First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers
Also called: Arborist Crew Leader, Buildings and Grounds Supervisor, Cemetery Workers Supervisor, Enhancement Manager, Field Manager, Gardening Manager, Gardening Supervisor, Golf Course Manager
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in landscaping or groundskeeping activities.
What First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers do
Typical tasks
- Establish and enforce operating procedures and work standards that will ensure adequate performance and personnel safety.
- Schedule work for crews, depending on work priorities, crew or equipment availability, or weather conditions.
- Tour grounds, such as parks, botanical gardens, cemeteries, or golf courses, to inspect conditions of plants and soil.
- Monitor project activities to ensure that instructions are followed, deadlines are met, and schedules are maintained.
- Direct activities of workers who perform duties, such as landscaping, cultivating lawns, or pruning trees and shrubs.
- Inspect completed work to ensure conformance to specifications, standards, and contract requirements.
- Plant or maintain vegetation through activities such as mulching, fertilizing, watering, mowing, or pruning.
- Direct or perform mixing or application of fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, or fungicides.
- Train workers in tasks such as transplanting or pruning trees or shrubs, finishing cement, using equipment, or caring for turf.
- Prepare service estimates based on labor, material, and machine costs and maintain budgets for individual projects.
- Identify diseases or pests affecting landscaping and order appropriate treatments.
- Inventory supplies of tools, equipment, or materials to ensure that sufficient supplies are available and items are in usable condition.
Typical path into the job (BLS)
First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers salary
The median annual wage for First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers is $58,430 (BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025–35, national). The lowest 10 percent earn less than $40,560 and the highest 10 percent earn more than $85,650. The mean annual wage is $60,960.
The mean hourly wage of $29.00 is 4.0× the federal minimum wage of $7.25. State minimums are higher in most large states. Minimum wage by state →
How does your pay compare with people your age?
Your numbers are not sent or stored. The comparison uses this occupation's BLS wage percentiles, adjusted for age with BLS median weekly earnings by age group (Q3 2026).
Pay by percentile
Annual wage percentiles from the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Percentiles are a good proxy for pay by experience.
Projected pay for First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (3, 5 and 10 years)est.
Today $58,430 → in 3 years $64,300 → in 5 years $68,600 → in 10 years $80,500 (10-year range $69,200–$93,400). The model assumes pay growth of +3.2% per year.
What drives the annual growth rate
Projected pay = current pay × (1 + annual growth)^years. The annual growth rate starts from a base wage-growth rate and adds or subtracts labor demand (BLS projected employment growth), wage momentum and AI replacement risk for each occupation. Projections are not guarantees. How it is calculated →
Outlook score for First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers
Each component is a percentile rank among all occupations in the same country (0–100). Weights: labor demand 25, wage momentum / openings 15, pay level 15, AI resistance 25, aging workforce 10 (Japan only), entry barrier 10.
Will AI replace First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers? AI replacement risk
How AI is changing this job
A written analysis for this occupation is being prepared.
AI replacement risk compares the parts of a job that are easy to hand to AI or software (processing information, documentation, repetitive computer work) with the parts that are hard to automate (physical work, working closely with people, judgment in unpredictable settings), using O*NET work activities, work context, skills and knowledge. The result is a relative position among all occupations in the country, scaled to 0–100%. Methodology →
Labor demand for First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers
Employment projections are from the BLS Employment Projections program (2025–35). Annual openings include both new jobs and replacement of workers who leave the occupation.
Skills, education and requirements for First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers
Key skills
O*NET skill level ratings (0–7).
Key knowledge areas
What the work involves
Important abilities
Education of workers
Training before entry
Related work experience
Job Zone 3 — medium preparation needed (O*NET)
Difficulty of entry: ★★★☆☆ Moderate (from education, training, experience and Job Zone)
How to become First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers
A step-by-step guide for this occupation is being prepared. The education, training and experience data above show the typical path.
Career path and how to earn more as First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers
Career-path guidance is being prepared. Pay by percentile is shown in the Pay section.