Grounds Maintenance Workers
Career, Salary and Education Information
What They Do: Grounds maintenance workers ensure that the grounds of houses, businesses, and parks are attractive, orderly, and healthy.
Work Environment: Some grounds maintenance jobs are seasonal, available mainly in the spring, summer, and fall. Most of the work is done outdoors in all weather conditions. The work can be repetitive and physically demanding, requiring frequent bending, kneeling, lifting, and shoveling.
How to Become One: Most grounds maintenance workers need no formal education and are trained on the job. Most states require licensing for workers who apply pesticides or fertilizers.
Salary: The median hourly wage for grounds maintenance workers is $17.05.
Job Outlook: Overall employment of grounds maintenance workers is projected to grow 5 percent over the next ten years, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Related Careers: Compare the job duties, education, job growth, and pay of grounds maintenance workers with similar occupations.
What Grounds Maintenance Workers Do[About this section] [To Top]
Grounds maintenance workers ensure that the grounds of houses, businesses, parks, and urban infrastructure are attractive, orderly, and healthy in order to provide a pleasant outdoor environment.
Duties of Grounds Maintenance Workers
Grounds maintenance workers typically do the following:
- Mow, edge, and fertilize lawns
- Weed and mulch landscape beds
- Trim hedges, shrubs, and small trees
- Remove dead, damaged, or unwanted trees
- Plant flowers, trees, and shrubs
- Water lawns, landscapes, and gardens
- Monitor and maintain plant health
Grounds maintenance workers are generally under the direction of a professional grounds manager and perform a variety of tasks to achieve a pleasant and functional outdoor environment. They also care for indoor gardens and plants in commercial and public facilities, such as malls, hotels, and botanical gardens.
The following are examples of types of grounds maintenance workers:
Landscaping workers plant trees, flowers, and shrubs to create new outdoor spaces or upgrade existing ones. They also trim, fertilize, mulch, and water plants. Some grade and install lawns or construct hardscapes such as walkways, patios, and decks. Others help install lighting or sprinkler systems. Landscaping workers are employed in a variety of residential and commercial settings, such as homes, apartment buildings, office buildings, shopping malls, and hotels and motels.
Groundskeeping workers, also called groundskeepers, maintain grounds. They care for plants and trees, rake and mulch leaves, and clear snow from walkways. They work on athletic fields, golf courses, cemeteries, university campuses, and parks, as well as in many of the same settings that landscaping workers work. They also see to the proper upkeep of sidewalks, parking lots, fountains, fences, planters, and benches, as well as groundskeeping equipment.
Groundskeeping workers who care for athletic fields keep natural and artificial turf in top condition, mark out boundaries, and paint turf with team logos and names before events. They mow, water, fertilize, and aerate the fields regularly. They must ensure that the underlying soil on fields with natural turf has the composition required to allow proper drainage and to support the grass used on the field. In sports venues, they vacuum and disinfect synthetic turf to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria and they remove the turf and replace the cushioning pad periodically.
Groundskeepers in parks and recreation facilities care for lawns, trees, and shrubs; maintain playgrounds; clean buildings; and keep parking lots, picnic areas, and other public spaces free of litter. They also may erect and dismantle snow fences and maintain swimming pools. These workers inspect buildings and equipment, make needed repairs, and keep everything freshly painted.
Some groundskeepers specialize in caring for cemeteries and memorial gardens. They dig graves to specified depths, generally using a backhoe. They mow grass regularly, apply fertilizers and other chemicals, prune shrubs and trees, plant flowers, and remove debris from graves.
Greenskeepers maintain golf courses. Their work is similar to that of groundskeepers, but they also periodically relocate holes on putting greens and maintain benches and tee markers along the course and provide more intense turf maintenance. In addition, greenskeepers keep canopies, benches, and tee markers repaired and freshly painted.
Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators apply herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides on plants or the soil to prevent or control weeds, insects, and diseases. Those who work for chemical lawn or tree service firms are more specialized, inspecting lawns for problems and applying fertilizers, pesticides, and other chemicals to stimulate growth and prevent or control weeds, diseases, or insect infestations.
Tree trimmers and pruners, also called arborists, cut away dead or excess branches from trees or shrubs to clear utility lines, roads, and sidewalks. Many of these workers strive to improve the appearance and health of trees and plants, and some specialize in diagnosing and treating tree diseases. Others specialize in pruning, trimming, and shaping ornamental trees and shrubs. Tree trimmers and pruners use chain saws, chippers, and stump grinders while on the job. When trimming near power lines, they usually work on truck-mounted lifts and use power pruners.
Work Environment for Grounds Maintenance Workers[About this section] [To Top]
Grounds maintenance workers hold about 1.3 million jobs. Employment in the detailed occupations that make up grounds maintenance workers is distributed as follows:
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers | 1,191,600 |
| Tree trimmers and pruners | 63,700 |
| Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation | 27,600 |
| Grounds maintenance workers, all other | 16,100 |
The largest employers of grounds maintenance workers are as follows:
| Services to buildings and dwellings | 45% |
| Self-employed workers | 23% |
| Government | 7% |
| Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries | 7% |
| Educational services; state, local, and private | 3% |
Grounds maintenance work is done outdoors in all kinds of weather. The work can be repetitive and physically demanding, requiring frequent bending, lifting, and shoveling.
