20 Budding Landscaping Industry Statistics [2023]: Landscaping Industry Trends, Market, And Projections

Research Summary. From beautifying homes to making more pleasant public spaces, we owe a lot to the landscaping industry. Here are some key facts on landscaping in the U.S.:

• The market size, measured by revenue, of the U.S. landscaping industry is $176.5 billion in 2023.

• Over 1.3 million people work in the U.S. landscaping industry.

• Pre-Covid, the market size of the landscaping industry grew by an average of 2.5% per year.

• Between 2017-2022, the market size of the landscaping industry has grown by over double that, at an average of 5.3% per year.

• The average American household spends $500 per year on lawn care and gardening.

For further analysis, we broke down the data in the following ways:
Types | Residential | Trends and Projections

Landscaping Industry Statistics by Landscaping Companies and Employment

• There are 649,131 landscaping companies in the United States.

  This is up 5.5% from 2021. The average landscaping company employs 19 people, and there are over 1.3 million people who currently work in the landscaping industry.

• The average salary of landscaping industry workers in the United States is $28,828.

  Wages for the landscaping industry have increased by 3.6% since 2016. The pay depends highly on where you live and the specialty of work. For example, in the District of Columbia, employees can make $42,000 per year, and in Florida, the average salary is $31,710.

• The states with the most number of landscaping businesses in the U.S.:

  • California (8,288 businesses)

  • New York (6,958 businesses)

  • Florida (8,758 businesses)

• Only 10.3% of landscapers are women.

  85.7% of landscapers are men, and 4% are unknown. The gender pay gap for landscapers is that women earn 96 cents for every $1 earned by men.

• 24% of landscaping companies make more than $1 million annually.

  Annual Revenue by Percent of Industry

  Annual Revenue	% of Industry
  Less than $50,000	19%
  $50,000-$199,999	22%
  $200,000-$499,999	17%
  $500,000-$999,999	14%
  More than $1,000,000	24%
  No Answer	4%

Estimated landscaping Revenue by Category

Average Wages and Salary for Landscape Workers By State

Percentage of Landscaping Industry by Number of Employees

Landscaping Industry Statistics by Types of Landscaping

• Single-family residential homes make up 62% of all landscaping businesses.

  The average household spends $503 annually on lawn care services that could include: lawn maintenance, gardening, irrigation systems, landscape design, etc.

• 62% of all landscaping business comes from residential homes.

  It is predicted that residential landscaping services will grow by 5.6% annually by 2025. The average household in America spends more than $500 per year on lawn care and gardening services.

Landscaping Industry Statistics by Residential Landscaping

• 62% of Americans who do not hire a professional landscaping company say they chose not to hire one because the cost is too high.

  Other reasons people have given for why they chose to not hire a professional company is that they enjoy caring for their yard themselves, or they believe their yard is fine the way it is.

• Landscaping can add as much as 14% to the resale value of your home.

  Research has shown that spending as little as 5% of your home’s value on landscaping can give you a 150% return on investment. Another way to receive an ROI for landscaping is by planting trees; properly placed trees have the ability to lower your home’s heating and cooling costs by as much as 20%.

• There is a growing demand from younger consumers for residential landscaping services.

  • 83.3% of consumers sought native plants

  • 72.4% sought water-efficient irrigation

  • 70.5% sought vegetable gardens

  This growing inclination from millennials towards gardening and lawn care maintenance is going to drive the landscaping industry in the U.S.

Landscaping Industry Trends and Projections

• From 2021 to 2022, there was a 5.5% increase in the number of landscaping businesses in the United States.

  The landscaping industry is expected to continue on its path of growth over the next few years. However, one thing that could inhibit the growth is the quality labor shortage. 43% of landscaping companies are concerned about this shortage and the impacts that it could have on the industry.

• Between 2014 – 2017, the amount Americans spent annually on landscape and gardening went from $317 to $503.

  A lot of this growth is attributed to Americans having a greater desire for healthy foods and self-sufficiency.

