Commercial Irrigation recruiters serving Atlanta.
About 15,300 landscaping and groundskeeping workers work in the Atlanta metro, at a $38,500 median. BLS counts 1,926 business locations of landscaping companies across the metro. Below: local pay for every role we staff, the state licensing rules that apply and the nearby markets competing for the same people.
Positions we recruit for in Atlanta.
BLS counts about 23,870 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Atlanta metro, the largest group being landscaping and groundskeeping workers (about 15,300). Relative to the size of the local economy, landscaping and groundskeeping workers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.86). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Irrigation hub.
Irrigation Technician / Installer
Atlanta: 15,300 employed · $38,500 median, 55th-highest of 112 metros
Certified Irrigation Technician (CIT)
Irrigation System Designer
Atlanta: 300 employed · $75,980 median, 56th-highest of 78 metros
Backflow Prevention Specialist
Atlanta: 5,470 employed · $58,380 median, 85th-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Service / Repair Technician
Irrigation Foreman / Crew Lead
Atlanta: 2,800 employed · $58,960 median, 45th-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Project Manager
Atlanta: 7,470 employed · $119,590 median, 39th-highest of 111 metros
Irrigation Estimator
Atlanta: 3,740 employed · $82,870 median, 18th-highest of 111 metros
Smart / Controller Systems Technician
Landscape Water Management Auditor
What Commercial Irrigation roles earn in Atlanta.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Atlanta earn a median $38,500, level with the $39,150 national figure, and 55th of 112 metros. Pay runs $30,200 at the tenth percentile to $48,040 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is landscape architects, at $75,980 against $79,870 nationally.
| Role | Atlanta median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Irrigation Technician / Installer · Certified Irrigation Technician (CIT) · Irrigation Service / Repair TechnicianLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (37-3011) | $38,500 | $30,200–$48,040 | $39,150 | −2% | 15,300 |
| Irrigation System DesignerLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $75,980 | $55,690–$131,450 | $79,870 | −5% | 300 |
| Backflow Prevention SpecialistPlumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-2152) | $58,380 | $37,900–$81,580 | $63,800 | −8% | 5,470 |
| Irrigation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $58,960 | $42,260–$78,810 | $58,430 | +1% | 2,800 |
| Irrigation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $119,590 | $76,570–$185,760 | $114,990 | +4% | 7,470 |
| Irrigation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $82,870 | $49,500–$134,750 | $78,740 | +5% | 3,740 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Atlanta metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile; management and office roles are metro-wide. A metro ranking counts only the metros where BLS publishes that occupation.
How Atlanta's commercial irrigation market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Atlanta rose from 1,652 in 2018 to 1,926 in 2023, up 17%, ahead of the 13% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 4%, to about 15,496 people. Average annual pay there went from $42,271 to $55,667 (+32%), in step with the 31% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 1,652 | 1,926 | +17% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 14,919 | 15,496 | +4% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $42,271 | $55,667 | +32% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Free Commercial Irrigation hiring resources.
Definitive Guide to Commercial Irrigation · 2026 Commercial Irrigation Salary Guide · 3-Step Interview Guide for Commercial Irrigation
Atlanta runs 14% fewer commercial irrigation workers per job than the country as a whole — below the national concentration. Fewer per job means the people you want are already working, and usually for someone who would rather keep them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (nearest published occupation for this trade). Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Atlanta's commercial irrigation market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Atlanta ranks 9th for headcount, 50th for median pay and 80th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | 15,300 | $38,500 | 0.86 | 1,926 |
| Augusta | 1,770 | $36,840 | 1.24 | 193 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial irrigation employers in Atlanta, the headline number is misleading. About 15,300 landscaping and groundskeeping workers work here, one of the larger workforces we cover, but relative to the size of the local economy the trade is thinner than average, so every other employer is drawing on the same people. Local employers have been shedding headcount, so the experienced people who remain are usually well placed and slow to move. Expect to recruit people who are already employed, and to make the case for moving.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Atlanta metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Irrigation licensing in Georgia.
