Commercial Irrigation recruiters serving Huntsville.
About 1,550 landscaping and groundskeeping workers work in the Huntsville metro, at a $37,510 median. BLS counts 184 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 Huntsville.
BLS counts about 2,580 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Huntsville metro, the largest group being landscaping and groundskeeping workers (about 1,550). Relative to the size of the local economy, landscaping and groundskeeping workers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.95). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Irrigation hub.
Irrigation Technician / Installer
Huntsville: 1,550 employed · $37,510 median, 72nd-highest of 112 metros
Certified Irrigation Technician (CIT)
Irrigation System Designer
Huntsville: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Backflow Prevention Specialist
Huntsville: 790 employed · $57,020 median, 93rd-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Service / Repair Technician
Irrigation Foreman / Crew Lead
Huntsville: 240 employed · $57,030 median, 62nd-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Project Manager
Huntsville: 770 employed · $96,030 median, 108th-highest of 111 metros
Irrigation Estimator
Huntsville: 350 employed · $78,670 median, 50th-highest of 111 metros
Smart / Controller Systems Technician
Landscape Water Management Auditor
What Commercial Irrigation roles earn in Huntsville.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Huntsville earn a median $37,510, 4% under the $39,150 national figure, and 72nd of 112 metros. Pay runs $29,870 at the tenth percentile to $60,720 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is first-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers, at $57,030 against $58,430 nationally. BLS withholds Huntsville pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Huntsville 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) | $37,510 | $29,870–$60,720 | $39,150 | −4% | 1,550 |
| Irrigation System DesignerLandscape Architects (17-1012) | – | – | $79,870 | – | – |
| Backflow Prevention SpecialistPlumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-2152) | $57,020 | $37,870–$82,620 | $63,800 | −11% | 790 |
| Irrigation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $57,030 | $36,440–$77,490 | $58,430 | −2% | 240 |
| Irrigation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $96,030 | $59,780–$157,270 | $114,990 | −16% | 770 |
| Irrigation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $78,670 | $43,550–$126,450 | $78,740 | 0% | 350 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Huntsville 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 Huntsville's commercial irrigation market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Huntsville rose from 155 in 2018 to 184 in 2023, up 19%, ahead of the 13% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 10%, to about 1,158 people. Average annual pay there went from $29,135 to $42,293 (+45%), faster than the 31% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 155 | 184 | +19% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 1,051 | 1,158 | +10% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $29,135 | $42,293 | +45% |
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
Huntsville runs 5% fewer commercial irrigation workers per job than the country as a whole — below the national concentration.
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 Huntsville's commercial irrigation market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Huntsville ranks 92nd for headcount, 66th for median pay and 56th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birmingham | 2,880 | $36,600 | 0.90 | 400 |
| Huntsville | 1,550 | $37,510 | 0.95 | 184 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial irrigation employers in Huntsville, the pool is about the national norm for its size and local employers are adding people, so expect competing offers on experienced candidates and keep the process short.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Huntsville metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Irrigation licensing in Alabama.
Alabama has no irrigation contractor license. Commercial irrigation work is caught by the general contractor law instead: Alabama defines a general contractor as one who undertakes construction or site work where the cost including labor and materials is one hundred thousand dollars or more, and that license is issued by the Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors with classifications and bid limits. Plumbing connections require certification from the Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board, though that board expressly exempts testing of backflow devices from certification as long as the device is not removed. Cross connections are prohibited under ADEM rule 335-7-9 with responsibility placed on the supplier of water, so the tester credential a crew needs comes from the local water system rather than the state. The same state rules apply in Birmingham, so candidates licensed there can work in Huntsville without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Alabama Licensing Board for General Contractors; Alabama Plumbers and Gas Fitters Examining Board; Alabama Department of Environmental Management and local water suppliers. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Huntsville talent.
The closest metro we cover is Chattanooga, about 75 miles away, with roughly 1,460 landscaping and groundskeeping workers (0.9 times Huntsville's 1,550). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $36,040 in Knoxville to $38,500 in Atlanta, against $37,510 here. Atlanta has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntsville | – | 1,550 | $37,510 |
| Chattanooga | 76 mi | 1,460 | $36,190 |
| Birmingham | 84 mi | 2,880 | $36,600 |
| Nashville | 100 mi | 6,270 | $37,910 |
| Atlanta | 143 mi | 15,300 | $38,500 |
| Knoxville | 173 mi | 3,020 | $36,040 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Huntsville crews.
Not commercial irrigation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Huntsville in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- U.S. Space Command permanent headquarters (Redstone Arsenal)$565M federal ($115M design + $450M construction, proposed - advanced by the House Appropriations Committee as of April 2026, not yet passed Senate or signed) + $45M localPersonnel relocation underway; up to 200 on-site by end of 2026
A permanent federal headquarters campus, with Huntsville separately funding senior leader housing and critical site infrastructure. Separately, the Pentagon's FY2027 budget request for the full relocation is $951M - a larger, different figure than the $565M facility appropriation above.
- Eli Lilly active pharmaceutical ingredient facility$6B (part of a $27B, 4-facility US investment)Construction starting 2026
One of four new pharmaceutical production facilities Eli Lilly is building nationwide - cleanroom-grade manufacturing at genuinely enormous scale for this market.
- Huntsville Hospital Madison Street Tower expansion$150MOpening 2027
A 5-story, 154,000 sq ft addition with a cardiothoracic ICU, neuro ICU, three floors of acute medical space, 120 private patient rooms, and a new ED vehicle entrance.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Huntsville market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial irrigation, and what kills offers in Huntsville.
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 Huntsville.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Huntsville?
BLS puts the Huntsville median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $37,510 a year, 4% below the $39,150 national median. That ranks 72nd of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $29,870 and $60,720, a 2.0x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other Alabama metro we cover pays more for this work (Birmingham: $36,600).
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Huntsville?
It is about average. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers are as common in Huntsville as they are nationally (location quotient 0.95), with about 1,550 in the metro. The 184 landscaping companies here average about 6.3 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 19% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial irrigation roles pay the most in Huntsville?
Of the roles we recruit for, Irrigation Project Manager pays the most in Huntsville, a $96,030 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Irrigation Foreman / Crew Lead at $57,030, 41% below it. Irrigation Technician / Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $37,510. Irrigation Project Manager trails national pay the most (16% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Huntsville?
BLS counted 184 landscaping companies in Huntsville in 2023, employing about 1,158 people between them. Up from 155 in 2018, a 19% increase against 13% growth nationally. That averages 6.3 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $42,293, 12% below the $48,279 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counts irrigation contractors under landscaping companies.
Which nearby metros compete with Huntsville for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Chattanooga (76 miles, about 1,460, $36,190 median), Birmingham (84 miles, about 2,880, $36,600 median) and Nashville (100 miles, about 6,270, $37,910 median). Birmingham has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
184 landscaping companies in Huntsville are drawing on the same 1,550 landscaping and groundskeeping workers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
Schedule a Discovery Call →