Commercial landscaping recruiters serving Grand Rapids.
Institutional campus maintenance for the growing Medical Mile corridor, plus standard corporate demand across the metro.
Three concurrent projects, one Medical Mile corridor.
Metro pay for every role we recruit is in the table below. What the hub does name: institutional campus maintenance for the growing Medical Mile corridor, plus standard corporate demand across the metro.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial landscaping contractors in Grand Rapids against that documented context.
Nearly half a million square feet of hospital and research capacity.
All added in 2025-2026 alone.
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280,000 sq ft and 120 licensed beds added to Butterworth Hospital, anchoring Grand Rapids' "Medical Mile" and requiring dedicated institutional-campus grounds work.
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A pediatric rehabilitation hospital connected to Mary Free Bed by a pedestrian walkway, adding another hospital-grade grounds project to the Medical Mile corridor.
What commercial landscaping roles pay in Grand Rapids.
In the Grand Rapids metro, BLS puts the median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $37,470 a year, 4% below the $39,150 national median. Among the 112 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, Grand Rapids ranks 73rd on pay. Most of the market sits between $29,960 and $49,780. Of the other field roles, landscape designer / architect pays the most locally, at a $77,670 median. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Landscaping Salary Guide.
| Role | Grand Rapids median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape / Grounds Crew MemberLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (37-3011) | $37,470 | $29,960–$49,780 | $39,150 | −4% | 4,590 |
| Grounds Crew SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $58,240 | $39,130–$77,280 | $58,430 | 0% | 570 |
| Tree Trimmer / ArboristTree Trimmers and Pruners (37-3013) | $58,210 | $40,830–$64,220 | $50,960 | +14% | 130 |
| Licensed Pesticide ApplicatorPesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation (37-3012) | $44,950 | $36,190–$55,750 | $46,340 | −3% | 130 |
| Landscape Designer / ArchitectLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $77,670 | $49,190–$104,210 | $79,870 | −3% | 110 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Grand Rapids 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 Grand Rapids commercial landscaping hiring actually plays out in 2026.
Why three concurrent Medical Mile projects drive sustained demand
Corewell's South Pavilion and the Secchia Children's Rehabilitation Hospital are both moving at once, adding nearly half a million square feet of hospital and research capacity - a genuinely concentrated institutional-campus grounds demand signal.
Why the Medical Mile corridor requires coordinated multi-site grounds work
With Corewell's South Pavilion and the Secchia hospital both active on the same corridor, grounds crews need to coordinate around multiple concurrent construction sites, not a single isolated project.
What this means for sourcing
We source against verified institutional/healthcare-campus grounds project history, 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 Grand Rapids commercial landscaping clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months.
- Medical Mile institutional-campus grounds crew lead
- Corporate/institutional grounds maintenance crew lead
- Landscape crew foreman
- Grounds maintenance manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in Grand Rapids, see the Grand Rapids 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 Grand Rapids, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in Grand Rapids's commercial landscaping segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. For Grand Rapids landscaping work, we also confirm which Medical Mile project the role sits within, or standard commercial grounds work.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Grand Rapids commercial landscaping candidate network, filtered for verified institutional-campus grounds credentials.
- Vetted short list (week one to several weeks). Three to five candidates. We verify real multi-site logistics experience 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 Grand Rapids documented general context.
Grand Rapids 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 Grand Rapids's commercial landscaping market compares
In 2023 the Grand Rapids metro had 394 landscaping companies (counted by business location), with about 3,926 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $48,660, in line with the national average of $48,279 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 3% 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 8.2%, more firms competing for the same crews. That works out to 36 per 100,000 residents, close to the 37 national rate.
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Grand Rapids ranks 44th for headcount, 67th for median pay and 16th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 12,990 | $38,820 | 1.11 | 1,719 |
| Grand Rapids | 4,590 | $37,470 | 1.25 | 394 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial landscaping employers in Grand Rapids, 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, Grand Rapids metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Grand Rapids's commercial landscaping market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Grand Rapids rose from 316 in 2018 to 394 in 2023, up 25%, ahead of the 13% national rise.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 316 | 394 | +25% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | – | 3,926 | – |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | – | $48,660 | – |
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 Grand Rapids.
What is driving commercial landscaping demand in Grand Rapids right now?
Corewell Health's South Pavilion at Butterworth Hospital and the Joan Secchia Children's Rehabilitation Hospital, both on the Medical Mile corridor, are the named drivers.
What is the Medical Mile?
The metro's own data describes this as a corridor with nearly half a million square feet of hospital and research capacity being added in 2025-2026 alone, across three concurrent projects.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Grand Rapids?
BLS puts the Grand Rapids median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $37,470 a year, 4% below the $39,150 national median. That ranks 73rd of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $29,960 and $49,780, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within Michigan, Detroit pays more, at $38,820.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Grand Rapids?
Not by national standards. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers make up 25% more of the Grand Rapids workforce than they do nationally, about 4,590 people. The 394 landscaping companies here average about 10.0 employees per location. With 25% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial landscaping roles pay the most in Grand Rapids?
Of the roles we recruit for, Landscape Designer / Architect pays the most in Grand Rapids, a $77,670 median. Landscape / Grounds Crew Member is the lowest-paid field role at $37,470. Relative to national pay, Tree Trimmer / Arborist is the strongest-paying role here (14% above). Landscape / Grounds Crew Member trails national pay the most (4% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Grand Rapids?
BLS counted 394 landscaping companies in Grand Rapids in 2023, employing about 3,926 people between them. Up from 316 in 2018, a 25% increase against 13% growth nationally. That averages 10.0 people per location. They pay about the national average of $48,279.
Which nearby metros compete with Grand Rapids for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Milwaukee (113 miles, about 5,020, $44,440 median), Chicago (127 miles, about 25,160, $45,280 median) and Detroit (140 miles, about 12,990, $38,820 median). Chicago has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Milwaukee pays 19% more, which is where Grand Rapids employers tend to lose people.
Hiring commercial landscaping talent in Grand Rapids?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you timeline and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.