Georgia has no irrigation contractor license and no irrigation or landscape contractor board. The Secretary of State licensing boards cover plumbers, electrical, low voltage, conditioned air, utility contractors and general contractors, so irrigation work that ties into a potable water supply falls under the plumbing license, with Class I and Class II Master Plumber and Journeyman Plumber the relevant grades. Backflow is the real credential to check: Georgia Rules for Drinking Water 391-3-5-.13(7) requires field testing of backflow prevention assemblies to be done by a certified tester, and Georgia EPD runs the Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester program. Holders of ASSE or ABPA certification still have to pass the Georgia exam, so ask to see the Georgia card rather than an out-of-state one. The same state rules apply in Augusta, so candidates licensed there can work in Atlanta without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Georgia Environmental Protection Division (backflow tester certification); Georgia Secretary of State, State Construction Industry Licensing Board, Division of Master and Journeyman Plumbers. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a commercial irrigation search in Atlanta yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in Atlanta than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Senior Accounting CoordinatorThe back-office hire that keeps a trade business’s books straight.
- Outside Sales RepresentativeA rep who grew a regional product line from $600,000 to $2.5 million.
Nearby markets competing for Atlanta talent.
The closest metro we cover is Chattanooga, about 105 miles away, with roughly 1,460 landscaping and groundskeeping workers (0.1 times Atlanta's 15,300). Atlanta pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($38,500 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Chattanooga at $36,190. Atlanta is the largest market for this work in the region, so nearby metros tend to recruit from here rather than the other way round.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | – | 15,300 | $38,500 |
| Chattanooga | 104 mi | 1,460 | $36,190 |
| Greenville | 137 mi | 2,420 | $36,610 |
| Birmingham | 140 mi | 2,880 | $36,600 |
| Augusta | 140 mi | 1,770 | $36,840 |
| Huntsville | 143 mi | 1,550 | $37,510 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Atlanta crews.
Not commercial irrigation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Atlanta in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Centennial Yards downtown development$5B plannedPhased through 2030
Massive downtown commercial + residential + entertainment mixed-use. Long-duration construction pipeline.
- Norfolk Southern Atlanta HQ relocation~$575MCompleted 2018-2021
A past anchor for downtown Class A commercial construction, not an active current-year pipeline - the associated build-out is largely finished.
- Microsoft data center campuses (multiple, metro-wide)$6B+ announced 2024-2026Rolling
Atlanta is a top-2 US data center market (with Northern VA). Microsoft, Meta, Google, and others expanding aggressively. Power-systems electricians, cooling specialists, mechanical PMs at extreme premium.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Atlanta market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial irrigation, and what kills offers in Atlanta.
The 4 credentials that gate the work and the 4 things that most often end a commercial irrigation offer are the same in every market, kept in one place: Commercial Irrigation credentials and offer risks, each linked to the body that issues it. What is local is the licensing rule above and the pay further up this page.
Frequently asked - Commercial Irrigation hiring in Atlanta.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Atlanta?
BLS puts the Atlanta median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $38,500 a year, about the same as the $39,150 national median. That ranks 55th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $30,200 to $48,040 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other Georgia metro we cover pays more for this work (Augusta: $36,840).
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Atlanta?
It is about average. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers are as common in Atlanta as they are nationally (location quotient 0.86), with about 15,300 in the metro. The 1,926 landscaping companies here average about 8.0 employees per location. With 17% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial irrigation roles pay the most in Atlanta?
Of the roles we recruit for, Irrigation Project Manager pays the most in Atlanta, a $119,590 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Irrigation System Designer at $75,980, 36% below it. Irrigation Technician / Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $38,500. Relative to national pay, Irrigation Estimator is the strongest-paying role here (5% above). Backflow Prevention Specialist trails national pay the most (8% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Atlanta?
BLS counted 1,926 landscaping companies in Atlanta in 2023, employing about 15,496 people between them. Up from 1,652 in 2018, a 17% increase against 13% growth nationally. That averages 8.0 people per location. They pay an average of $55,667, 15% above the $48,279 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counts irrigation contractors under landscaping companies.
Which nearby metros compete with Atlanta for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Chattanooga (104 miles, about 1,460, $36,190 median), Greenville (137 miles, about 2,420, $36,610 median) and Birmingham (140 miles, about 2,880, $36,600 median). Atlanta out-pays Chattanooga, an advantage when recruiting from there.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
1,926 landscaping companies in Atlanta are drawing on the same 15,300 landscaping and groundskeeping workers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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