Commercial Irrigation recruiters serving McAllen.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers are scarcer in McAllen than in most of the country, 63% fewer per job, so the roughly 680 who work here are rarely short of offers. BLS counts 33 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 McAllen.
BLS counts about 1,110 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the McAllen metro, the largest group being landscaping and groundskeeping workers (about 680). Relative to the size of the local economy, landscaping and groundskeeping workers are far less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.37). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Irrigation hub.
Irrigation Technician / Installer
McAllen: 680 employed · $29,060 median, 112th-highest of 112 metros
Certified Irrigation Technician (CIT)
Irrigation System Designer
McAllen: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Backflow Prevention Specialist
McAllen: 360 employed · $46,110 median, 112th-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Service / Repair Technician
Irrigation Foreman / Crew Lead
McAllen: 70 employed · $43,730 median, 111th-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Project Manager
McAllen: 500 employed · $83,450 median, 111th-highest of 111 metros
Irrigation Estimator
McAllen: 230 employed · $64,420 median, 109th-highest of 111 metros
Smart / Controller Systems Technician
Landscape Water Management Auditor
What Commercial Irrigation roles earn in McAllen.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers in McAllen earn a median $29,060, 26% under the $39,150 national figure, and 112th of 112 metros. Pay runs $23,010 at the tenth percentile to $37,960 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, at $46,110 against $63,800 nationally. BLS withholds McAllen pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | McAllen 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) | $29,060 | $23,010–$37,960 | $39,150 | −26% | 680 |
| Irrigation System DesignerLandscape Architects (17-1012) | – | – | $79,870 | – | – |
| Backflow Prevention SpecialistPlumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-2152) | $46,110 | $30,370–$62,130 | $63,800 | −28% | 360 |
| Irrigation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $43,730 | $30,620–$65,080 | $58,430 | −25% | 70 |
| Irrigation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $83,450 | $56,680–$156,460 | $114,990 | −27% | 500 |
| Irrigation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $64,420 | $37,730–$103,920 | $78,740 | −18% | 230 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, McAllen 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 McAllen's commercial irrigation market has changed since 2018.
McAllen lost landscaping companies between 2018 and 2023, from 40 business locations to 33 (down 17%), behind the 13% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went down 10%, to about 206 people. Average annual pay there went from $24,237 to $30,275 (+25%), slower than the 31% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 40 | 33 | −17% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 230 | 206 | −10% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $24,237 | $30,275 | +25% |
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
McAllen runs 63% fewer commercial irrigation workers per job than the country as a whole — well 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 (nearest published occupation for this trade). Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How McAllen's commercial irrigation market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, McAllen ranks 100th for headcount, 100th for median pay and 100th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers. That makes it one of the thinnest commercial irrigation labor markets we recruit in.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth | 19,750 | $37,680 | 0.80 | 1,629 |
| Houston | 14,840 | $36,280 | 0.74 | 1,026 |
| Austin | 7,600 | $38,370 | 0.96 | 610 |
| San Antonio | 3,760 | $35,630 | 0.55 | 467 |
| El Paso | 1,200 | $30,640 | 0.58 | 88 |
| McAllen | 680 | $29,060 | 0.37 | 33 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial irrigation employers in McAllen, the local pool is thin and local employers have been cutting headcount. Senior hires often come from outside the metro or from adjacent trades, so start searches earlier than you would elsewhere.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, McAllen metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Irrigation licensing in Texas.
Texas licenses landscape irrigators, irrigation technicians and irrigation inspectors at the state level through TCEQ. TCEQ also issues a separate Backflow Prevention Assembly Tester (BPAT) license. The same state rules apply in Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, San Antonio, Austin and El Paso, so candidates licensed there can work in McAllen without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for McAllen talent.
The closest metro we cover is San Antonio, about 225 miles away, with roughly 3,760 landscaping and groundskeeping workers (5.5 times McAllen's 680). Austin pays the most nearby, a $38,370 median, 32% above McAllen. That is the number any McAllen offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Austin has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| McAllen | – | 680 | $29,060 |
| San Antonio | 223 mi | 3,760 | $35,630 |
| Austin | 282 mi | 7,600 | $38,370 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for McAllen crews.
Not commercial irrigation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into McAllen in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- 47-acre industrial park (Anzalduas/Pharr bridges)$6M federal EDA grant (public infrastructure) + ~$34.5M private investment, expected to create nearly 500 jobsConstruction targeted to begin as early as September 2026, ending by February 2027
City-built water, sewer, drainage, and roadway infrastructure for a new industrial park near the international bridges, in a corridor already seeing real cold-storage/refrigerated-warehouse growth (Pharr Produce Park, Mega Produce, CIL Fresh) - industrial refrigeration and process-mechanical work at a scale new to this market.
- DHR Health / University of Houston Medical Research and Education Center$15M state appropriationGroundbreaking April 2026
A new hub for clinical trials and physician training - added healthcare-adjacent construction volume alongside Driscoll's expansion.
- McAllen International Airport terminal + runway expansion$225M ($180M terminal + up to $45M runway)Multi-year buildout
90,000 sq ft of new terminal construction, bringing the airport to roughly 238,000 sq ft of gross building area, plus runway expansion - sustained airport-facility construction and MEP demand.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The McAllen market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial irrigation, and what kills offers in McAllen.
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 McAllen.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in McAllen?
BLS puts the McAllen median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $29,060 a year, 26% below the $39,150 national median. That ranks 112th of 112 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $23,010 to $37,960 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. Within Texas, Austin pays more, at $38,370.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in McAllen?
Yes. McAllen has 63% fewer landscaping and groundskeeping workers per job than the country as a whole, roughly 680 in the metro, so most of the people worth hiring are already employed. The 33 landscaping companies here average about 6.2 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. There are 17% fewer of those firms than in 2018, so experienced people have fewer local employers to move between.
Which commercial irrigation roles pay the most in McAllen?
Of the roles we recruit for, Irrigation Project Manager pays the most in McAllen, an $83,450 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Backflow Prevention Specialist at $46,110, 45% below it. Irrigation Technician / Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $29,060. Backflow Prevention Specialist trails national pay the most (28% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in McAllen?
BLS counted 33 landscaping companies in McAllen in 2023, employing about 206 people between them. Down from 40 in 2018, a 17% decline against 13% growth nationally. That averages 6.2 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $30,275, 37% below the $48,279 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counts irrigation contractors under landscaping companies.
Which nearby metros compete with McAllen for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are San Antonio (223 miles, about 3,760, $35,630 median) and Austin (282 miles, about 7,600, $38,370 median). San Antonio has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. San Antonio pays 23% more, which is where McAllen employers tend to lose people.
Thin market. Short list anyway.
With landscaping and groundskeeping workers this scarce in McAllen, an open seat rarely fills from a job posting. Let's line up the people before the next one opens.
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