Commercial landscaping recruiters serving New York.
Green roof retrofits driven by LL92 and LL94, plus rooftop garden and amenity-space construction at high-rise commercial, command real premiums here.
Compliance and high-rise amenity space, not lawn care.
Metro pay for every role we recruit is in the table below. What the hub does name: green roof retrofits driven by LL92 and LL94, plus rooftop garden and amenity-space construction at high-rise commercial developments.
That specialty work commands real premiums, per the hub's own language.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial landscaping contractors in New York against that documented context.
City-mandated green roofs, and a $10B+ development.
A regulatory driver, and a named high-rise amenity-space project.
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City ordinances requiring green roofs or solar installations on qualifying new construction and major roof replacements - named directly by the hub as the market's primary landscaping-specific compliance driver.
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High-rise commercial construction running 2026-2035, adding rooftop garden and amenity-space landscape work at scale as the development continues.
What commercial landscaping roles pay in New York.
In the New York metro, BLS puts the median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $45,530 a year, 16% above the $39,150 national median. Among the 112 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, New York ranks 15th on pay. Most of the market sits between $35,450 and $59,570. Of the other field roles, landscape designer / architect pays the most locally, at a $94,040 median. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Landscaping Salary Guide.
| Role | New York median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape / Grounds Crew MemberLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (37-3011) | $45,530 | $35,450–$59,570 | $39,150 | +16% | 50,410 |
| Grounds Crew SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $74,610 | $49,920–$101,690 | $58,430 | +28% | 6,100 |
| Tree Trimmer / ArboristTree Trimmers and Pruners (37-3013) | $65,130 | $41,600–$85,460 | $50,960 | +28% | – |
| Licensed Pesticide ApplicatorPesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation (37-3012) | $43,680 | $35,360–$68,340 | $46,340 | −6% | 240 |
| Landscape Designer / ArchitectLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $94,040 | $67,050–$134,620 | $79,870 | +18% | – |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, New York 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 New York commercial landscaping hiring actually plays out in 2026.
Why LL92 and LL94 are a genuine compliance-driven specialty
Green roof retrofits required under these ordinances are a distinct, code-driven scope - not general landscaping - and the hub names this compliance work as commanding real premiums.
Why rooftop garden and amenity-space work is separate from ground-level landscaping
High-rise commercial amenity space - the kind driven by Hudson Yards Phase 2's continued buildout - requires structural loading knowledge and rooftop-specific installation skills that ground-level crews don't automatically have.
What this means for sourcing
We source against verified green-roof compliance and rooftop-amenity project history, not resume claims, given the specific regulatory and campus 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 New York commercial landscaping clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months.
- Green roof installation specialist
- Rooftop amenity-space landscape designer
- Landscape crew foreman
- Grounds maintenance manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in New York, see the New York 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 New York, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in New York's commercial landscaping segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. For New York landscaping work, we also confirm whether the role sits within LL92/LL94 compliance scope, Hudson Yards amenity-space scope, or standard commercial grounds work.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing New York commercial landscaping candidate network, filtered for verified green-roof and rooftop-amenity credentials and relevant project history.
- Vetted short list (week one to several weeks). Three to five candidates. We verify real design portfolios and compliance experience 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 New York documented general context.
New York runs 13% 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 New York's commercial landscaping market compares
In 2023 the New York metro had 8,422 landscaping companies (counted by business location), with about 43,349 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $52,823, 9.4% above the national average of $48,279 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 4% 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 43 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, New York ranks 1st for headcount, 13th for median pay and 78th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 50,410 | $45,530 | 0.87 | 8,422 |
| Rochester | 3,060 | $39,680 | 1.01 | 473 |
| Buffalo | 2,870 | $41,770 | 0.88 | 587 |
| Albany | 2,400 | $41,290 | 0.87 | 380 |
| Syracuse | 1,670 | $40,010 | 0.91 | 289 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial landscaping employers in New York, the headline number is misleading. About 50,410 landscaping and groundskeeping workers work here, one of the larger workforces we cover, but relative to the size of the local economy the trade is thinner than average, so every other employer is drawing on the same people. Local employers are still adding headcount, which keeps competition for experienced people high. Expect to recruit people who are already employed, and to make the case for moving.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, New York metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How New York's commercial landscaping market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in New York rose from 7,963 in 2018 to 8,422 in 2023, up 6%, behind the 13% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 11%, to about 43,349 people. Average annual pay there went from $42,081 to $52,823 (+26%), slower than the 31% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 7,963 | 8,422 | +6% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 39,213 | 43,349 | +11% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $42,081 | $52,823 | +26% |
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 New York.
What are LL92 and LL94?
These are NYC ordinances requiring green roofs or solar installations on qualifying new construction and major roof replacements. The hub names them as the market's primary landscaping-specific compliance driver, without a disclosed dollar figure.
What is driving commercial landscaping demand in New York right now?
LL92/LL94 green roof retrofits and rooftop garden/amenity-space construction at high-rise commercial developments like Hudson Yards Phase 2 are the named drivers.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in New York?
BLS puts the New York median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $45,530 a year, 16% above the $39,150 national median. That ranks 15th of 112 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $35,450 and $59,570, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other New York metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in New York?
It is about average. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers are as common in New York as they are nationally (location quotient 0.87), with about 50,410 in the metro. The 8,422 landscaping companies here average about 5.1 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name.
Which commercial landscaping roles pay the most in New York?
Of the roles we recruit for, Landscape Designer / Architect pays the most in New York, a $94,040 median. Licensed Pesticide Applicator is the lowest-paid field role at $43,680. Relative to national pay, Tree Trimmer / Arborist is the strongest-paying role here (28% above). Licensed Pesticide Applicator trails national pay the most (6% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in New York?
BLS counted 8,422 landscaping companies in New York in 2023, employing about 43,349 people between them. Up from 7,963 in 2018, a 6% increase against 13% growth nationally. That averages 5.1 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $52,823, 9% above the $48,279 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with New York for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Bridgeport (53 miles, about 4,920, $46,430 median), Allentown-Bethlehem (78 miles, about 2,310, $39,350 median) and Philadelphia (81 miles, about 17,700, $42,130 median). New York out-pays Allentown-Bethlehem and Philadelphia, an advantage when recruiting from there.
We have not closed a commercial landscaping search in New York 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 New York than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- HVAC Service TechnicianTwo months to find a technician who could run commercial, public and industrial service calls alone - the seniority bar is what made it long.
- HVAC Service TechnicianFifteen years across VRV/VRF, rooftop units and controls integration.
- HVAC Service TechnicianA second seat for the same contractor, filled with a strong diagnostician earlier in his independent career.
Hiring commercial landscaping talent in New York?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you timeline and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.