• After steadily growing each year for over a decade, between 2019-2020, the market size of the U.S. landscaping industry decreased by 3.6%.

  It recovered quickly, though, and increased by 8.8% in 2021.

• The landscaping market in the United States is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% between 2020-2025.

  This is up considerably from the annual growth rate of 2.5% pre-covid.

U.S. Landscaping Industry Statistics FAQ

1. How much is the landscape industry worth?

   The landscaping industry in the United States is worth $176.5 billion. Ten years ago, in 2012, the market size of this industry was $69.7 billion, which is an increase of 65.9%.

2. What is the demand for landscaping services?

   There is a huge demand right now for landscaping services. It is predicted that residential landscaping services will grow by 5.6% annually by 2025.

   Many consumers, in their desire for more self-sufficiency and to be more eco-friendly, are driving that demand for water-efficient irrigation systems, vegetable gardens and native plants.

3. Is the landscaping industry growing?

   Yes, the landscaping market in the United States is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% between 2020-2025. This industry has been steadily growing over the last decade and is estimated to continue that upward trend.

   One thing that has the ability to hinder that growth is the labor shortage that the industry is experiencing. This labor shortage isn’t an outcome of covid, though. Even in 2017, there were 71,000 vacant jobs in the landscaping industry.

4. How many landscapers are there in the U.S.?

   Over 1.3 million people work in the landscaping industry in the U.S. Most landscaping company employees live in California, Florida, Texas, New York and Ohio. The most common landscaper is a 40-year-old male who has a high school diploma.

   Wages for landscapers vary widely in the United States. Though the average salary is $28,828.

   Average Salary and Wage for Landscape Workers by State

   State	Employment	Employment per thousand jobs	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean salary
   California	94,560	5.72	$19.36	$40,260
   Florida	83,280	9.68	$15.24	$31,710
   Texas	67,860	5.55	$15.43	$32,090
   New York	45,160	5.21	$19.39	$40,340
   Illinois	36,880	6.56	$16.88	$35,110

5. What is the job outlook for landscapers?

   The landscaping industry will continue to grow, and with that, the outlook for landscapers is very bright. California, New York, and Florida all have the most landscaping businesses, and the landscapers there tend to make the most amount of money.

6. What is the biggest trend in the landscaping industry?

   One of the biggest trends currently in the landscaping industry is gardening. According to the National Gardening Association, gardening participation was up, with 18.3 million new gardeners.

   Food gardening is the most participated type of gardening activity, with flower gardening quickly catching up.

Conclusion

The landscaping industry in the United States is currently estimated at $176.5 billion. Over the last decade, its market size has steadily increased by 2.5% each year. 2020 was the exception due to covid. The landscaping industry suffered during that year with a decrease of 3.6%; it quickly rebounded in 2021 with an increase of 8.8%.

The average household spends over $500 per year on landscaping and gardening, and it is expected that that number will continue to rise. In their desire for more self-sufficiency and to be more eco-friendly, many of the younger consumers are driving this industry. Many consumers are seeking to have water-efficient irrigation systems, vegetable gardens and native plants.

The landscaping industry currently employs over 1.3 million people. However, there is a huge labor shortage that could hinder the exponential growth of this industry. New York, Florida, and California are home to the most employees in the landscaping industry, and workers in those states tend to make the most money.

References

1. https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/statistics/latest-landscaping-industry-statistics-and-data-for-2019/

2. https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes373011.htm

3. https://www.statista.com/topics/4798/landscaping-services-in-the-us/

4. https://www.zippia.com/landscaper-jobs/demographics/

5. https://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/5119697/united-states-landscaping-market-growth

6. https://www.thimble.com/blog/landscaping-industry-statistics

7. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/expanding-incomes-construction-to-boost-us-landscaping-service-revenues

8. https://www.yourgreenpal.com/blog/the-return-of-investment-on-landscaping-infographic

9. IBISWorld. “Landscaping Services in the US – Market Size – 2005-2029.” Accessed on March 20, 2023.

10. IBISWorld. “Landscaping Services Industry in the US.” Accessed on March 20, 2023.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.