Which metro areas offer more green for keeping lawns green and healthy?
With landscaping season approaching, LawnStarter ranked 2025’s Best Metro Areas for Landscapers.
We compared the 381 biggest U.S. metro areas based on 4 categories. More specifically, we factored in the number of landscaping jobs and employers, access to landscaping equipment and supplies, and climate, among 21 total metrics.
Defrost your equipment and explore our ranking below. To learn how we ranked the metro areas, see our methodology.
Contents
- Metro Area Rankings
- Top 5 Close Up
- Key Insights
- Ask the Experts
- Methodology
- Start or Grow Your Landscaping Business
Metro Area Rankings
See how each metro area fared in our ranking:
Top 5 Close Up
Check out the slideshow below for highlights on each of our top 5 metro areas for landscape workers.
Landscaping Jobs per 1,000 Total Jobs: 16.66 | Rank: 11
Number of Landscaping Employers (Adj. to Population): 79.34 | Rank: 13
Number of Sod Stores & Sodding Services: 38 | Rank: 10
Number of Irrigation System Equipment Stores: 80 | Rank: 12
Number of Days in Growing Season: 341 | Rank: 3
Photo Credit: Cullen Morgan / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY 4.0
Landscaping Jobs per 1,000 Total Jobs: 24.09 | Rank: 5
Number of Landscaping Employers (Adj. to Population): 104.36 | Rank: 3
Portion of Income Spent on Professional Lawn and Gardening Services: 0.6% | Rank: 88
Average Number of Very Cold Days: 1 | Rank: 11
Number of Days in Growing Season: 342 | Rank: 2
Photo Credit: Ebyabe / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0
Projected Industry Growth: 16% | Rank: 51
Portion of Income Spent on Professional Lawn and Gardening Services: 0.81% | Rank: 3
Number of Sod Stores & Sodding Services: 39 | Rank: 9
Number of Lawn & Garden Equipment & Supply Stores: 91 | Rank: 5
Number of Days in Growing Season: 292 | Rank: 32
Photo Credit: CY / Unsplash / Unsplash License
Median Household Income: $107,206 | Rank: 6
Projected Industry Growth: 17.75% | Rank: 36
Number of Colleges Offering Landscaping Degree Programs: 4 | Rank: 5
Number of Lawn & Garden Equipment & Supply Stores: 74 | Rank: 7
Average Number of Very Hot Days: 3 | Rank: 9
Photo Credit: Josh Fields / Pexels / Pexels License
Portion of Income Spent on Professional Lawn and Gardening Services: 0.61% | Rank: 66
Number of Sod Stores & Sodding Services: 72 | Rank: 1
Number of Garden Centers: 131 | Rank: 9
Number of Irrigation System Equipment Stores: 102 | Rank: 7
Number of Days in Growing Season: 338 | Rank: 9
Photo Credit: joiseyshowaa / Flickr / CC BY-SA 2.0
Key Insights
Florida dominates with 22 metro areas scoring in the top half of our ranking. Florida has both abundant landscaping jobs and employers, with a projected industry growth rate of 14.45%. The Sunshine State has the longest growing season — however, the hot summer months can be dangerous for many outdoor workers.
Luckily, landscapers don’t have to sweat it out in the South to find good opportunities.
Connecticut metros score near the top with high wages, abundant jobs, and large yards to manage. 11 Washington state metro areas land in the top 100 with numerous landscaping employers, fewer regulations, and a projected industry growth of 17.75%.
Utah is projected to have the most significant landscaping industry growth, with a rate of 35.35%. Utah metros have plenty of landscaping jobs available, but the region has smaller yards and more regulations such as noise ordinances and bans on gas-powered equipment.
Metro areas in Montana, Louisiana, and Michigan finish at the bottom of our ranking with low projected industry growth and low spending by residents on professional services — with some exceptions like Midland, Michigan (No. 127), and Louisiana metros Lafayette (No. 378), and New Orleans-Metairie (No. 376). These states also have bans on gas-powered equipment. Ann Arbor, Michigan, takes last place with low pay, a short growing season, and a negative projected industry growth of -1.4%.
Ask the Experts
According to a report by Jobber, 65% of landscaping businesses bring in $1 million per year.
We turned to a panel of landscaping industry experts to learn more about getting started and how technological innovations and regulations might impact the industry.
- What kind of training or experience should someone have before working for or starting a landscape business?
- Which 3 skills are most in demand for landscapers?
- What can landscape workers do to bring in cash during the winter months?
- What are 3 misconceptions about working as a landscaper?
- What are 3 of the biggest challenges of working as a landscaper?
- How do equipment bans impact small landscaping businesses?
- How are technological advancements like AI-powered mowers changing the industry?
What kind of training or experience should someone have before working for or starting a landscape business?
It depends. Someone could start on a crew and certainly work their way up through to foreperson and maybe a supervisory role, and if they had good mentoring in the company could function well in that capacity.
Many companies need managers who are comfortable with design, business skills and estimating, which is best learned in a 2- or 4-year degree program. The college degree also offers increased technical knowledge in the plant, soil, and water management skills that clients demand.
Which 3 skills are most in demand for landscapers?
I don’t know the answer to this as well as the companies that recruit our students, but I can speculate. People skills are important for managers in larger companies as well as with start-ups, simply because we work with clients every day. This translates to managing employees as well.
Computer and communication skills are also very important.
Finally the in-field technical skills like soil evaluation, plant care, water management, plan-reading and implementation, and how all of these relate to budgets and estimating.
There are so many skills required — both field and business related — and they are all intertwined.
What can landscape workers do to bring in cash during the winter months?
Snow removal in northern climates.
