Landscaping marketing statistics for 2026: 28 numbers with their sources
28 US landscaping statistics for 2026: industry size, how customers pick a provider, Google Ads costs and seasonal demand, each linked to its source.
Three numbers frame landscaping marketing in the US in 2026. The country had 123,326 landscaping services establishments with paid staff in 2025 (BLS). A landscaping lead from search ads cost a median of $117.92 in the 2025 home services benchmarks (LocaliQ). And 97 percent of US consumers read reviews for local businesses (BrightLocal).
This page lists 28 statistics. Each one was opened and checked at its source on 2 October 2026, and each row gives the year and what was counted.
The short version
- The US had 123,326 private landscaping services establishments in 2025, employing an average of 912,821 people, according to the BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.
- BLS counts 1,299,200 grounds maintenance jobs in 2025 and projects 5 percent growth from 2025 to 2035, with about 162,500 openings a year.
- Landscaping search ads cost a median of $8.76 a click and $117.92 a lead in LocaliQ’s 2025 home services benchmarks, which cover US campaigns.
- Landscaping services employment rose from 745,595 in January 2025 to 1,009,244 in June 2025, a seasonal swing of about 35 percent.
- BrightLocal’s 2026 survey of 1,002 US adults found that 97 percent read reviews for local businesses and 68 percent want at least four stars.
- Realtors estimated that a $415 standard lawn care service recovers 217 percent of its cost at sale, in a 2023 report by NAR.
How big is the landscaping industry in the US?
It is one of the larger home service trades. BLS counted 123,326 private landscaping services establishments in 2025 and 1,299,200 grounds maintenance jobs across all employers.
| Statistic | Figure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Grounds maintenance jobs, US | 1,299,200 | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 |
| Projected job growth | 5 percent, 2025 to 2035 | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 |
| Projected openings each year | About 162,500 | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 to 2035 |
| Median pay, grounds maintenance workers | $40,080 a year, $19.27 an hour | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 |
| Share of those jobs in services to buildings and dwellings | 48 percent | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 |
| Share of grounds maintenance workers who are self-employed | 20 percent | BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025 |
| Private landscaping services establishments (NAICS 561730) | 123,326 | BLS QCEW, 2025 annual average |
| Employees at those establishments | 912,821 | BLS QCEW, 2025 annual average |
| Average weekly wage at those establishments | $1,005 | BLS QCEW, 2025 annual average |
| Market size, landscaping services | $188.8 billion | IBISWorld, as published by NALP, 2025 |
| Landscaping service businesses | 692,777 | IBISWorld, as published by NALP, 2025 |
Two rows look as if they disagree, and they do not. The BLS figure of 123,326 counts locations with paid staff covered by unemployment insurance. The IBISWorld figure of 692,777 is a count of businesses, published by NALP, the trade body for the industry. NALP’s page does not give the method behind it. With 20 percent of grounds workers self-employed, a wider count that takes in one-person firms would be far larger.
The last two rows are the only ones here that are not from a government source. They are a market research estimate that a trade body republishes. Quote them with both names.
For how employer counts and business counts differ in general, see US small business counts by market.
Photo: Gustavo Fring on Pexels.
How do customers find and choose a landscaping company?
Reviews do much of the choosing. No survey we could open breaks this out for landscaping alone, so the figures below cover all local businesses in the US.
They come from the Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, which asked 1,002 US adults and was published on 11 February 2026 (BrightLocal).
| Statistic | Figure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Consumers who read reviews for local businesses | 97 percent | BrightLocal, US, 2026 |
| Consumers who use Google to read reviews | 71 percent, down from 83 percent in 2025 | BrightLocal, US, 2026 |
| Consumers who use ChatGPT or other AI tools for local recommendations | 45 percent, up from 6 percent in 2025 | BrightLocal, US, 2026 |
| Consumers who will only use a business with four stars or more | 68 percent | BrightLocal, US, 2026 |
| Consumers who will not use a business with fewer than 20 reviews | 47 percent | BrightLocal, US, 2026 |
| Consumers who look for reviews written in the last three months | 74 percent | BrightLocal, US, 2026 |
| Consumers who expect the owner to respond to reviews | 89 percent | BrightLocal, US, 2026 |
Read these as a general picture of local buying. A homeowner hiring a crew for a patio may behave differently from the survey average, and the survey does not say.
What do Google Ads cost for landscaping companies?
A landscaping click cost a median of $8.76 and a lead cost $117.92 in the 2025 home services benchmarks. That report covers 3,211 US search campaigns that ran from April 2024 to March 2025, and its averages are medians (LocaliQ).
| Statistic | Figure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per click, landscaping | $8.76 | LocaliQ home services benchmarks, US, 2025 |
| Click-through rate, landscaping | 4.69 percent | LocaliQ home services benchmarks, US, 2025 |
| Conversion rate, landscaping | 6.42 percent | LocaliQ home services benchmarks, US, 2025 |
| Cost per lead, landscaping | $117.92 | LocaliQ home services benchmarks, US, 2025 |
| Cost per lead, Home and Home Improvement (not landscaping alone) | $90.92 | LocaliQ search benchmarks, 2026 |
The last row is the wider Home and Home Improvement category from the 2026 report, which paid $8.33 a click. It is there for scale. LocaliQ had not published a 2026 landscaping row on the pages we opened.
