Groundskeeper Hourly Pay, Skills & Requirements (2026)
Advertised pay, starting pay, skills and experience from 5,631 US job postings by 2,230 employers. Data as of October 2026.
What US employers post for groundskeepers: advertised pay, the skills and experience they ask for, and the job titles they use, from 5,631 open job postings (October 2026).
- The median advertised pay for groundskeepers in US job postings is $19.73 an hour (1,301 postings from 575 employers, October 2026).
- The middle half of those postings offer $17.00 to $22.50 an hour.
- Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $19.45 an hour (272 postings).
- The skills that most set groundskeeper postings apart are landscaping, irrigation systems, grounds maintenance.
- Postings that state a minimum ask for a median of 2 years of experience.
Groundskeeper job postings in the US, October 2026
- $19.73/hr
- Median advertised pay (1,301 postings)
- $17.00–$22.50
- Middle 50% of postings
- $19.45/hr
- Starting pay (postings asking up to 1 year)
- 5,631
- US job postings from 2,230 employers
How much does a groundskeeper make an hour?
The median advertised pay is $19.73 an hour, from 1,301 US job postings by 575 employers that state pay. That is about $42,000 a year at 2,080 hours.
Advertised pay in 1,301 US groundskeeper job postings: median $42,000 a year ($19.73 an hour), middle half $36,000 to $48,000.
- Median: $42,000 ($19.73/hr)
- 25th percentile: $36,000
- 75th percentile: $48,000
The figures as a table
| Annual pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| $10K–$20K | 0.1% |
| $20K–$30K | 4.9% |
| $30K–$40K | 39.3% |
| $40K–$50K | 35.1% |
| $50K–$60K | 10.7% |
| $60K–$70K | 4.5% |
| $70K–$80K | 2.7% |
| $80K–$90K | 0.8% |
| $90K–$100K | 0.9% |
Midpoint of each posting's pay range, hourly pay × 2,080 hours; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
| Median | Middle 50% | Postings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postings that state an hourly rate | $19.73 | $17.00–$22.50 | 1,048 |
| All pay postings, annualised | $42,000 | $36K–$48K | 1,301 |
For comparison, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics puts the national median annual wage of Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (37-3011) at $39,000 (May 2025). Postings advertise pay; the BLS measures what people earn, across all employers and levels.
What is the starting salary for a groundskeeper?
Postings that ask for up to 1 year of experience advertise a median of $19.45 an hour (272 postings).
| Experience asked | Median advertised pay | Postings |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 years | $19.45/hr | 272 |
| 2-4 years | withheld | 241 |
| 5+ years | withheld | 38 |
Highest-paying groundskeeper jobs
Specializations with at least 250 postings that state pay.
| Specialization | Median pay | Postings with pay | Employers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaper | $20.00/hr | 330 | 170 |
| Groundskeeper (general) | $18.45/hr | 481 | 284 |
Groundskeeper pay by state
Single-location US postings; states with at least 100 postings that state pay. States with pay-transparency laws (such as California, Colorado, New York and Washington) are over-represented among postings that state pay.
| State | Median pay | Middle 50% | Postings with pay | Share of postings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $21.33/hr | $19.43–$26.00 | 111 | 7.8% |
| Texas | $17.75/hr | $15.75–$19.98 | 103 | 12.2% |
Skills employers ask for in groundskeeper job postings
| Skill | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| Communication | 19% |
| Attention to detail | 18% |
| Work independently | 13% |
| Customer service | 13% |
| Dependable | 8% |
| Strong work ethic | 8% |
| Landscaping | 8% |
| Organizational skills | 7% |
| Positive attitude | 7% |
| Self-motivated | 6% |
Skills named in the posting text; at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026. Methodology.
Skills that set groundskeepers apart
- Landscaping159.2× as often as in all postings · 8%
- Hand tools9.9× as often as in all postings · 6%
- Strong work ethic5.2× as often as in all postings · 8%
Skills named in at least 5% of these postings and at least 3 times as often as in job postings overall.
Have a groundskeeper job posting in front of you? See which of its skills your resume is missing.
What does a groundskeeper do?
Employers post these jobs as Landscaper, Irrigation Technician, Grounds Maintenance, Gardener, Golf Course Maintenance and other titles. The largest specializations are Landscaper (24%), Irrigation Technician (8%), Gardener (4%), Greenskeeper (9%), Arborist (4%).
