The 8 Places Where Americans Want a Robot to Mow Their Lawn

Drones buzz across our skies, and gadgets like Amazon’s Alexa respond to our every question and command. So, of course, that type of high-tech wizardry is emerging in the lawn care industry.

As described by the Wall Street Journal, robot lawn mowers “resemble a Roomba, except they target grass instead of dust bunnies — traveling around your yard to keep your pasture in check with their spinning blades.”

A market research firm called Research and Markets predicts the worldwide market for robo-mowers will be worth $2 billion by 2021.

Roomba’s maker, a company called iRobot, has pegged the value of the retail market for robotic lawn mowers at $4.6 billion.

Anticipated growth in the landscaping industry is expected to propel the multibillion-dollar demand for lawnbots, according to Beige Market Intelligence, a market research firm.

High Interest, High Price for Robot Lawn Mowers

While the notion of a robot cutting your grass might sound appealing, there is one enormous downside: Many robot lawn mowers generally cost around $1,000 a pop, with a number of them going for more than $2,000.

Still, there are folks around the country who are intrigued by — and maybe even obsessed by — the concept of a robot lawn mower. And we’re confident that we’ve nailed down where some of the most eager-for-lawnbots people live.

A LawnStarter review of Google Trends data for March 2016 to March 2017 shows residents of the broad area of Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, Michigan, are especially fascinated by robot lawn mowers.

During that period, Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek led all U.S. regions for search activity related to the topic “robotic lawn mower,” our data analysis shows.

Google Trends evaluates a percentage of all searches for a topic like “robotic lawn mower” within the same time and location parameters, and then gives a search score (1 through 100) to a geographic region.

For the one-year period we studied, Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek generated the highest score on the Google Trends scale — 100 — for the topic “robotic lawn mower.” On the Google scale, a score of 100 indicates the maximum search interest for a certain time and location.

Do Robot Lawn Mowers Make the Cut?

For now, robot lawn mowers are making a bigger splash in Europe — particularly in Germany and Sweden — than they are in the U.S. However, experts predict places like Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo and Battle Creek soon will see their fair share of lawnbots.

Robomow, which manufactures a smartphone-controlled lawnbot, says U.S. demand for robotic lawn-mowing technology is projected to take off in the coming decade.

“Robot lawn mowers are one of the most popular domestic robots available on the market,” Robomow says.

Yet not everyone is sold on the utility of robot lawn mowers. In a 2016 article, Realtor.com highlighted a handful of safety and financial concerns over lawnbots.

“The idea of robot lawn mowers sounds like an alarm-blaring, blood-spattered accident waiting to happen,” Realtor.com proclaimed.

(On the map, click on the robot symbol over each city to learn more.)

Where Are People Most Intrigued by Robot Lawn Mowers?

Based on our review of Google Trends data for March 2016 to March 2017, here are the eight regions where you’re perhaps most likely to see a robot lawn mower in your neighbor’s yard.

1. Grand Rapids-Kalamazoo-Battle Creek, MI

Google Trends score for robotic lawn mower: 100

2. Harrisburg-Lancaster-Lebanon-York, PA

Google Trends score for robotic lawn mower: 81

3. Augusta, GA

Google Trends score for robotic lawn mower: 74

4. Rochester, NY

Google Trends score for robotic lawn mower: 68

5. Pittsburgh, PA

Google Trends score for robotic lawn mower: 55

6. Buffalo, NY

Google Trends score for robotic lawn mower: 52

7. (tie) Louisville, KY

Google Trends score for robotic lawn mower: 50

7. (tie) Oklahoma City, OK

Google Trends score for robotic lawn mower: 50

Top photo: Worx

John Egan

John Egan is the former editor in chief of LawnStarter.com. Now, he is a freelance writer extraordinaire. He lives in Austin, Texas.

Posts by John Egan