Commercial landscaping recruiters serving Modesto.
The Crossings' 527-home development and its 3.5-acre community park drive real residential/institutional landscaping demand.
527 homes and a community park, not a cancer center.
Metro pay for every role we recruit is in the table below. What the hub does name: The Crossings' 527-home development and its 3.5-acre community park - not Sutter Health's $380M cancer center that drives other trades on the same page.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial landscaping contractors in Modesto against that documented context.
A residential community, not a hospital campus.
A genuinely different demand pattern from most other metros in this rollout.
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527 new homes near Briggsmore Avenue and Claus Road, plus a walking/biking trail and a 3.5-acre community park - a residential/community development, not a corporate or healthcare campus, named as this metro's landscaping demand driver.
What commercial landscaping roles pay in Modesto.
In the Modesto metro, BLS puts the median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $45,740 a year, 17% above the $39,150 national median. Among the 112 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, Modesto ranks 13th on pay. Most of the market sits between $37,070 and $60,290. Of the other field roles, grounds crew supervisor pays the most locally, at a $63,070 median. BLS does not publish Modesto pay for landscape designer / architect, 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 | Modesto median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape / Grounds Crew MemberLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (37-3011) | $45,740 | $37,070–$60,290 | $39,150 | +17% | 1,080 |
| Grounds Crew SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $63,070 | $44,660–$101,150 | $58,430 | +8% | 100 |
| Tree Trimmer / ArboristTree Trimmers and Pruners (37-3013) | $61,270 | $45,220–$82,560 | $50,960 | +20% | 140 |
| Licensed Pesticide ApplicatorPesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation (37-3012) | $40,560 | $37,880–$58,560 | $46,340 | −12% | 50 |
| Landscape Designer / ArchitectLandscape Architects (17-1012) | – | – | $79,870 | – | – |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Modesto 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 Modesto commercial landscaping hiring actually plays out in 2026.
Why we don't tie this page to Sutter Health's cancer center
Sutter Health's $380M Advanced Cancer Center and Care Complex is Modesto's largest named project, driving real premiums for healthcare-construction electricians and plumbers. The hub's own landscaping mini names The Crossings instead - a residential development, not a hospital campus.
Why a residential/community-park framing is distinct here
This is a residential/institutional landscaping pattern - a 3.5-acre community park plus 527 new homes - rather than the corporate-campus pattern seen in most other metros in this rollout.
What this means for sourcing
We source against verified residential-community and public-park 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 Modesto commercial landscaping clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months.
- Residential community landscape crew lead
- Public park landscape designer
- Landscape crew foreman
- Grounds maintenance manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in Modesto, see the Modesto 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 Modesto, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in Modesto's commercial landscaping segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. For Modesto landscaping work, we also confirm whether the role sits within The Crossings' residential/park scope or standard institutional grounds work.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Modesto commercial landscaping candidate network, filtered for verified residential-community or public-park experience 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 project scope involved.
- Offer and close. Standard roles close in 4-6 weeks. We help with offer math against Modesto's documented general context.
Modesto runs 10% 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 Modesto's commercial landscaping market compares
In 2023 the Modesto metro had 120 landscaping companies (counted by business location), with about 794 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $53,288, 10.4% above the national average of $48,279 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 4.9% over the year, faster than the 2.2% national increase, so local employers were adding people quicker than most of the country. That works out to 21 per 100,000 residents against 37 nationally. Fewer local employers means experienced people are easier to identify, but many work for firms based outside the metro.
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Modesto ranks 99th for headcount, 11th for median pay and 70th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | 27,860 | $44,650 | 0.73 | 2,053 |
| Riverside | 13,190 | $43,650 | 1.25 | 1,009 |
| San Francisco | 12,270 | $48,040 | 0.84 | 1,164 |
| San Diego | 10,870 | $45,560 | 1.15 | 966 |
| Sacramento | 7,410 | $45,110 | 1.12 | 766 |
| San Jose | 6,000 | $48,330 | 0.86 | 519 |
| Fresno | 3,040 | $40,710 | 1.04 | 211 |
| Bakersfield | 1,630 | $43,770 | 0.79 | 151 |
| Stockton | 1,390 | $44,280 | 0.78 | 168 |
| Modesto | 1,080 | $45,740 | 0.90 | 120 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial landscaping employers in Modesto, the local pool is thin but growing. Expect a mix of local candidates and people recruited in from nearby metros, and budget for relocation on senior roles.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Modesto metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Modesto's commercial landscaping market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Modesto rose from 104 in 2018 to 120 in 2023, up 15%, close to the 13% national change. Headcount at those firms went up 12%, to about 794 people. Average annual pay there went from $39,067 to $53,288 (+36%), faster than the 31% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 104 | 120 | +15% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 710 | 794 | +12% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $39,067 | $53,288 | +36% |
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 Modesto.
Is Modesto's landscaping demand tied to Sutter Health's cancer center?
No - Sutter Health's $380M project is real and well-documented, but the hub's own landscaping data ties demand to The Crossings residential development instead, including its 3.5-acre community park.
What is driving commercial landscaping demand in Modesto right now?
The Crossings' 527-home development and its 3.5-acre community park drive real residential/institutional landscaping demand.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Modesto?
BLS puts the Modesto median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $45,740 a year, 17% above the $39,150 national median. That ranks 13th of 112 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $37,070 to $60,290 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. Within California, San Jose pays more, at $48,330.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Modesto?
It is about average. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers are as common in Modesto as they are nationally (location quotient 0.90), with about 1,080 in the metro. The 120 landscaping companies here average about 6.6 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 15% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial landscaping roles pay the most in Modesto?
Of the roles we recruit for, Grounds Crew Supervisor pays the most in Modesto, a $63,070 median. Licensed Pesticide Applicator is the lowest-paid field role at $40,560. Relative to national pay, Tree Trimmer / Arborist is the strongest-paying role here (20% above). Licensed Pesticide Applicator trails national pay the most (12% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Modesto?
BLS counted 120 landscaping companies in Modesto in 2023, employing about 794 people between them. Up from 104 in 2018, a 15% increase against 13% growth nationally. That averages 6.6 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $53,288, 10% above the $48,279 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Modesto for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Stockton (27 miles, about 1,390, $44,280 median), San Jose (53 miles, about 6,000, $48,330 median) and Sacramento (71 miles, about 7,410, $45,110 median). San Jose has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. San Jose pays 6% more, which is where Modesto employers tend to lose people.
Hiring commercial landscaping talent in Modesto?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you timeline and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.