Commercial Irrigation recruiters serving Palm Bay-Melbourne.
Palm Bay-Melbourne has 24% more landscaping and groundskeeping workers per job than the country as a whole, about 1,870 in the metro. BLS counts 368 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 Palm Bay-Melbourne.
BLS counts about 3,110 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Palm Bay-Melbourne metro, the largest group being landscaping and groundskeeping workers (about 1,870). Relative to the size of the local economy, landscaping and groundskeeping workers are more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.24). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Irrigation hub.
Irrigation Technician / Installer
Palm Bay-Melbourne: 1,870 employed · $36,570 median, 92nd-highest of 112 metros
Certified Irrigation Technician (CIT)
Irrigation System Designer
Palm Bay-Melbourne: BLS does not publish a local figure for this occupation.
Backflow Prevention Specialist
Palm Bay-Melbourne: 940 employed · $59,780 median, 75th-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Service / Repair Technician
Irrigation Foreman / Crew Lead
Palm Bay-Melbourne: 300 employed · $47,910 median, 102nd-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Project Manager
Palm Bay-Melbourne: 670 employed · $102,130 median, 91st-highest of 111 metros
Irrigation Estimator
Palm Bay-Melbourne: 420 employed · $73,310 median, 87th-highest of 111 metros
Smart / Controller Systems Technician
Landscape Water Management Auditor
What Commercial Irrigation roles earn in Palm Bay-Melbourne.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Palm Bay-Melbourne earn a median $36,570, 7% under the $39,150 national figure, and 92nd of 112 metros. Pay runs $30,540 at the tenth percentile to $46,150 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, at $59,780 against $63,800 nationally. BLS withholds Palm Bay-Melbourne pay for one occupation in the table.
| Role | Palm Bay-Melbourne 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) | $36,570 | $30,540–$46,150 | $39,150 | −7% | 1,870 |
| Irrigation System DesignerLandscape Architects (17-1012) | – | – | $79,870 | – | – |
| Backflow Prevention SpecialistPlumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-2152) | $59,780 | $41,800–$73,820 | $63,800 | −6% | 940 |
| Irrigation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $47,910 | $36,810–$78,350 | $58,430 | −18% | 300 |
| Irrigation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $102,130 | $60,220–$203,220 | $114,990 | −11% | 670 |
| Irrigation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $73,310 | $46,710–$128,670 | $78,740 | −7% | 420 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Palm Bay-Melbourne 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 Palm Bay-Melbourne's commercial irrigation market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Palm Bay-Melbourne rose from 338 in 2018 to 368 in 2023, up 9%, behind the 13% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 16%, to about 2,021 people. Average annual pay there went from $26,671 to $39,536 (+48%), faster than the 31% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 338 | 368 | +9% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 1,748 | 2,021 | +16% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $26,671 | $39,536 | +48% |
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
Palm Bay-Melbourne runs 24% more commercial irrigation workers per job than the country as a whole — 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 Palm Bay-Melbourne's commercial irrigation market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Palm Bay-Melbourne ranks 80th for headcount, 83rd for median pay and 20th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
| 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 Palm Bay-Melbourne, 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, Palm Bay-Melbourne 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, Orlando, Jacksonville, North Port-Sarasota, Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Lakeland, Deltona-Daytona, Port St. Lucie and Pensacola, so candidates licensed there can work in Palm Bay-Melbourne without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing Board. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Palm Bay-Melbourne talent.
The closest metro we cover is Port St. Lucie, about 55 miles away, with roughly 2,330 landscaping and groundskeeping workers (1.2 times Palm Bay-Melbourne's 1,870). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $35,490 in Lakeland to $37,210 in Tampa, against $36,570 here. Orlando has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Bay-Melbourne | – | 1,870 | $36,570 |
| Port St. Lucie | 53 mi | 2,330 | $36,480 |
| Orlando | 59 mi | 11,430 | $36,310 |
| Deltona-Daytona | 73 mi | 2,610 | $36,600 |
| Lakeland | 83 mi | 2,450 | $35,490 |
| Tampa | 114 mi | 9,860 | $37,210 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Palm Bay-Melbourne crews.
Not commercial irrigation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Palm Bay-Melbourne in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Blue Origin "Project Horizon" expansion$600MUnder construction
An 830,000 sq ft manufacturing facility on Blue Origin's Merritt Island campus dedicated to producing the New Glenn rocket's upper stage - about 500 new aerospace jobs averaging $98,000+.
- Project Hinton (confidential Cape Canaveral aerospace)$1.8BUnder development
600 high-paying jobs tied to a confidential aerospace capital improvement program at Cape Canaveral.
- Health First Palm Bay Hospital expansion$200MConstruction starting summer 2026
A 5-floor patient tower addition - healthcare-grade MEP work at real scale.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Palm Bay-Melbourne market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial irrigation, and what kills offers in Palm Bay-Melbourne.
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 Palm Bay-Melbourne.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Palm Bay-Melbourne?
BLS puts the Palm Bay-Melbourne median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $36,570 a year, 7% below the $39,150 national median. That ranks 92nd of 112 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $30,540 to $46,150 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.5x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other Florida metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Palm Bay-Melbourne?
Not by national standards. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers make up 24% more of the Palm Bay-Melbourne workforce than they do nationally, about 1,870 people. The 368 landscaping companies here average about 5.5 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name.
Which commercial irrigation roles pay the most in Palm Bay-Melbourne?
Of the roles we recruit for, Irrigation Project Manager pays the most in Palm Bay-Melbourne, a $102,130 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Backflow Prevention Specialist at $59,780, 41% below it. Irrigation Technician / Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $36,570. Irrigation Foreman / Crew Lead trails national pay the most (18% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Palm Bay-Melbourne?
BLS counted 368 landscaping companies in Palm Bay-Melbourne in 2023, employing about 2,021 people between them. Up from 338 in 2018, a 9% increase against 13% growth nationally. That averages 5.5 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $39,536, 18% below the $48,279 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counts irrigation contractors under landscaping companies.
Which nearby metros compete with Palm Bay-Melbourne for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Port St. Lucie (53 miles, about 2,330, $36,480 median), Orlando (59 miles, about 11,430, $36,310 median) and Deltona-Daytona (73 miles, about 2,610, $36,600 median). Orlando has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move.
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Palm Bay-Melbourne 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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