Commercial landscaping recruiters serving Durham-Chapel Hill.
Corporate campus landscaping for AbbVie's and Novartis' expanding footprints, plus standard institutional demand tied to Research Triangle growth.
Two of the largest pharma investments in North Carolina history.
Metro pay for every role we recruit is in the table below. What the hub does name: corporate campus landscaping for AbbVie's and Novartis' expanding footprints, plus standard institutional demand tied to Research Triangle growth.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial landscaping contractors in Durham-Chapel Hill against that documented context.
Two pharmaceutical manufacturing campuses.
$2.1B combined, both named directly by the hub.
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185 acres near Research Triangle Park - small volume parenteral drug manufacturing, next-generation labs, a warehouse, and administrative/wellness facilities. 734 direct jobs over 4 years and 2,000+ construction jobs during buildout, adding real corporate campus landscaping demand.
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Two new facilities for biologics manufacturing and sterile packaging, plus an expansion of Novartis' existing Durham facility - about 700 jobs, and the second named driver of the metro's corporate campus landscaping demand.
What commercial landscaping roles pay in Durham-Chapel Hill.
In the Durham-Chapel Hill metro, BLS puts the median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $38,610 a year, in line with the $39,150 national median. Among the 112 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, Durham-Chapel Hill ranks 52nd on pay. Most of the market sits between $34,150 and $53,090. Of the other field roles, landscape designer / architect pays the most locally, at a $84,270 median. BLS does not publish Durham-Chapel Hill pay for licensed pesticide applicator, which it withholds where a metro's sample is too small to be reliable. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Landscaping Salary Guide.
| Role | Durham-Chapel Hill median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape / Grounds Crew MemberLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (37-3011) | $38,610 | $34,150–$53,090 | $39,150 | −1% | 1,710 |
| Grounds Crew SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $59,030 | $44,820–$80,400 | $58,430 | +1% | 180 |
| Tree Trimmer / ArboristTree Trimmers and Pruners (37-3013) | $60,860 | $36,280–$72,250 | $50,960 | +19% | – |
| Licensed Pesticide ApplicatorPesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation (37-3012) | – | – | $46,340 | – | – |
| Landscape Designer / ArchitectLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $84,270 | $63,700–$120,200 | $79,870 | +6% | 90 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Durham-Chapel Hill 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 Durham-Chapel Hill commercial landscaping hiring actually plays out in 2026.
Why we name two pharmaceutical manufacturers, not UNC's campus extension
UNC-Chapel Hill's Carolina North campus extension is a real, named project on this metro's hub page, but the landscaping mini credits AbbVie and Novartis specifically, so that's what we report.
Why pharmaceutical campus landscaping is a distinct scope
AbbVie's 185-acre manufacturing campus and Novartis' two new facilities require grounds work at an industrial-pharmaceutical scale distinct from routine corporate landscaping.
What this means for sourcing
We source against verified large-scale industrial/pharmaceutical campus landscaping 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 Durham-Chapel Hill commercial landscaping clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months.
- Pharmaceutical campus landscape crew lead
- Corporate campus landscape designer
- Landscape crew foreman
- Grounds maintenance manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in Durham-Chapel Hill, see the Durham-Chapel Hill 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 Durham-Chapel Hill, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in Durham-Chapel Hill's commercial landscaping segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. For Durham-Chapel Hill landscaping work, we also confirm whether the role sits within AbbVie's or Novartis' campus scope, or standard institutional grounds work.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Durham-Chapel Hill commercial landscaping candidate network, filtered for verified large-scale industrial/pharmaceutical campus 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 Durham-Chapel Hill's documented general context.
Durham-Chapel Hill runs 19% fewer commercial landscaping 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. Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Durham-Chapel Hill's commercial landscaping market compares
In 2023 the Durham-Chapel Hill metro had 240 landscaping companies (counted by business location), with about 1,653 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $46,414, 3.9% below the national average of $48,279 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 9.4% over the year, faster than the 2.2% national increase, so local employers were adding people quicker than most of the country. The number of these employers rose 5.7%, more firms competing for the same crews. 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, Durham-Chapel Hill ranks 85th for headcount, 48th for median pay and 86th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 8,400 | $38,630 | 1.01 | 1,223 |
| Raleigh | 5,710 | $38,500 | 1.25 | 684 |
| Winston-Salem | 1,820 | $37,420 | 1.09 | 334 |
| Greensboro | 1,730 | $37,830 | 0.77 | 337 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | 1,710 | $38,610 | 0.81 | 240 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial landscaping employers in Durham-Chapel Hill, the local pool is thin but growing. Expect a mix of local candidates and people recruited in from nearby metros, and budget for relocation on senior roles.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Durham-Chapel Hill metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Durham-Chapel Hill's commercial landscaping market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Durham-Chapel Hill rose from 188 in 2018 to 240 in 2023, up 28%, ahead of the 13% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 18%, to about 1,653 people. Average annual pay there went from $34,526 to $46,414 (+34%), in step with the 31% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 188 | 240 | +28% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 1,406 | 1,653 | +18% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $34,526 | $46,414 | +34% |
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 Durham-Chapel Hill.
What are the two pharmaceutical manufacturers driving landscaping demand?
AbbVie's $1.4B, 185-acre manufacturing campus and Novartis' $771M biologics manufacturing investment across Durham and Wake counties - both named directly in the metro's own landscaping data as corporate campus drivers.
What is driving commercial landscaping demand in Durham-Chapel Hill right now?
Corporate campus landscaping for AbbVie's and Novartis' expanding footprints, plus standard institutional demand tied to Research Triangle growth.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Durham-Chapel Hill?
BLS puts the Durham-Chapel Hill median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $38,610 a year, about the same as the $39,150 national median. That ranks 52nd of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $34,150 to $53,090 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other North Carolina metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Yes. Durham-Chapel Hill has 19% fewer landscaping and groundskeeping workers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 1,710 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 240 landscaping companies here average about 6.9 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 28% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial landscaping roles pay the most in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Of the roles we recruit for, Landscape Designer / Architect pays the most in Durham-Chapel Hill, a $84,270 median. Landscape / Grounds Crew Member is the lowest-paid field role at $38,610. Relative to national pay, Tree Trimmer / Arborist is the strongest-paying role here (19% above).
How many landscaping companies operate in Durham-Chapel Hill?
BLS counted 240 landscaping companies in Durham-Chapel Hill in 2023, employing about 1,653 people between them. Up from 188 in 2018, a 28% increase against 13% growth nationally. That averages 6.9 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $46,414, 4% below the $48,279 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Durham-Chapel Hill for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Raleigh (21 miles, about 5,710, $38,500 median), Greensboro (50 miles, about 1,730, $37,830 median) and Winston-Salem (75 miles, about 1,820, $37,420 median). Raleigh has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move.
Hiring commercial landscaping talent in Durham-Chapel Hill?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you timeline and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.