In southern climates, late fall and winter are the best times to be planting and preparing for the upcoming growing season.
What are 3 misconceptions about working as a landscaper?
1. One would be that it doesn’t pay well, which it definitely can if you are a business owner or work with one of the many large companies in the green industry.
2. Another would be that it’s simple, when in fact doing it well is very complicated and requires knowledge in many different fields.
3. Finally, I guess I would say that it’s a misconception that that there aren’t careers outside of the labor component of the industry, and that’s simply not true, especially in the larger markets where sales skills and client relationships are so important to the companies (important in small markets for smaller businesses as well).
What are 3 of the biggest challenges of working as a landscaper?
1. Completing projects on time and on budget.
2. Recruiting good labor and management.
3. Growing past revenue thresholds that require significant business knowledge to build a business past the small-business stage.
How do equipment bans impact small landscaping businesses?
They require staying up to date on the best available technology and having a plan to integrate them into your business.
How are technological advancements like AI-powered mowers changing the industry?
They are requiring a different set of skills that are more technical than previously needed.
What kind of training or experience should someone have before working for or starting a landscape business?
I don’t think that you need any training or experience to start a landscaping business. Of course, it helps, but I believe that you can be successful with or without it.
Which 3 skills are most in demand for landscapers?
1. Safety
2. Communication
3. Quality
What can landscape workers do to bring in cash during the winter months?
- Snow and ice management
- Demolition
- Land clearing
- Leaf cleanups
- Interior work
What are 3 misconceptions about working as a landscaper?
That landscaping is only seasonal work.
What are 3 of the biggest challenges of working as a landscaper?
1. The heat
2. Finding consistent work in the winter months
How do equipment bans impact small landscaping businesses?
Well, if you have a bunch of money invested in equipment and they ban it, that sets them back.
How are technological advancements like AI-powered mowers changing the industry?
I do not know about AI-powered mowers, but I would imagine that if a robot can do labor, then you would save money in labor costs.
Methodology
First, we determined the factors (metrics) that are most relevant to rank the Best Metro Areas for Landscapers. We then assigned a weight to each factor based on its importance and grouped those factors into 4 categories: Supply Access, Economic Job Opportunities, Climate, and Regulations. The categories, factors, and their weights are listed in the table below.
For each of the 383 biggest U.S. metro areas, we then gathered data on each factor from the sources listed below the table. We eliminated 2 metro areas lacking sufficient data in a single category, resulting in a final sample size of 381 metro areas.
Finally, we calculated scores (out of 100 points) for each metro area to determine its rank in each factor, each category, and overall. A metro area’s Overall Score is the average of its scores across all factors and categories. The highest Overall Score ranked “Best” (No. 1) and the lowest “Worst” (No. 381).
Notes:
- The “Worst” among individual factors may not be No. 381 due to ties.
- Some metros, such as Honolulu, Hawaii, were not included due to a lack of available data.
Sources: Almanac, Census Business Builder, ContractorNerd, Federal Housing Finance Agency, Google Ads, Luke Metzger, Missouri Census Data Center, National Centers for Environmental Information, National Center for Education Statistics, NeighborhoodScout, Next, Noise Pollution Clearinghouse, Projections Managing Partnership, TexPIRG, The Real Yellow Pages, Trust for Public Land, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Census Bureau
Start or Grow Your Landscaping Business
With a little sweat, know-how, and good marketing — and the help of apps like LawnStarter for booking customers — you can become a landscaping professional no matter where you live.
Ready to join a local lawn care crew, or itching to start your own venture? Check out our lawn care business guides below.
- Pros and Cons of Starting a Lawn Care Business
- What Does it Cost to Start a Lawn Care Business?
- Starting a Lawn Care Business: Equipment Needed
- Safety Tips for Lawn Care Pros
- What to Keep in Your Lawn Care First Aid Kit
- 10 Ways to Grow Your Lawn Care Business Fast
- California’s Green Lawn Care Law: How It Affects You
Sign up to use LawnStarter to grow your lawn care and landscaping business. We currently keep lawns looking nice in over 2,572 cities across the U.S.
Media Resources
Quotes from LawnStarter Editor-in-Chief, Jeff Herman
- Naples-Immokalee-Marco Island, Florida (No. 33), has the most landscaping jobs — 28.79 per 1,000 total jobs. However, local landscapers earn the lowest annual wages in our ranking when adjusted to the metro’s cost of living.
- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, Connecticut (No. 21), lands at the top of Economic and Job Opportunities with the 2nd-highest number of landscaping jobs per 1,000 total jobs, 11th-highest number of landscaping employers, and 52nd-largest average yard size out of the metros in our ranking.
- Kentucky makes it easy for budding landscape businesses to get started with the fewest regulations across the board and the 2nd-most affordable insurance cost — $1,300. Insurance estimates are least expensive for small landscaping businesses in Minnesota at $850 and most expensive in New York at $13,300.
- 208 metro areas have a noise ban or ordinance which often limits hours when loud equipment like leaf blowers and mowers can be operated.
- 164 metros have either banned or restricted gas-powered equipment — which is a great step toward sustainability but can be an obstacle for landscaping contractors and business owners who need to upgrade their equipment.
- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas (No. 3), and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, Texas (No. 8), lead the Lone Star landscaping industry with better access to garden centers, sod stores, and equipment for irrigation systems and other landscaping projects. Houston metro residents fork up the 3rd-highest spending on professional lawn and gardening services and Texas has a projected industry growth rate of 16%.
- Annual wages are highest in Cleveland-Elyria, Ohio (No. 219), when adjusted to the area’s cost of living.
Main Photo Credit: serhiibobyk / Adobe Stock / License
Related Posts