Grounds Maintenance Worker Injuries and Illnesses
Grounds maintenance workers have a higher rate of injuries and illnesses than the national average. Workers who use dangerous equipment, such as lawnmowers and chain saws, must wear protective clothing, eyewear, and earplugs.
Those who apply chemicals such as pesticides or fertilizers must wear protective gear, including appropriate clothing, gloves, goggles, and sometimes respirators.
Tree trimmers and pruners, who often work at great heights, must always use fall protection gear in addition to wearing hardhats and eye protection for most activities.
Grounds Maintenance Worker Work Schedules
Many grounds maintenance jobs are seasonal. Jobs are most common in the spring, summer, and fall, when planting, mowing, and trimming are most frequent. However, many also provide other seasonal services, such as snow removal and installation and removal of holiday décor.
How to Become a Grounds Maintenance Worker[About this section] [To Top]
Get the education you need: Find schools for Grounds Maintenance Workers near you!
Most grounds maintenance workers need no formal education and are trained on the job. Most states require licensing for workers who apply pesticides and fertilizers.
Education for Grounds Maintenance Workers
Although most grounds maintenance jobs have no education requirements, some employers may require formal education or certification in areas such as landscape design, horticulture, or arboriculture.
Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations for Grounds Maintenance Workers
Most states require workers who apply pesticides and fertilizers to be licensed. Obtaining a license usually involves passing a test on the proper use and disposal of insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides.
Although professional certification is not required, it can demonstrate competency and reliability for prospective clients and employers.
The National Association of Landscape Professionals offers seven certifications in landscaping and grounds maintenance for workers at various experience levels.
The Tree Care Industry Association offers certification for tree care safety professionals.
The International Society of Arboriculture offers six certifications for workers at various experience levels.
The Professional Grounds Management Society offers certification for workers at various experience levels.
Grounds Maintenance Worker Training
A short period of on-the-job training is usually enough to teach new hires the skills they need, which often include how to plant and maintain areas and how to use mowers, trimmers, leaf blowers, small tractors, and other equipment. Large institutional employers such as golf courses, university campuses, or municipalities may supplement on-the-job training with coursework in horticulture, arboriculture, urban forestry, insect and disease diagnosis, tree climbing, or small-engine repair.
Advancement for Grounds Maintenance Workers
Grounds maintenance workers who have good communication skills may become crew leaders or advance into other supervisory positions. Becoming a manager or a landscape contractor may require some formal education and several years of related work experience. Some workers use their experience to start their own landscaping companies.
Important Qualities for Grounds Maintenance Workers
Physical stamina. Grounds maintenance workers must be capable of doing physically strenuous labor for long hours, occasionally in extreme heat or cold.
Self-motivated. Because they often work with little supervision, grounds maintenance workers must be able to do their job independently.
Visualization. Grounds maintenance workers must have the ability to imagine how plants, trees, shrubs, and other landscaping will look before planting or trimming.
Grounds Maintenance Worker Salaries[About this section] [More salary/earnings info] [To Top]
The median hourly wage for grounds maintenance workers is $17.05. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $11.68, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $23.18.
Median hourly wages for grounds maintenance workers are as follows:
| Tree trimmers and pruners | $22.58 |
| Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation | $18.40 |
| Grounds maintenance workers, all other | $17.57 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers | $16.55 |
The median hourly wages for grounds maintenance workers in the top industries in which they work are as follows:
| Educational services; state, local, and private | $18.24 |
| Services to buildings and dwellings | $17.46 |
| Government | $15.97 |
| Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries | $14.20 |
Many grounds maintenance jobs are seasonal. Jobs are most common in the spring, summer, and fall, when planting, mowing, and trimming are most frequent. However, many also provide other seasonal services, such as snow removal and installation and removal of holiday décor.
Job Outlook for Grounds Maintenance Workers[About this section] [To Top]
Overall employment of grounds maintenance workers is projected to grow 5 percent over the next ten years, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
About 179,600 openings for grounds maintenance workers are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Employment of Grounds Maintenance Workers
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers will be needed to keep up with increasing demand for lawn care and landscaping services from homeowners and from large institutions, such as universities and corporate campuses. As communities invest resources in creating more green spaces in urban areas, the demand for ground maintenance workers to plant and maintain these landscapes will increase.
| Occupational Title | Employment, 2021 | Projected Employment, 2031 | Change, 2021-31 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Percent | Numeric | |||
| Grounds maintenance workers | 1,299,000 | 1,360,300 | 5 | 61,300 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers | 1,191,600 | 1,248,500 | 5 | 56,900 |
| Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation | 27,600 | 29,200 | 6 | 1,600 |
| Tree trimmers and pruners | 63,700 | 65,900 | 3 | 4,100 |
| Grounds maintenance workers, all other | 16,100 | 16,800 | 5 | 700 |
More Grounds Maintenance Worker Information[About this section] [To Top]
For more information about tree trimmers and pruners, including certification, visit
International Society of Arboriculture
Tree Care Industry Association
For information about landscaping and groundskeeping workers, visit
National Association of Landscape Professionals
Professional Grounds Management Society
For information about becoming a licensed pesticide applicator, contact your state’s licensing official.
A portion of the information on this page is used by permission of the U.S. Department of Labor.