Groundskeeper Career Guide,
Salary, Licence & Jobs 2026

Groundskeepers (SOC 37-3011, Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers) earn a BLS OEWS May 2025 median of $39,150 a year, about $18.82 an hour. Pay runs from $31,150 at the 10th percentile to $56,730 at the 90th, and groundskeepers who run equipment, hold a pesticide-applicator license, specialize in sports turf, or lead a crew earn in the upper part of that range.

Start on a grounds crew mowing, edging, planting and cleaning to learn turf, equipment and safety, then master mowers and basic horticulture. Earn a state pesticide-applicator license to legally apply chemicals, add turfgrass or irrigation training for specialized work, and move into a crew-lead or grounds-supervisor role. No degree is required.

You set your career intent, target role, location, salary, credentials, and timeline, in 3 minutes. Our recruiters benchmark your pay against BLS data and live employer requirements, then bring matching permanent job opportunities directly to you. No applications. No job boards. We verify your credentials so employers see a complete, credible profile. After placement, we pay your licence renewal fees. Permanent, full-time, direct-hire only.

The role itself needs no license, but applying herbicides, fungicides or fertilizers legally requires a state pesticide-applicator certification issued by the state agriculture department. Groundskeepers who handle chemicals must hold that license, and it is one of the main levers for higher pay and for advancing to lead and supervisor roles.

The two overlap and share SOC 37-3011, but a groundskeeper focuses on maintaining existing grounds — mowing, turf care, irrigation and cleanup at a fixed property like a campus, park or golf course. A landscaper often emphasizes installing new plantings, hardscapes and designs. In practice many workers do both, which is why they share the same wage data.

For people who like working outdoors it is accessible and steady: you can start with no degree, and a pesticide-applicator license, sports-turf specialization or crew leadership lift pay toward $56,730. Growth of 3.6% through 2034 is about average, and roughly 158,200 openings a year keep jobs plentiful, with a clear ladder to grounds supervisor or superintendent.

A groundskeeper maintains a property's outdoor spaces: mowing and edging turf, planting and pruning, managing irrigation, applying fertilizer and pesticides where licensed, removing debris and hazards, and servicing grounds equipment. On sports fields and golf courses the work extends to specialized turf care, and lead groundskeepers also schedule and direct the crew.