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How big is the US landscaping industry? As of the latest Census County Business Patterns data, the United States has 117,969 employer landscaping business establishments employing 802,899 people, with a combined annual payroll of $41.2 billion. This page compiles the key statistics on the industry — market size, state-by-state distribution, wages, and new business formation — every number sourced directly to federal data.
Figures in the market-size tables cover employer establishments (landscaping firms with at least one paid employee). Solo landscapers without payroll are counted separately in the solo operators section below.
Key Landscaping Industry Statistics
- There are 117,969 employer landscaping business establishments in the United States (Census County Business Patterns, 2023).
- Employer firms are the minority form: 516,572 solo landscapers operate as nonemployer businesses (2023 Census Nonemployer Statistics) — 4.4 for every employer establishment.
- The industry employs 802,899 people with a combined annual payroll of $41.2 billion.
- Average pay works out to $51,286 per employee per year; the average establishment has 6.8 employees and carries $349k in annual payroll.
- Florida has the most establishments of any state — 10,670, or 9.0% of the national total.
- Relative to population, Vermont is the most saturated market (80.3 establishments per 100,000 residents) and District of Columbia the least (3.1).
- Pay is highest in Massachusetts ($74,736 per employee per year) and lowest in District of Columbia ($33,561).
- The industry accounts for 1.41% of all US employer establishments.
- Americans filed 422,124 new business applications in the broader Administrative & Support and Waste Management sector in the twelve months from Aug-2025 through Jul-2026 — a +16.3% change year over year (Census Business Formation Statistics).
Market Size
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Employer establishments | 117,969 |
| Employees | 802,899 |
| Annual payroll | $41.2 billion |
| Average pay per employee | $51,286/year |
| Average employees per establishment | 6.8 |
| Average payroll per establishment | $349k/year |
| Share of all US employer establishments | 1.41% |
The Biggest States
| State | Establishments | Employees |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | 10,670 | 78,430 |
| California | 9,393 | 103,803 |
| New York | 7,725 | 33,359 |
| Texas | 5,568 | 60,794 |
| Pennsylvania | 5,179 | 28,339 |
Market size is not market opportunity: relative to population, Vermont is the most saturated state (80.3 establishments per 100,000 residents) while District of Columbia is the thinnest (3.1). We rank every state on saturation, revenue proxies, labor cost, and formation momentum in the Best States to Start a Landscaping Business index.
Wages by State
| Highest pay per employee | Annual |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $74,736 |
| Rhode Island | $73,447 |
| Illinois | $69,346 |
| Alaska | $62,739 |
| New York | $62,725 |
| Lowest pay per employee | Annual |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $33,561 |
| Mississippi | $40,090 |
| Florida | $41,352 |
| New Mexico | $41,433 |
| Arkansas | $42,497 |
Solo Operators: The Nonemployer Side of the Industry
The employer figures above are only part of the picture. The Census Bureau counts businesses with no paid employees separately, as nonemployers — and in this industry they are the majority: 516,572 solo landscapers filed as nonemployer businesses in 2023, about 4.4 for every employer establishment. Together they took in $18.6 billion in receipts — an average of $36,041 per solo business per year.
States With the Most Solo Landscapers
| State | Nonemployer businesses | Avg annual receipts | Solo per employer firm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas | 58,350 | $32,735 | 10.5 |
| California | 50,137 | $38,821 | 5.3 |
| Florida | 48,313 | $38,391 | 4.5 |
| Georgia | 30,984 | $33,604 | 9.6 |
| North Carolina | 23,252 | $35,867 | 5.3 |
Solo operation dominates most in Mississippi (16.0 nonemployers per employer establishment) and least in New Jersey (1.4), where a larger share of the industry runs on payroll.
How Much Do Landscaping Businesses Make?
The honest federal answer comes in two parts. For solo operators, the Census reports actual revenue: the average nonemployer landscaping business grossed $36,041 in annual receipts in 2023 — gross revenue before expenses, not take-home income. For employer firms, the Census does not publish revenue at the state level, but payroll gives the scale: the average establishment carries $349k in annual payroll across 6.8 employees.
Where Solo Solo Landscapers Gross the Most
| State | Avg annual receipts (solo) | Solo businesses |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $58,896 | 7,146 |
| Connecticut | $56,729 | 5,329 |
| New Jersey | $53,539 | 6,838 |
| New Hampshire | $51,861 | 1,970 |
| Arizona | $51,474 | 9,204 |
States with fewer than 1,000 nonemployer businesses excluded to avoid small-sample noise. Receipts are gross revenue as reported to the IRS, before any expenses.
New Business Formation
The Census Bureau tracks new business applications weekly. In the twelve months from Aug-2025 through Jul-2026, Americans filed 422,124 applications in the Administrative & Support and Waste Management sector (the broader NAICS sector containing landscaping business businesses) — a +16.3% change from the prior twelve months. State-by-state application counts, per-capita rates, and trends are on our business formation statistics page, updated monthly. For how new ventures fare once launched — 1-, 5-, and 10-year odds in every state — see business survival rates by state; for what they borrow to get started, SBA loan statistics. For insurance requirements state by state, see the landscaping business insurance guide.
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Thinking about joining these numbers?
Every landscaping business in these statistics started with a business entity. Bizee files your LLC — you pick the package and pay the state fee, in any state.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many landscaping business businesses are there in the US?
There are 117,969 employer landscaping business establishments in the United States as of the 2023 Census County Business Patterns, employing 802,899 people. Figures in the market-size tables cover employer establishments (landscaping firms with at least one paid employee). Solo landscapers without payroll are counted separately in the solo operators section below.
How big is the US landscaping industry?
Measured by payroll, employer establishments in the industry pay $41.2 billion in annual wages across 802,899 employees — an average of $51,286 per employee per year.
Which state has the most landscaping business businesses?
Florida leads with 10,670 employer establishments (9.0% of the US total), followed by California (9,393) and New York (7,725).
How many self-employed solo landscapers are there in the US?
The Census Bureau’s 2023 Nonemployer Statistics count 516,572 landscaping business businesses with no paid employees — solo landscapers operating alone — averaging $36,041 in annual receipts. That is about 4.4 solo businesses for every employer establishment in the industry.
How much does a landscaping business make?
For solo operators the Census reports actual revenue: the average nonemployer landscaping business grossed $36,041 in 2023 — gross receipts before expenses, not profit. Employer firms are larger: the average establishment carries $349k in annual payroll across 6.8 employees; the Census does not publish their revenue at the state level.
Sources & Citation
| Data | Source | Vintage |
|---|---|---|
| Establishments, employment, payroll (NAICS 561730, Landscaping Services) | U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns | 2023 |
| Business applications | U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics | Aug-2025 through Jul-2026 |
| Solo operators (nonemployer businesses, NAICS 56173, Landscaping Services) | U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics | 2023 |
| State population (per-capita rates) | U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates | 2024 |
You are welcome to cite these statistics with attribution and a link to this page.