Commercial landscaping recruiters serving Charleston.
Standard institutional and corporate landscaping demand tied to the broader Charleston development cycle, including the port's expanding footprint.
The port's footprint, not Boeing's assembly line.
Metro pay for every role we recruit is in the table below.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial landscaping contractors in Charleston against that documented context.
The broader development cycle.
No single named megaproject drives this market's landscaping demand - here's what the hub's own data actually says.
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Named directly in the hub's landscaping mini as part of the broader Charleston development cycle driving standard institutional and corporate landscaping demand.
What commercial landscaping roles pay in Charleston.
In the Charleston metro, BLS puts the median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $37,720 a year, 4% below the $39,150 national median. Among the 112 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, Charleston ranks 68th on pay. Most of the market sits between $31,230 and $47,380. Of the other field roles, landscape designer / architect pays the most locally, at a $99,330 median. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Landscaping Salary Guide.
| Role | Charleston median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape / Grounds Crew MemberLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (37-3011) | $37,720 | $31,230–$47,380 | $39,150 | −4% | 3,020 |
| Grounds Crew SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $62,090 | $40,750–$80,750 | $58,430 | +6% | 350 |
| Tree Trimmer / ArboristTree Trimmers and Pruners (37-3013) | $43,730 | $29,600–$63,060 | $50,960 | −14% | 80 |
| Licensed Pesticide ApplicatorPesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation (37-3012) | $40,490 | $35,460–$50,790 | $46,340 | −13% | 100 |
| Landscape Designer / ArchitectLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $99,330 | $66,420–$130,190 | $79,870 | +24% | 170 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Charleston metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile. Headcount is shown for field occupations only; management, estimating and supervisory codes are counted across every industry in the metro.
What candidates expect. What credentials matter. What kills offers.
We don't tell prospective clients who their competitors are hiring - that's a discipline our clients value, and we'll honor it on a call. What we will share publicly: how Charleston commercial landscaping hiring actually plays out in 2026.
Why we don't tie this page to Boeing's assembly building
Boeing's $1B+ expansion is the metro's single largest named project, but the hub's own landscaping mini doesn't connect it to grounds-work demand - it names the port's expanding footprint instead, so that's what we report.
Why we report the port reference without a dollar figure
The hub names the port's expanding footprint directly in its landscaping mini, but carries no dollar figure for it in its capitalProjects list. We report the reference honestly rather than borrow a number from an unrelated project.
What this means for sourcing
We source against verified commercial and institutional grounds-maintenance experience, not resume claims, given the standard scope named by the hub.
Realistic timelines
Standard commercial landscaping roles: 4-6 weeks intake to signed offer, consistent with the region's broader hiring timeline. First slate of vetted candidates within 48 hours regardless.
The commercial landscaping positions we fill, most often.
Across all Charleston commercial landscaping clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months.
- Corporate campus landscape crew lead
- Institutional grounds maintenance foreman
- Landscape designer
- Grounds maintenance manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in Charleston, see the Charleston metro overview. To learn more about commercial landscaping generally (across all 100+ markets we serve), see our Commercial Landscaping industry page.
How we recruit commercial landscaping in Charleston, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in Charleston's commercial landscaping segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Charleston commercial landscaping candidate network.
- Vetted short list (week one to several weeks). Three to five candidates. We verify real corporate and institutional grounds-maintenance experience rather than a line on a resume.
- Offer and close. Standard roles close in 4-6 weeks. We help with offer math against Charleston's documented general context.
Charleston runs 25% more commercial landscaping workers per job than the country as a whole — well above the national concentration. More per job means more people to reach, and more employers reaching them.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 , Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers. Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Charleston's commercial landscaping market compares
In 2023 the Charleston metro had 286 landscaping companies (counted by business location), with about 2,819 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $51,873, 7.4% above the national average of $48,279 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 1.3% over the year, a little behind the 2.2% national increase. That works out to 34 per 100,000 residents, close to the 37 national rate.
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Charleston ranks 56th for headcount, 62nd for median pay and 16th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston | 3,020 | $37,720 | 1.25 | 286 |
| Greenville | 2,420 | $36,610 | 0.91 | 317 |
| Columbia | 1,890 | $36,180 | 0.78 | 245 |
| Myrtle Beach | 1,590 | $34,410 | 1.78 | 281 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial landscaping employers in Charleston, the pool is deep and still growing, so the constraint is competition rather than supply. Move fast on good candidates, because another local firm is probably talking to them too.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Charleston metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Charleston's commercial landscaping market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Charleston rose from 283 in 2018 to 286 in 2023, up 1%, behind the 13% growth nationally. Their combined payroll headcount barely moved, at about 2,819. Average annual pay there went from $34,332 to $51,873 (+51%), faster than the 31% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 283 | 286 | +1% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 2,831 | 2,819 | −0% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $34,332 | $51,873 | +51% |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Frequently asked — commercial landscaping hiring in Charleston.
Is Charleston's landscaping demand tied to Boeing's assembly building expansion?
No - Boeing's $1B+ expansion is a real, well-documented project, but the hub's own landscaping data doesn't connect it to grounds-work demand. The hub names the port's expanding footprint instead.
What is driving commercial landscaping demand in Charleston right now?
Standard institutional and corporate landscaping demand tied to the broader Charleston development cycle, including the port's expanding footprint - the hub does not disclose a dollar figure for the port reference.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Charleston?
BLS puts the Charleston median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $37,720 a year, 4% below the $39,150 national median. That ranks 68th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $31,230 to $47,380 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.5x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other South Carolina metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Charleston?
Not by national standards. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers make up 25% more of the Charleston workforce than they do nationally, about 3,020 people. The 286 landscaping companies here average about 9.9 employees per location.
Which commercial landscaping roles pay the most in Charleston?
Of the roles we recruit for, Landscape Designer / Architect pays the most in Charleston, a $99,330 median. Landscape / Grounds Crew Member is the lowest-paid field role at $37,720. Relative to national pay, Landscape Designer / Architect is the strongest-paying role here (24% above). Tree Trimmer / Arborist trails national pay the most (14% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Charleston?
BLS counted 286 landscaping companies in Charleston in 2023, employing about 2,819 people between them. That is roughly where the count stood in 2018 (283). That averages 9.9 people per location. They pay an average of $51,873, 7% above the $48,279 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Charleston for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Myrtle Beach (87 miles, about 1,590, $34,410 median), Columbia (106 miles, about 1,890, $36,180 median) and Augusta (128 miles, about 1,770, $36,840 median). Charleston out-pays Myrtle Beach, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Hiring commercial landscaping talent in Charleston?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you timeline and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.