The closest official occupation is Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (37-3011.00). Its most important tasks:
- Mow or edge lawns, using power mowers or edgers.
- Operate vehicles or powered equipment, such as mowers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers, chainsaws, electric clippers, sod cutters, or pruning saws.
- Use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers, or axes.
- Prune or trim trees, shrubs, or hedges, using shears, pruners, or chain saws.
- Gather and remove litter.
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (CC BY 4.0).
How much experience do you need to be a groundskeeper?
Among 1,139 postings that state a minimum, the median is 2 years. Under 1% say 0 years and 49% ask for 1 year or less.
Minimum experience asked in 1,139 US groundskeeper job postings: median 2 years, and 49% ask for 1 year or less.
The figures as a table
| Minimum experience asked | Share of postings |
|---|---|
| 0 yr | 6% |
| 1 yr | 43% |
| 2 yrs | 31% |
| 3-4 yrs | 15% |
| 5-7 yrs | 5% |
| 8-9 yrs | 0% |
| 10+ yrs | under 1% |
Postings that state a minimum (required or preferred); at most 20 postings per employer; US, October 2026.
We do not show a degree figure: in our checks, degree requirements in posting text were found too rarely to publish one. Why.
Full-time 84%, Part-time 16% of the 781 postings that state working hours.
Other names for a groundskeeper: job titles employers use
| Job title | Employers using it |
|---|---|
| Groundskeeper | 555 (24.9%) |
| Landscaper | 161 (7.2%) |
| Irrigation Technician | 155 (7.0%) |
| Grounds Maintenance | 76 (3.4%) |
| Gardener | 70 (3.1%) |
| Golf Course Maintenance | 58 (2.6%) |
| Landscape Technician | 57 (2.6%) |
| Grounds Technician | 50 (2.2%) |
| Landscape Crew Member | 43 (1.9%) |
| Grounds Keeper | 43 (1.9%) |
| Grounds Crew | 40 (1.8%) |
| Grounds Worker | 40 (1.8%) |
| Grounds Maintenance Worker | 39 (1.8%) |
| Landscape Foreman | 39 (1.8%) |
| Landscape Laborer | 38 (1.7%) |
| Landscape Crew Leader | 31 (1.4%) |
| Parks Maintenance Worker | 30 (1.4%) |
| Grounds Supervisor | 29 (1.3%) |
| Greenskeeper | 25 (1.1%) |
| Assistant Golf Course Superintendent | 24 (1.1%) |
Titles read in our audit and used by at least 3 employers.
Groundskeeper job titles compared
The titles people search for most, from the US job postings that use each exact title (October 2026).
| Job title | Open postings | Employers | Median pay | Median experience | Skills named most |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaper | 221 | 161 | – | – | dependable, work independently, attention to detail |
Groundskeeper compared with similar careers
| Career | Median pay | Median experience | Postings | Shares N of top 25 skills |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groundskeeper | $19.73/hr | 2 years | 5,631 | – |
| General Laborer | $20.00/hr | 1 year | 6,220 | 18 |
| Painter | $23.50/hr | 2 years | 3,060 | 18 |
| Custodian | $17.85/hr | 1 year | 27,601 | 20 |
| Mason | – | 3 years | 1,097 | 19 |
Similar careers
| Career | Shares N of the top 25 skills | Median pay |
|---|---|---|
| General Laborer | 18 | $20.00/hr |
| Painter | 18 | $23.50/hr |
| Custodian | 20 | $17.85/hr |
| Mason | 19 | – |
| Carpenter | 20 | $27.50/hr |
| Heavy Equipment Operator | 17 | $27.00/hr |
Applying for groundskeeper jobs?
- Groundskeeper resume examples: one-page examples for these roles
- Match your resume to a job: paste a posting and see the skills your resume is missing
- Check your resume: see how an applicant tracking system reads it
- Find groundskeeper jobs: search open postings
Source and method
Open US job postings collected from employers' applicant tracking systems, de-duplicated, counted only when their job title was read in our audit. Shares count at most 20 postings per employer, and franchise locations of one brand count as one employer. Pay uses hourly and annual figures only; a figure is shown when leaving out the largest employer moves it by 10% or less. Every figure states its number of postings. Methodology and measured accuracy.
Accuracy check: we read 20 randomly chosen postings counted on this page in full; 18 of them were this career or a closely related one (October 2026).
Download the figures on this page (CSV): every number above with its count of postings. Aggregate figures are licensed CC BY 4.0; cite the page when you reuse them.