Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance · Holland code RC
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers
Landscape or maintain grounds of property using hand or power tools or equipment. Workers typically perform a variety of tasks, which may include any combination of the following: sod laying, mowing, trimming, planting, watering, fertilizing, digging, raking, sprinkler installation, and installation of mortarless segmental concrete masonry wall units.
Also called: Greenskeeper, Groundskeeper, Groundsman, Landscaper, Athletic Fieldskeeper, Grounds Maintenance Worker, Grounds Specialist, Landscape Specialist.
O*NET 37-3011.00
At a glance
- US median annual pay
- $39,150
- Middle half earn $36,190 to $46,830. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
- Preparation needed
- Job Zone 2 of 5
- Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.
What the work involves
The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.
- Mow or edge lawns, using power mowers or edgers.
- Operate vehicles or powered equipment, such as mowers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers, chainsaws, electric clippers, sod cutters, or pruning saws.
- Use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers, or axes.
- Prune or trim trees, shrubs, or hedges, using shears, pruners, or chain saws.
- Gather and remove litter.
- Care for established lawns by mulching, aerating, weeding, grubbing, removing thatch, or trimming or edging around flower beds, walks, or walls.
- Trim or pick flowers and clean flower beds.
- Follow planned landscaping designs to determine where to lay sod, sow grass, or plant flowers or foliage.
Skills and knowledge it leans on
Skills
- Critical Thinking2.6 / 5
- Active Listening2.4 / 5
- Speaking2.4 / 5
- Monitoring2.4 / 5
- Reading Comprehension2.0 / 5
- Active Learning1.9 / 5
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service2.4 / 5
- Mechanical2.2 / 5
- Chemistry2.2 / 5
- Building and Construction2.1 / 5
- English Language2.1 / 5
- Transportation2.1 / 5
Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.
Who tends to enjoy it
How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.
- Realistic100
- Investigative10
- Artistic15
- Social8
- Enterprising14
- Conventional39
The same work abroad
Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.
European occupation titles (ESCO)
- curator of horticulture · DE Gartenkurator/Gartenkuratorin · FR jardinier botaniste/jardinière botaniste
- landscape architect · DE Landschaftsarchitekt/Landschaftsarchitektin · FR architecte paysagiste
- landscape designer · DE Landschaftsgestalter/Landschaftsgestalterin · FR paysagiste
- groundsman/groundswoman · DE Rasenpfleger/Rasenpflegerin · FR agent d’entretien des espaces verts/agente d’entretien des espaces verts
- interior landscaper · DE Landschaftsgärtner für Innenraumbegrünung/Landschaftsgärtnerin für Innenraumbegrünung · FR paysagiste d’intérieur
- landscape gardener · DE Landschaftsgärtner/Landschaftsgärtnerin · FR jardinier paysagiste/jardinière paysagiste
Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)
- Gardeners and landscape gardeners (5113)165,600 employed
- Groundsmen and greenkeepers (5114)30,700 employed
- Pest controllers (6121)6,400 employed
Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.
Pay across Europe, for the whole group
Median annual earnings of all employees in “Skilled agricultural, forestry and fishery workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.
| Country | Median pay |
|---|---|
| Germany | €31,000 |
| Sweden | €30,144 |
| Italy | €27,723 |
| Netherlands | €26,642 |
| Ireland | €25,686 |
| France | €22,942 |
| Spain | €20,465 |
| Portugal | €9,509 |
| Poland | €8,061 |
Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.
Exposure to AI
This occupation sits in the lower third of the 774 occupations scored, with an exposure score of -1.82. The scores are standardized across those occupations, so 0 is the average and a score of 1 is about one standard deviation above it.
Our note on reading it: the dataset links AI applications to the abilities that occupations require, so the score reflects overlap between the two. It is a comparison between occupations, not a forecast about jobs. It does not say whether exposure means tasks are replaced or workers get more done with the tools, and it says little about one employer or one role.
Source: Felten, E., Raj, M., & Seamans, R. (2021). Occupational, industry, and geographic exposure to artificial intelligence: A novel dataset and its potential uses. Strategic Management Journal, 42(12), 2195-2217. Matched to this page by 6-digit SOC code (37-3011).
Related careers
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