Commercial landscaping recruiters serving Madison.
Epic's famously distinctive campus architecture and UW Health's hospital campuses both drive real corporate/institutional landscaping demand.
A famously distinctive campus and two hospital expansions.
Metro pay for every role we recruit is in the table below. What the hub does name: Epic's famously distinctive campus architecture and UW Health's hospital campuses, both driving real corporate/institutional landscaping demand.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial landscaping contractors in Madison against that documented context.
A "Black Hole" parking structure and two concurrent hospitals.
Two named drivers, one architectural and one healthcare.
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A distinctively-themed campus with a "Black Hole" parking structure, three new office buildings, and a food services building on part of Epic's ~1,700-acre Verona campus - the hub's own mini calls this architecture "famously distinctive," a direct quote we preserve.
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A six-story University Hospital addition and a separate East Madison Hospital addition, both driving institutional grounds-work demand at real scale.
What commercial landscaping roles pay in Madison.
In the Madison metro, BLS puts the median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $44,440 a year, 14% above the $39,150 national median. Among the 112 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, Madison ranks 25th on pay. Most of the market sits between $31,430 and $59,920. Of the other field roles, landscape designer / architect pays the most locally, at a $82,870 median. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Landscaping Salary Guide.
| Role | Madison median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape / Grounds Crew MemberLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (37-3011) | $44,440 | $31,430–$59,920 | $39,150 | +14% | 2,330 |
| Grounds Crew SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $70,740 | $56,780–$89,530 | $58,430 | +21% | 370 |
| Tree Trimmer / ArboristTree Trimmers and Pruners (37-3013) | $51,290 | $40,090–$74,690 | $50,960 | +1% | 200 |
| Licensed Pesticide ApplicatorPesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation (37-3012) | $44,280 | $44,280–$60,800 | $46,340 | −4% | 110 |
| Landscape Designer / ArchitectLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $82,870 | $58,240–$125,790 | $79,870 | +4% | 130 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Madison 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 Madison commercial landscaping hiring actually plays out in 2026.
Why we preserve the hub's own "famously distinctive" framing
The hub's landscaping mini specifically calls out Epic's campus architecture as famously distinctive - we keep that framing because it's the hub's own documented language, not our embellishment.
Why two concurrent hospital additions matter for grounds work
UW Health's University Hospital and East Madison Hospital additions are both running concurrently, meaning institutional landscaping demand here isn't tied to one project's timeline - it's two overlapping windows.
What this means for sourcing
We source against verified large-scale corporate campus and healthcare-institutional 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 Madison commercial landscaping clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months.
- Corporate campus landscape designer
- Healthcare campus grounds crew lead
- Landscape crew foreman
- Grounds maintenance manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in Madison, see the Madison 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 Madison, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in Madison's commercial landscaping segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. For Madison landscaping work, we also confirm whether the role sits within Epic's campus scope, UW Health's hospital scope, or standard corporate grounds work.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Madison commercial landscaping candidate network, filtered for verified large-scale corporate campus or institutional/healthcare experience 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 Madison's documented general context.
Madison runs 7% 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 Madison's commercial landscaping market compares
In 2023 the Madison metro had 293 landscaping companies (counted by business location), with about 2,380 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $45,972, 4.8% below the national average of $48,279 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 3.1% 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 7.7%, more firms competing for the same crews. That works out to 42 per 100,000 residents against 37 nationally, a crowded field where experienced people get approached often.
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Madison ranks 67th for headcount, 22nd for median pay and 59th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee | 5,020 | $44,440 | 1.00 | 632 |
| Madison | 2,330 | $44,440 | 0.93 | 293 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial landscaping employers in Madison, 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, Madison metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Madison's commercial landscaping market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Madison rose from 273 in 2018 to 293 in 2023, up 7%, behind the 13% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 5%, to about 2,380 people. Average annual pay there went from $35,766 to $45,972 (+29%), in step with the 31% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 273 | 293 | +7% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 2,268 | 2,380 | +5% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $35,766 | $45,972 | +29% |
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 Madison.
Why does Epic Systems' campus drive landscaping demand?
The hub's own data calls Epic's campus architecture "famously distinctive" - a genuinely unusual corporate campus with themed buildings that requires design and maintenance work beyond routine corporate landscaping.
What is driving commercial landscaping demand in Madison right now?
Epic's famously distinctive campus architecture and UW Health's hospital campuses both drive real corporate/institutional landscaping demand.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Madison?
BLS puts the Madison median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $44,440 a year, 14% above the $39,150 national median. That ranks 25th of 112 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $31,430 and $59,920, a 1.9x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other Wisconsin metro we cover pays more for this work (Milwaukee: $44,440).
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Madison?
It is about average. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers are as common in Madison as they are nationally (location quotient 0.93), with about 2,330 in the metro. The 293 landscaping companies here average about 8.1 employees per location.
Which commercial landscaping roles pay the most in Madison?
Of the roles we recruit for, Landscape Designer / Architect pays the most in Madison, a $82,870 median. Licensed Pesticide Applicator is the lowest-paid field role at $44,280. Relative to national pay, Grounds Crew Supervisor is the strongest-paying role here (21% above). Licensed Pesticide Applicator trails national pay the most (4% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Madison?
BLS counted 293 landscaping companies in Madison in 2023, employing about 2,380 people between them. Up from 273 in 2018, a 7% increase against 13% growth nationally. That averages 8.1 people per location. They pay an average of $45,972, 5% below the $48,279 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Madison for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Milwaukee (76 miles, about 5,020, $44,440 median), Chicago (123 miles, about 25,160, $45,280 median) and Grand Rapids (189 miles, about 4,590, $37,470 median). Milwaukee has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Madison out-pays Grand Rapids, an advantage when recruiting from there.
Hiring commercial landscaping talent in Madison?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you timeline and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.