Commercial Irrigation recruiters serving Orlando.
Orlando has 32% more landscaping and groundskeeping workers per job than the country as a whole, about 11,430 in the metro. BLS counts 1,303 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 Orlando.
BLS counts about 17,020 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Orlando metro, the largest group being landscaping and groundskeeping workers (about 11,430). Relative to the size of the local economy, landscaping and groundskeeping workers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.32). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Irrigation hub.
Irrigation Technician / Installer
Orlando: 11,430 employed · $36,310 median, 98th-highest of 112 metros
Certified Irrigation Technician (CIT)
Irrigation System Designer
Orlando: 180 employed · $79,650 median, 39th-highest of 78 metros
Backflow Prevention Specialist
Orlando: 4,040 employed · $55,380 median, 97th-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Service / Repair Technician
Irrigation Foreman / Crew Lead
Orlando: 1,370 employed · $51,360 median, 86th-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Project Manager
Orlando: 4,340 employed · $108,010 median, 62nd-highest of 111 metros
Irrigation Estimator
Orlando: 2,120 employed · $76,390 median, 71st-highest of 111 metros
Smart / Controller Systems Technician
Landscape Water Management Auditor
What Commercial Irrigation roles earn in Orlando.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Orlando earn a median $36,310, 7% under the $39,150 national figure, and 98th of 112 metros. Pay runs $30,460 at the tenth percentile to $46,210 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is landscape architects, at $79,650 against $79,870 nationally.
| Role | Orlando 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) | $36,310 | $30,460–$46,210 | $39,150 | −7% | 11,430 |
| Irrigation System DesignerLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $79,650 | $57,630–$132,210 | $79,870 | 0% | 180 |
| Backflow Prevention SpecialistPlumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-2152) | $55,380 | $39,900–$72,950 | $63,800 | −13% | 4,040 |
| Irrigation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $51,360 | $38,200–$80,360 | $58,430 | −12% | 1,370 |
| Irrigation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $108,010 | $63,690–$205,840 | $114,990 | −6% | 4,340 |
| Irrigation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $76,390 | $45,570–$132,920 | $78,740 | −3% | 2,120 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Orlando 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 Orlando's commercial irrigation market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Orlando rose from 1,181 in 2018 to 1,303 in 2023, up 10%, close to the 13% national change. Headcount at those firms went up 6%, to about 12,527 people. Average annual pay there went from $35,308 to $46,230 (+31%), in step with the 31% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 1,181 | 1,303 | +10% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 11,832 | 12,527 | +6% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $35,308 | $46,230 | +31% |
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
Orlando runs 32% more commercial irrigation workers per job than the country as a whole — well above the national concentration. More per job means more people to reach, and more employers reaching 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 Orlando's commercial irrigation market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Orlando ranks 17th for headcount, 88th for median pay and 10th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers. That puts it among the deepest commercial irrigation labor markets in the country.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | 21,170 | $37,430 | 1.23 | 2,385 |
| Orlando | 11,430 | $36,310 | 1.32 | 1,303 |
| Tampa | 9,860 | $37,210 | 1.11 | 1,546 |
| Jacksonville | 6,140 | $37,320 | 1.31 | 876 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | 5,080 | $36,790 | 2.72 | 624 |
| North Port-Sarasota | 4,740 | $37,200 | 2.27 | 740 |
| Deltona-Daytona | 2,610 | $36,600 | 1.94 | 462 |
| Lakeland | 2,450 | $35,490 | 1.51 | 345 |
| Port St. Lucie | 2,330 | $36,480 | 2.23 | 363 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne | 1,870 | $36,570 | 1.24 | 368 |
| Pensacola | 1,220 | $36,160 | 1.05 | 220 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial irrigation employers in Orlando, the pool is deep and still growing, so the constraint is competition rather than supply. Move fast on good candidates, because another local firm is probably talking to them too.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Orlando metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Irrigation licensing in Florida.
