Commercial landscaping recruiters serving Knoxville.
Standard corporate and institutional grounds maintenance across the metro, with site remediation and reclamation knowledge a real asset around former federal land.
2,500+ acres of former federal land, now in reuse.
Metro pay for every role we recruit is in the table below. What the hub does name: standard corporate and institutional grounds maintenance across the metro, with site remediation and reclamation knowledge a real asset around former federal land.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial landscaping contractors in Knoxville against that documented context.
A ~$10B federal land reuse program.
The metro's named driver isn't a single building - it's thousands of acres of former federal land now being redeveloped.
-
More than 2,500 acres of former federal property transferred to the community for economic reuse. Businesses locating on those sites make site remediation and reclamation knowledge a real, named asset for grounds work across the metro.
What commercial landscaping roles pay in Knoxville.
In the Knoxville metro, BLS puts the median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $36,040 a year, 8% below the $39,150 national median. Among the 112 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, Knoxville ranks 104th on pay. Most of the market sits between $29,450 and $46,390. Of the other field roles, grounds crew supervisor pays the most locally, at a $54,550 median. BLS does not publish Knoxville pay for 2 of the roles below, 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 | Knoxville median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape / Grounds Crew MemberLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (37-3011) | $36,040 | $29,450–$46,390 | $39,150 | −8% | 3,020 |
| Grounds Crew SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $54,550 | $36,790–$83,020 | $58,430 | −7% | 370 |
| Tree Trimmer / ArboristTree Trimmers and Pruners (37-3013) | $48,780 | $40,200–$66,170 | $50,960 | −4% | – |
| Licensed Pesticide ApplicatorPesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation (37-3012) | – | – | $46,340 | – | – |
| Landscape Designer / ArchitectLandscape Architects (17-1012) | – | – | $79,870 | – | 50 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Knoxville 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 Knoxville commercial landscaping hiring actually plays out in 2026.
Why site remediation knowledge matters here specifically
The hub names it directly: with 2,500+ acres of former Manhattan Project/Cold War-era federal land now in private reuse, grounds crews who understand remediation and reclamation constraints have a real edge over generalist landscaping experience.
Why we don't tie this page to the $1.38B enrichment facility
Oak Ridge's new $1.38B laser uranium enrichment facility is a real project, but the hub's own landscaping mini doesn't connect it to grounds-work demand - it names the land reuse program instead, so that's what we report.
What this means for sourcing
We source against verified commercial and institutional grounds-maintenance experience, with remediation/reclamation-site familiarity as a differentiator where the role calls for it.
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 Knoxville commercial landscaping clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months.
- Remediated-site grounds crew lead
- Corporate campus landscape designer
- Landscape crew foreman
- Grounds maintenance manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in Knoxville, see the Knoxville 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 Knoxville, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in Knoxville's commercial landscaping segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. For Knoxville landscaping work, we also confirm whether the site sits on former federal land requiring remediation-aware experience.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Knoxville commercial landscaping candidate network, filtered for remediation/reclamation-site familiarity where relevant.
- Vetted short list (week one to several weeks). Three to five candidates. We verify real project history rather than a line on a resume - timeline depends on the site's specific requirements.
- Offer and close. Standard roles close in 4-6 weeks. We help with offer math against Knoxville's documented general context.
Knoxville runs 16% more commercial landscaping workers per job than the country as a whole — 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 Knoxville's commercial landscaping market compares
In 2023 the Knoxville metro had 352 landscaping companies (counted by business location), with about 2,984 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $44,813, 7.2% below the national average of $48,279 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 6.1% 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 6.3%, more firms competing for the same crews. That works out to 38 per 100,000 residents, close to the 37 national rate.
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Knoxville ranks 56th for headcount, 94th for median pay and 25th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers. Pay here is among the lowest we see, which makes relocation offers from higher-paying metros a real retention risk.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nashville | 6,270 | $37,910 | 0.93 | 749 |
| Memphis | 3,100 | $36,500 | 0.83 | 325 |
| Knoxville | 3,020 | $36,040 | 1.16 | 352 |
| Chattanooga | 1,460 | $36,190 | 0.89 | 142 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial landscaping employers in Knoxville, 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, Knoxville metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Knoxville's commercial landscaping market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Knoxville rose from 269 in 2018 to 352 in 2023, up 31%, ahead of the 13% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 15%, to about 2,984 people. Average annual pay there went from $30,662 to $44,813 (+46%), faster than the 31% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 269 | 352 | +31% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 2,603 | 2,984 | +15% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $30,662 | $44,813 | +46% |
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 Knoxville.
What is the Oak Ridge federal land reuse program?
More than 2,500 acres of former federal property has been transferred to the community for economic reuse, with businesses locating on those sites announcing a combined ~$10B in projected capital investment - the metro's named driver for site remediation/reclamation-aware grounds work.
What is driving commercial landscaping demand in Knoxville right now?
Standard corporate and institutional grounds maintenance across the metro, with site remediation/reclamation knowledge a real asset given the scale of former federal land now in reuse around Oak Ridge.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Knoxville?
BLS puts the Knoxville median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $36,040 a year, 8% below the $39,150 national median. That ranks 104th of 112 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $29,450 to $46,390 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. Within Tennessee, Nashville pays more, at $37,910.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Knoxville?
Not by national standards. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers make up 16% more of the Knoxville workforce than they do nationally, about 3,020 people. The 352 landscaping companies here average about 8.5 employees per location. With 31% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial landscaping roles pay the most in Knoxville?
Of the roles we recruit for, Grounds Crew Supervisor pays the most in Knoxville, a $54,550 median. Landscape / Grounds Crew Member is the lowest-paid field role at $36,040. Landscape / Grounds Crew Member trails national pay the most (8% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Knoxville?
BLS counted 352 landscaping companies in Knoxville in 2023, employing about 2,984 people between them. Up from 269 in 2018, a 31% increase against 13% growth nationally. That averages 8.5 people per location. They pay an average of $44,813, 7% below the $48,279 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Knoxville for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Chattanooga (101 miles, about 1,460, $36,190 median), Greenville (115 miles, about 2,420, $36,610 median) and Atlanta (155 miles, about 15,300, $38,500 median). Atlanta has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Atlanta pays 7% more, which is where Knoxville employers tend to lose people.
Hiring commercial landscaping talent in Knoxville?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you timeline and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.