First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in landscaping or groundskeeping activities. Work may involve reviewing contracts to ascertain service, machine, and workforce requirements; answering inquiries from potential customers regarding methods, material, and price ranges; and preparing estimates according to labor, material, and machine costs.
Also called: Field Manager · Golf Course Superintendent · Grounds Crew Supervisor · Grounds Foreman · Grounds Maintenance Supervisor · Grounds Manager
Median pay (national)
$56,170
$39,270–$83,080 (10th–90th)
Employed (US)
124,130
BLS OEWS, May 2024
Outlook 2024–34
+2.3%
~23,200 openings/yr
Typical entry
High school diploma or equivalent
What the numbers say
Refit analysis ·Pay for first-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers shows a broad range: the top 10% earn $83,080 versus $39,270 at the bottom 10% — 2.1x. The median of $56,170 leaves roughly 48% of headroom to the 90th percentile, which is where seniority, specialization, and the skills below tend to pay off.
Refit analysis ·Employment is projected to change +2.3% from 2024 to 2034 — about as fast as the 3% all-occupation average. Even so, BLS projects about 23,200 openings a year, mostly to replace workers who retire or change careers.
Refit analysis ·Where you work moves the number a lot. Across the 53 states with released data, New Jersey pays the most for this role (median $76,060, +35% vs the national median), while Puerto Rico sits lowest at $28,400 — a 168% spread for the same job title.
Refit analysis ·O*NET rates Monitoring, Active Listening, Speaking as the highest-importance skills here — so a resume aimed at this role should lead with evidence of those, not a generic skills list.
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Top skills employers ask for
Ranked by O*NET importance for this occupation.
- Monitoring
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
- Learning Strategies
- Writing
- Mathematics
- Science
What they actually do
Core O*NET tasks for this role.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- Prepare or maintain required records, such as work activity or personnel reports.
- Investigate work-related complaints to verify problems and to determine responses.
- Establish and enforce operating procedures and work standards that will ensure adequate performance and personnel safety.
- Monitor project activities to ensure that instructions are followed, deadlines are met, and schedules are maintained.
Tools & technology
- Payroll software
- Work order software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office software
- Microsoft Outlook
- Microsoft PowerPoint
- Microsoft Word
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Mathematics
- Public Safety and Security
- Personnel and Human Resources
- Mechanical
- Education and Training