Florida offers a voluntary state-certified irrigation specialty contractor license. It is an alternative to a local irrigation certificate of competency or a full plumbing license, and it does not create a mandatory statewide requirement. The same state rules apply in Miami, Tampa, Jacksonville, North Port-Sarasota, Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Lakeland, Deltona-Daytona, Palm Bay-Melbourne, Port St. Lucie and Pensacola, so candidates licensed there can work in Orlando without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing Board. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a commercial irrigation search in Orlando 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 Orlando than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- HVAC Service TechnicianThirteen weeks on a hard-to-fill service seat, and the client stayed with it to the end.
- HVAC PipefitterAn accountant who retrained into piping - a deliberate career change rather than a drift into the trade.
- Architectural Sales ConsultantHe doubled a building-materials division from $12 million to $24 million before taking this seat.
Nearby markets competing for Orlando talent.
The closest metro we cover is Deltona-Daytona, about 25 miles away, with roughly 2,610 landscaping and groundskeeping workers (0.2 times Orlando's 11,430). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $35,490 in Lakeland to $37,210 in Tampa, against $36,310 here. Orlando 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orlando | – | 11,430 | $36,310 |
| Deltona-Daytona | 26 mi | 2,610 | $36,600 |
| Lakeland | 49 mi | 2,450 | $35,490 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne | 59 mi | 1,870 | $36,570 |
| Tampa | 77 mi | 9,860 | $37,210 |
| Port St. Lucie | 106 mi | 2,330 | $36,480 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Orlando crews.
Not commercial irrigation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Orlando in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Walt Disney World capital expansion program~$17B announced over ~10 yearsRolling through the decade
Multi-year resort and attraction reinvestment across the property. A steady, high-volume base load of commercial trades demand that anchors the entire Central Florida labor pool.
- NeoCity semiconductor campus (SkyWater Technology + IonQ)Multi-hundred-million buildout; IonQ acquired SkyWater's advanced-packaging line at NeoCity for $1.8B (Aug 2026)Osceola County, ongoing
Semiconductor fab and R&D campus pulling specialty industrial trades - cleanroom mechanical, process piping, and high-voltage power - into a market that historically had little fab work.
- Lake Nona Medical CityOngoing multi-institution buildoutRolling
UCF College of Medicine, the Orlando VA Medical Center, and Nemours Children's anchor a growing healthcare and life-sciences district. Medical gas plumbers and hospital-grade mechanical crews in tight supply.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Orlando market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial irrigation, and what kills offers in Orlando.
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 Orlando.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Orlando?
BLS puts the Orlando median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $36,310 a year, 7% below the $39,150 national median. That ranks 98th of 112 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $30,460 to $46,210 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.5x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. Within Florida, Miami pays more, at $37,430.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Orlando?
Not by national standards. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers make up 32% more of the Orlando workforce than they do nationally, about 11,430 people. The 1,303 landscaping companies here average about 9.6 employees per location. With 10% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial irrigation roles pay the most in Orlando?
Of the roles we recruit for, Irrigation Project Manager pays the most in Orlando, a $108,010 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Irrigation System Designer at $79,650, 26% below it. Irrigation Technician / Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $36,310. Backflow Prevention Specialist trails national pay the most (13% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Orlando?
BLS counted 1,303 landscaping companies in Orlando in 2023, employing about 12,527 people between them. Up from 1,181 in 2018, a 10% increase against 13% growth nationally. That averages 9.6 people per location. They pay an average of $46,230, 4% below the $48,279 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counts irrigation contractors under landscaping companies.
Which nearby metros compete with Orlando for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Deltona-Daytona (26 miles, about 2,610, $36,600 median), Lakeland (49 miles, about 2,450, $35,490 median) and Palm Bay-Melbourne (59 miles, about 1,870, $36,570 median).
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Orlando has one of the deeper pools of landscaping and groundskeeping workers we cover, but the best of them are already working. Let's find the ones ready to move.
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