Commercial Landscape Foreman & Account Manager Salary (2026)

Commercial landscaping has one of the highest turnover rates in the trades - and the cost of that turnover compounds in ways most owners underestimate. The 2026 wage picture shows the difference between an OK foreman and a great one is now worth $15,000–$25,000 in annual base pay. Here is what each role earns and how to build a team that actually stays.

Landscape foreman salary (2026 national ranges)

• Crew lead (1–3 years): $42,000–$58,000.
• Landscape foreman (mid): $58,000–$78,000 base.
• Landscape foreman (senior, multi-crew): $72,000–$95,000.
• General landscape foreman / superintendent: $85,000–$115,000.

Landscape project manager salary

• Junior PM / account manager: $52,000–$72,000.
• Landscape project manager (mid): $68,000–$92,000 base plus renewal bonuses.
• Senior landscape PM: $85,000–$115,000.
• Director of operations / regional manager: $110,000–$155,000.

Landscape account manager salary

• Account manager (entry, residential): $52,000–$72,000.
• Commercial account manager: $68,000–$95,000 base plus renewal and upsell commissions.
• Senior commercial AM / portfolio manager: $85,000–$115,000 plus performance bonus.

In commercial landscaping the AM is the relationship. Property managers do not renew because of the company - they renew because of the person who shows up on Tuesday. Compensation tied to renewals (not just sales) is the highest-leverage retention move in the trade.

Why landscaping turnover stays high

A combination of seasonal labor, lower entry-level wages relative to other trades, and the physical demands of the work. The bigger problem most firms underestimate is account-manager turnover - losing an AM usually loses the contract within a quarter.

How to keep great foremen

Reasonable crew size (a foreman with three to six people on a route is sustainable; ten is burnout), equipment that runs in the morning, real training, and visible internal promotion to senior foreman / project manager / superintendent. None of these are flashy. All of them are cheaper than 90 days of an empty foreman seat.

The H-2B reality

If you operate in a market where H-2B is part of the labor mix, the seasonal program is both a tool and a tax. It works when you treat it as a structured part of the year, apply starting in August for the following spring, and invest in the same returning workers year over year. It fails when you treat it as a panic measure in February. Either way, H-2B is not a substitute for hiring well in the management and foreman seats - those are the seats that determine whether the H-2B crew is productive.