Landscaping converts fewer clicks than the wider category, 6.42 percent against 8.05 percent, and that is why its leads cost more. The Google Ads cost guide explains how the auction sets click prices. The cost per lead benchmarks post covers the other industries.
Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels.
When do customers buy and what do they pay?
Demand peaks in late spring and early summer. The clearest measure is the payroll of the industry itself, which grew by about 35 percent between January and June 2025.
| Statistic | Figure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Landscaping services employment, January | 745,595 | BLS QCEW, US, 2025 |
| Landscaping services employment, June | 1,009,244 | BLS QCEW, US, 2025 |
| Standard lawn care service: estimated cost and value recovered at sale | $415, with 217 percent recovered | NAR Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features, US, 2023 |
| Yearly upkeep project: estimated cost and value recovered at sale | $4,800, with 104 percent recovered | NAR Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features, US, 2023 |
| NAR members who say curb appeal is important in attracting a buyer | 97 percent | NAR Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features, US, 2023 |
The 35 percent figure is our arithmetic on the two BLS rows. Staffing is a proxy for demand. It is not a count of customer enquiries.
The cost rows need care. The costs are estimates from NALP members for a 2,500 square foot house on a 14,000 square foot lot. The report says prices vary by region and scope. The value recovered is what Realtors estimated, and no sale prices were measured. The upkeep project covers a year of mulch, mowing, shrub pruning and about 60 new plants. The report is from March 2023.
In the same report, 74 percent of Realtors had recommended the upkeep project before a sale, and 53 percent had recommended standard lawn care.
What does this mean for your marketing?
This section is our reading at Mavix. It is opinion built on the figures above.
Plan the year around the season. The BLS payroll figures show the industry at its smallest in January. We would have reviews, the website and the Google Business Profile ready before spring. The landscaping marketing page sets out how we approach the trade.
Treat reviews as the first filter. If 47 percent of consumers skip a business with fewer than 20 reviews, a thin profile costs enquiries before any ad runs. Local SEO for landscaping companies covers the map results. SEO for landscaping companies covers the pages behind them. The local SEO cost guide covers what that work costs.
Price a lead before you buy clicks. At a median of $117.92 a lead, the sums only work if you know what a job is worth. Run your own numbers through the lead generation calculator, then look at Google Ads for landscaping companies.
The bottom line
A statistic is useful when you know who counted, what they counted and when. The government figures here are firm. The survey and benchmark figures are medians and samples, and they describe a typical firm that may not be yours. Use them to set expectations, then measure your own calls and jobs.
Questions people ask about this
How many landscaping businesses are there in the US?
It depends on what you count. BLS recorded 123,326 private landscaping services establishments with paid staff in 2025. IBISWorld, as published by NALP, puts the number of landscaping service businesses at 692,777 for 2025. The first is a government count of employer locations. The second is a market research estimate, and NALP’s page does not explain its method.
What is the average cost per lead for landscaping on Google Ads?
The median was $117.92 in LocaliQ’s 2025 home services search benchmarks. That report covers 3,211 US campaigns that ran from April 2024 to March 2025. The median click cost $8.76 and 6.42 percent of clicks became leads. A median means half of the campaigns paid more.
When is the busy season for landscaping?
Late spring and summer, on the staffing evidence. BLS payroll data shows landscaping services employment at 745,595 in January 2025 and 1,009,244 in June 2025. Employment stayed above 950,000 from May through October. This is a national figure, so a warm state will have a flatter year than a cold one.
Is the landscaping industry growing?
BLS projects 5 percent growth in grounds maintenance jobs from 2025 to 2035, which it calls faster than average. It expects about 162,500 openings a year over the decade. The number of employer establishments was close to flat, at 123,133 in 2024 and 123,326 in 2025.
How much do landscaping workers earn?
The median pay for grounds maintenance workers was $40,080 a year in 2025, or $19.27 an hour, according to BLS. Across private landscaping services establishments, the average weekly wage was $1,005 in 2025. The second figure is an average across every job in those firms, including managers and office staff.
Do reviews matter for a landscaping company?
The available survey covers all local businesses and does not single out landscaping. In BrightLocal’s 2026 survey of 1,002 US adults, 97 percent read reviews for local businesses. In the same survey, 68 percent said they will only use a business with four stars or more. And 74 percent look for reviews from the last three months.
Does lawn care add value to a home before a sale?
Realtors think so. In NAR’s 2023 outdoor features report, a standard lawn care service cost an estimated $415, and Realtors estimated it recovered 217 percent at sale. These are estimates from professionals. The report did not measure sale prices, and it is from 2023.
Sources for every number on this page
- Grounds Maintenance Workers, Occupational Outlook Handbook, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2025 data.
- Number of establishments, NAICS 561730, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- All employees, NAICS 561730, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Average weekly wage, NAICS 561730, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- NALP industry statistics page, citing IBISWorld, 2025.
- Local Consumer Review Survey 2026, BrightLocal, published 11 February 2026.
- 2025 Search Ad Benchmarks for Home Services, LocaliQ.
- Search Advertising Benchmarks for Every Industry, 2026, LocaliQ.
- 2023 Remodeling Impact Report: Outdoor Features, National Association of Realtors, March 2023.
Last checked against the sources on 2026-10-02.
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