Commercial Irrigation recruiters serving Philadelphia.
About 17,700 landscaping and groundskeeping workers work in the Philadelphia metro, at a $42,130 median. BLS counts 2,600 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 Philadelphia.
BLS counts about 27,710 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Philadelphia metro, the largest group being landscaping and groundskeeping workers (about 17,700). Relative to the size of the local economy, landscaping and groundskeeping workers are about as concentrated here as nationally (location quotient 1.00). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Irrigation hub.
Irrigation Technician / Installer
Philadelphia: 17,700 employed · $42,130 median, 34th-highest of 112 metros
Certified Irrigation Technician (CIT)
Irrigation System Designer
Philadelphia: 560 employed · $84,270 median, 22nd-highest of 78 metros
Backflow Prevention Specialist
Philadelphia: 7,150 employed · $74,860 median, 24th-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Service / Repair Technician
Irrigation Foreman / Crew Lead
Philadelphia: 2,300 employed · $62,230 median, 21st-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Project Manager
Philadelphia: 3,390 employed · $124,990 median, 26th-highest of 111 metros
Irrigation Estimator
Philadelphia: 4,190 employed · $79,880 median, 39th-highest of 111 metros
Smart / Controller Systems Technician
Landscape Water Management Auditor
What Commercial Irrigation roles earn in Philadelphia.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Philadelphia earn a median $42,130, 8% over the $39,150 national figure, and 34th of 112 metros. Pay runs $34,310 at the tenth percentile to $55,700 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is landscape architects, at $84,270 against $79,870 nationally.
| Role | Philadelphia 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) | $42,130 | $34,310–$55,700 | $39,150 | +8% | 17,700 |
| Irrigation System DesignerLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $84,270 | $64,110–$130,990 | $79,870 | +6% | 560 |
| Backflow Prevention SpecialistPlumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-2152) | $74,860 | $48,400–$142,210 | $63,800 | +17% | 7,150 |
| Irrigation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $62,230 | $48,430–$81,360 | $58,430 | +7% | 2,300 |
| Irrigation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $124,990 | $84,010–$204,560 | $114,990 | +9% | 3,390 |
| Irrigation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $79,880 | $55,190–$131,320 | $78,740 | +1% | 4,190 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia's commercial irrigation market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Philadelphia rose from 2,576 in 2018 to 2,600 in 2023, up 1%, behind the 13% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 14%, to about 18,928 people. Average annual pay there went from $39,129 to $50,821 (+30%), in step with the 31% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 2,576 | 2,600 | +1% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 16,619 | 18,928 | +14% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $39,129 | $50,821 | +30% |
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
Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia's commercial irrigation market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Philadelphia ranks 6th for headcount, 30th for median pay and 47th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | 17,700 | $42,130 | 1.00 | 2,600 |
| Pittsburgh | 6,650 | $37,690 | 0.97 | 964 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 2,310 | $39,350 | 1.00 | 361 |
| Lancaster | 1,650 | $39,140 | 1.07 | 234 |
| Harrisburg | 1,630 | $38,700 | 0.79 | 195 |
| Scranton | 1,330 | $37,330 | 0.85 | 205 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial irrigation employers in Philadelphia, the pool is about the national norm for its size and local employers are adding people, so expect competing offers on experienced candidates and keep the process short.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Philadelphia metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Irrigation licensing in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania does not license or certify most construction contractors at state level, and there is no irrigation, landscape or general contractor license. The Department of Labor and Industry states plainly that the Commonwealth has no licensure or certification requirement for most construction contractors or their employees, and that individual municipalities set their own requirements, most often for home improvement, electrical and plumbing contractors. The only statewide registration that touches this work is Home Improvement Contractor registration with the Attorney General, which applies to residential jobs rather than commercial ones. For backflow, 25 Pa. Code 109.709 requires public water suppliers to operate cross-connection control programs, so the tester credential a crew needs is whatever the water authority serving the job accepts. The same state rules apply in Pittsburgh, Allentown-Bethlehem, Harrisburg, Lancaster and Scranton, so candidates licensed there can work in Philadelphia without re-qualifying. The Philadelphia metro crosses a state line, so check the rules in the neighboring state too for crews that work on both sides.
Licensing authority: No state license; the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry confirms there is no state contractor licensure and leaves trade licensing to municipalities. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a commercial irrigation search in Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- HVAC Service TechnicianA residential service technician for the King of Prussia and Philadelphia territory, coordinated around his relocation.
- Residential HVAC Service TechnicianFive days, and the technician brings test-and-balance expertise on top of service.
- Senior HVAC Service TechnicianA technician comfortable with whatever a building throws at him, not only the HVAC.
Nearby markets competing for Philadelphia talent.
The closest metro we cover is Allentown-Bethlehem, about 50 miles away, with roughly 2,310 landscaping and groundskeeping workers (0.1 times Philadelphia's 17,700). New York pays the most nearby, a $45,530 median, 8% above Philadelphia. That is the number any Philadelphia offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. New York has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia | – | 17,700 | $42,130 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem | 48 mi | 2,310 | $39,350 |
| Lancaster | 61 mi | 1,650 | $39,140 |
| New York | 81 mi | 50,410 | $45,530 |
| Baltimore | 90 mi | 7,480 | $39,620 |
| Harrisburg | 94 mi | 1,630 | $38,700 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Philadelphia crews.
Not commercial irrigation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Philadelphia in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Philadelphia Navy Yard master plan$6B, 20-year planRolling
Mixed-use redevelopment of former naval base - commercial + life sciences + manufacturing. Separate from Hanwha's additional $5B shipyard-specific investment at the site.
- University expansion (UPenn, Drexel, Temple)$2B+ aggregatedThrough 2028
Research lab construction (fume hood air, specialty exhaust). Student housing + academic building expansion.
- Schuylkill Yards mixed-use (UPenn-adjacent)$3.5B plannedPhased through 2035
Major commercial + life sciences development. Long-duration construction pipeline.
Showing 3 of 5 projects tracked in this metro. The Philadelphia market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial irrigation, and what kills offers in Philadelphia.
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 Philadelphia.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Philadelphia?
BLS puts the Philadelphia median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $42,130 a year, 8% above the $39,150 national median. That ranks 34th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $34,310 to $55,700 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other Pennsylvania metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Philadelphia?
It is about average. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers are as common in Philadelphia as they are nationally (location quotient 1.00), with about 17,700 in the metro. The 2,600 landscaping companies here average about 7.3 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name.
Which commercial irrigation roles pay the most in Philadelphia?
Of the roles we recruit for, Irrigation Project Manager pays the most in Philadelphia, a $124,990 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Irrigation System Designer at $84,270, 33% below it. Irrigation Technician / Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $42,130. Relative to national pay, Backflow Prevention Specialist is the strongest-paying role here (17% above).
How many landscaping companies operate in Philadelphia?
BLS counted 2,600 landscaping companies in Philadelphia in 2023, employing about 18,928 people between them. That is roughly where the count stood in 2018 (2,576). That averages 7.3 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $50,821, 5% above the $48,279 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counts irrigation contractors under landscaping companies.
Which nearby metros compete with Philadelphia for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Allentown-Bethlehem (48 miles, about 2,310, $39,350 median), Lancaster (61 miles, about 1,650, $39,140 median) and New York (81 miles, about 50,410, $45,530 median). New York has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. New York pays 8% more, which is where Philadelphia employers tend to lose people.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
2,600 landscaping companies in Philadelphia are drawing on the same 17,700 landscaping and groundskeeping workers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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