Commercial landscaping recruiters serving Columbus.
Corporate campus maintenance at scale for the data-center corridor's large sites, plus stormwater and detention work tied to Ohio EPA standards on every new industrial pad.
The largest private capital project in Ohio history.
Metro pay for every role we recruit is in the table below. What the hub does name: corporate campus maintenance at scale for the data-center corridor's large sites, plus stormwater and detention work tied to Ohio EPA standards on every new industrial pad.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial landscaping contractors in Columbus against that documented context.
A $28B fab, and a regulatory layer on top.
A named capital project and a named compliance requirement, both driving real demand.
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The New Albany chip fab campus - crews have logged 6.4M+ work hours and poured 200,000+ cubic yards of concrete. The single largest private capital project in Ohio history and the anchor of the region's data-center/industrial corridor, where Meta, Google, and QTS are also building concurrently.
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Named directly in the hub's own landscaping mini as a distinct compliance layer on every new industrial pad in the New Albany corridor - a real, sustained specialty distinct from routine grounds maintenance.
What commercial landscaping roles pay in Columbus.
In the Columbus metro, BLS puts the median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $39,100 a year, in line with the $39,150 national median. Among the 112 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, Columbus ranks 47th on pay. Most of the market sits between $31,870 and $49,230. Of the other field roles, landscape designer / architect pays the most locally, at a $64,660 median. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Landscaping Salary Guide.
| Role | Columbus median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape / Grounds Crew MemberLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (37-3011) | $39,100 | $31,870–$49,230 | $39,150 | 0% | 6,820 |
| Grounds Crew SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $58,390 | $46,880–$78,240 | $58,430 | 0% | 870 |
| Tree Trimmer / ArboristTree Trimmers and Pruners (37-3013) | $50,330 | $39,310–$60,760 | $50,960 | −1% | 210 |
| Licensed Pesticide ApplicatorPesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation (37-3012) | $55,830 | $37,180–$58,240 | $46,340 | +20% | 70 |
| Landscape Designer / ArchitectLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $64,660 | $51,430–$119,860 | $79,870 | −19% | 180 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Columbus 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 Columbus commercial landscaping hiring actually plays out in 2026.
Why we name a regulatory standard alongside a capital project
The hub's landscaping mini names stormwater and detention work tied to Ohio EPA standards as a real, distinct demand driver - not a construction project, but a compliance requirement on every new pad in the corridor. We report it because the hub does.
Why the New Albany corridor is a genuinely unusual scale
Intel, Meta, Google, and QTS are all building simultaneously in the same corridor. Corporate campus grounds maintenance at this concentration of hyperscale sites is a different discipline than routine commercial landscaping anywhere else in the metro.
What this means for sourcing
We source against verified large-scale industrial campus maintenance and stormwater/detention compliance experience, not resume claims, given the specific 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 Columbus commercial landscaping clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months.
- Data-center corridor grounds crew lead
- Stormwater/detention compliance specialist
- Corporate campus landscape designer
- Grounds maintenance manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in Columbus, see the Columbus 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 Columbus, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in Columbus's commercial landscaping segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. For Columbus landscaping work, we also confirm whether the role requires Ohio EPA stormwater/detention compliance experience or standard corporate grounds work.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Columbus commercial landscaping candidate network, filtered for verified large-scale industrial campus and compliance credentials where relevant.
- Vetted short list (week one to several weeks). Three to five candidates. We verify real large-campus grounds project history rather than a line on a resume - timeline depends on the project scope involved.
- Offer and close. Standard roles close in 4-6 weeks. We help with offer math against Columbus's documented general context.
Columbus sits at about the national rate for commercial landscaping — neither unusually deep nor unusually thin.
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 Columbus's commercial landscaping market compares
In 2023 the Columbus metro had 636 landscaping companies (counted by business location). BLS publishes that count but withholds headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. That works out to 29 per 100,000 residents against 37 nationally. Fewer local employers means experienced people are easier to identify, but many work for firms based outside the metro.
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Columbus ranks 29th for headcount, 43rd for median pay and 43rd for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cleveland | 6,910 | $38,230 | 1.09 | 1,028 |
| Columbus | 6,820 | $39,100 | 1.01 | 636 |
| Cincinnati | 6,610 | $38,600 | 0.98 | 814 |
| Akron | 2,250 | $37,610 | 1.15 | 323 |
| Dayton | 2,080 | $37,880 | 0.91 | 269 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial landscaping employers in Columbus, the pool is about the national norm for its size, so difficulty depends on the role more than the market.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Columbus metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Columbus's commercial landscaping market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Columbus rose from 613 in 2018 to 636 in 2023, up 4%, behind the 13% growth nationally. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Columbus, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 613 | 636 | +4% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 6,590 | – | – |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $38,500 | – | – |
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 Columbus.
Why does Ohio EPA compliance matter for landscaping in Columbus specifically?
The metro's own data names stormwater and detention work tied to Ohio EPA standards as a real driver on every new industrial pad in the New Albany corridor - a distinct regulatory specialty layered on top of routine grounds maintenance, not something we're inferring.
What is driving commercial landscaping demand in Columbus right now?
Corporate campus maintenance at scale for the data-center corridor's large sites (anchored by Intel's $28B fab), plus stormwater and detention work tied to Ohio EPA standards on every new industrial pad.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Columbus?
BLS puts the Columbus median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $39,100 a year, about the same as the $39,150 national median. That ranks 47th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $31,870 to $49,230 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.5x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other Ohio metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Columbus?
It is about average. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers are as common in Columbus as they are nationally (location quotient 1.01), with about 6,820 in the metro.
Which commercial landscaping roles pay the most in Columbus?
Of the roles we recruit for, Landscape Designer / Architect pays the most in Columbus, a $64,660 median. Landscape / Grounds Crew Member is the lowest-paid field role at $39,100. Relative to national pay, Licensed Pesticide Applicator is the strongest-paying role here (20% above). Landscape Designer / Architect trails national pay the most (19% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Columbus?
BLS counted 636 landscaping companies in Columbus in 2023. Up from 613 in 2018, a 4% increase against 13% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers.
Which nearby metros compete with Columbus for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Dayton (65 miles, about 2,080, $37,880 median), Cincinnati (99 miles, about 6,610, $38,600 median) and Akron (110 miles, about 2,250, $37,610 median).
Hiring commercial landscaping talent in Columbus?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you timeline and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.