing, watering, and treating lawn issues throughout the year, you could end up with costly issues like overgrown thatch, disease, or pests.

Create Your Business Plan

Suppose youre ready to transform your nebulous idea for a lawn care business into a glorious reality. In that case, youre going to need a business plan.

Youll use your plan as a detailed outline to get you where you are right now to where you want to be. Its a must for all business owners who want their company to thrive.

Having a business plan means youll accomplish your entrepreneurial objectives sooner rather than later. Itll help organize every detail of getting your business off the ground, exponentially increasing the chances that your lawn care business will be a smashing success.

If you dont need a bank loan, your business plan can be short, sweet, and to the point.

Just remember:

Your lawn care business plan should accommodate your needs, and not the other way around.

Have it be a reflection of you in all your wonderful uniqueness.

According to the Small Business Administration website, there are two categories of business plans:

• Traditional
• Lean startup

Traditional business plans are what most entrepreneurs use, and they require a ton of detail and work. They can get so convoluted and complicated, that they can be dozens of pages long.

Lean startup business plans are far less structured because they focus like a laser-guided missile on only the most essential facts.

They can be completed in sixty minutes or less, and are usually no longer than a single page. Heres an example of one.

Here are some of the sections you might want to include:

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