Commercial Irrigation recruiters serving Minneapolis.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Minneapolis earn a $47,160 median, 20% above the national figure, and about 11,820 of them work in the metro. BLS counts 1,435 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 Minneapolis.
BLS counts about 18,870 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Minneapolis metro, the largest group being landscaping and groundskeeping workers (about 11,820). Relative to the size of the local economy, landscaping and groundskeeping workers are about as concentrated here as nationally (location quotient 0.99). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Irrigation hub.
Irrigation Technician / Installer
Minneapolis: 11,820 employed · $47,160 median, 7th-highest of 112 metros
Certified Irrigation Technician (CIT)
Irrigation System Designer
Minneapolis: 320 employed · $61,010 median, 78th-highest of 78 metros
Backflow Prevention Specialist
Minneapolis: 6,730 employed · $101,630 median, 3rd-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Service / Repair Technician
Irrigation Foreman / Crew Lead
Minneapolis: $64,990 median, 12th-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Project Manager
Minneapolis: 3,880 employed · $126,920 median, 21st-highest of 111 metros
Irrigation Estimator
Minneapolis: 3,100 employed · $82,440 median, 19th-highest of 111 metros
Smart / Controller Systems Technician
Landscape Water Management Auditor
What Commercial Irrigation roles earn in Minneapolis.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Minneapolis earn a median $47,160, 20% over the $39,150 national figure, and 7th of 112 metros. Pay runs $32,020 at the tenth percentile to $62,140 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, at $101,630 against $63,800 nationally.
| Role | Minneapolis 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) | $47,160 | $32,020–$62,140 | $39,150 | +20% | 11,820 |
| Irrigation System DesignerLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $61,010 | $40,500–$127,450 | $79,870 | −24% | 320 |
| Backflow Prevention SpecialistPlumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-2152) | $101,630 | $51,370–$121,720 | $63,800 | +59% | 6,730 |
| Irrigation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $64,990 | $53,620–$94,340 | $58,430 | +11% | – |
| Irrigation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $126,920 | $80,020–$198,490 | $114,990 | +10% | 3,880 |
| Irrigation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $82,440 | $59,710–$125,460 | $78,740 | +5% | 3,100 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Minneapolis 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 Minneapolis's commercial irrigation market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Minneapolis rose from 1,265 in 2018 to 1,435 in 2023, up 13%, close to the 13% national change. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Minneapolis, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 1,265 | 1,435 | +13% |
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
Minneapolis sits at about the national rate for commercial irrigation — neither unusually deep nor unusually thin.
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 Minneapolis's commercial irrigation market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Minneapolis ranks 15th for headcount, 6th for median pay and 51st for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers. Pay here is among the highest we see, so offers need to start near the top of the range.
What this means for hiring:For commercial irrigation employers in Minneapolis, the pool is about the national norm for its size, so difficulty depends on the role more than the market.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Minneapolis metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Irrigation licensing in Minnesota.
In Minnesota, anyone who tests backflow prevention assemblies must hold a Department of Labor and Industry backflow prevention tester certification, which requires current ASSE 5110 certification. A plumbing license is not required for tester certification. The Minneapolis metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a commercial irrigation search in Minneapolis yet. Here is what we have closed.
These are other trades in the same market. We would rather show you the searches we have actually run in Minneapolis than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Asphalt Sales RepresentativeA decade of B2B territory sales in heavy building materials and industrial software.
Nearby markets competing for Minneapolis talent.
The closest metro we cover is Madison, about 235 miles away, with roughly 2,330 landscaping and groundskeeping workers (0.2 times Minneapolis's 11,820). Minneapolis pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($47,160 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Madison at $44,440. Minneapolis is the largest market for this work in the region, so nearby metros tend to recruit from here rather than the other way round.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minneapolis | – | 11,820 | $47,160 |
| Madison | 233 mi | 2,330 | $44,440 |
| Des Moines | 234 mi | 2,230 | $45,180 |
| Omaha | 291 mi | 3,870 | $45,970 |
| Milwaukee | 298 mi | 5,020 | $44,440 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Minneapolis crews.
Not commercial irrigation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Minneapolis in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Corporate HQ campus & entertainment-district projects$1.5B+Through 2029
Fortune 500 HQ renovations (Target, U.S. Bancorp, Best Buy) plus stadium-district development. Corporate-institutional MEP at scale.
- Downtown skyway & enclosed-corridor constructionNo supporting $800M figure found -- treat qualitatively, not as a sourced dollar totalRolling
Minneapolis and St. Paul run the largest enclosed skyway systems in the US. Specialty envelope, glazing, and climate-control MEP for extreme-cold enclosure.
- Medtronic campus & med-device facility expansionScale not independently verified regionally (Medtronic's $10B figure found in public sources is a national commitment, not Twin-Cities-specific)Rolling
Twin Cities is the med-device capital of the US. Cleanroom-grade mechanical, process piping, controlled-environment HVAC. Steady multi-year demand for cleanroom-experienced trades.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Minneapolis market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial irrigation, and what kills offers in Minneapolis.
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 Minneapolis.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Minneapolis?
BLS puts the Minneapolis median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $47,160 a year, 20% above the $39,150 national median. That ranks 7th of 112 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $32,020 and $62,140, a 1.9x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Minneapolis?
It is about average. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers are as common in Minneapolis as they are nationally (location quotient 0.99), with about 11,820 in the metro. With 13% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial irrigation roles pay the most in Minneapolis?
Of the roles we recruit for, Irrigation Project Manager pays the most in Minneapolis, a $126,920 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Backflow Prevention Specialist at $101,630, 20% below it. Irrigation Technician / Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $47,160. Relative to national pay, Backflow Prevention Specialist is the strongest-paying role here (59% above). Irrigation System Designer trails national pay the most (24% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Minneapolis?
BLS counted 1,435 landscaping companies in Minneapolis in 2023. Up from 1,265 in 2018, a 13% increase against 13% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. BLS counts irrigation contractors under landscaping companies.
Which nearby metros compete with Minneapolis for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Madison (233 miles, about 2,330, $44,440 median), Des Moines (234 miles, about 2,230, $45,180 median) and Omaha (291 miles, about 3,870, $45,970 median). Minneapolis out-pays Madison, an advantage when recruiting from there.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
1,435 landscaping companies in Minneapolis are drawing on the same 11,820 landscaping and groundskeeping workers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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