Commercial landscaping recruiters serving Philadelphia.
University campus growth, corporate development, and the Navy Yard waterfront demand a historic landscape preservation specialty for Center City properties.
Three universities, and a waterfront redevelopment.
Metro pay for every role we recruit is in the table below. What the hub does name: university campus growth, corporate development, and Navy Yard waterfront work, with historic landscape preservation named specifically for Center City properties.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial landscaping contractors in Philadelphia against that documented context.
$4B+ across three universities and a former naval base.
Concurrent campus growth, plus a mixed-use waterfront redevelopment.
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Research lab construction, student housing, and academic building expansion across three major campuses, all requiring dedicated university-campus grounds work through 2028.
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A mixed-use redevelopment of the former naval base - commercial, life sciences, and manufacturing space requiring waterfront-specific landscape design as the site continues to build out.
What commercial landscaping roles pay in Philadelphia.
In the Philadelphia metro, BLS puts the median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $42,130 a year, 8% above the $39,150 national median. Among the 112 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, Philadelphia ranks 34th on pay. Most of the market sits between $34,310 and $55,700. Of the other field roles, landscape designer / architect pays the most locally, at a $84,270 median. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Landscaping Salary Guide.
| Role | Philadelphia median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape / Grounds Crew MemberLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (37-3011) | $42,130 | $34,310–$55,700 | $39,150 | +8% | 17,700 |
| Grounds Crew SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $62,230 | $48,430–$81,360 | $58,430 | +7% | 2,300 |
| Tree Trimmer / ArboristTree Trimmers and Pruners (37-3013) | $62,940 | $46,800–$75,750 | $50,960 | +24% | 1,580 |
| Licensed Pesticide ApplicatorPesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation (37-3012) | $46,280 | $41,120–$59,440 | $46,340 | 0% | 200 |
| Landscape Designer / ArchitectLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $84,270 | $64,110–$130,990 | $79,870 | +6% | 560 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia commercial landscaping hiring actually plays out in 2026.
Why historic preservation matters specifically for Center City
The hub names historic landscape preservation as its own specialty for Center City properties - a designer without preservation credentials can't touch protected historic grounds work in this district.
Why three concurrent university campuses drive sustained demand
UPenn, Drexel, and Temple are all expanding at once - three separate campus-grounds commitments overlapping in the same labor market, a genuine driver independent of any single project.
What this means for sourcing
We source against verified university-campus and historic-preservation project history, 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 Philadelphia commercial landscaping clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months.
- Commercial landscape designer (historic preservation)
- University campus grounds crew lead
- Landscape crew foreman
- Grounds maintenance manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in Philadelphia, see the Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in Philadelphia's commercial landscaping segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. For Philadelphia landscaping work, we also confirm whether the role sits within university-campus or historic Center City scope, or Navy Yard/standard commercial work.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Philadelphia commercial landscaping candidate network, filtered for verified university-campus and historic-preservation credentials.
- Vetted short list (week one to several weeks). Three to five candidates. We verify real design portfolios and preservation-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 Philadelphia documented general context.
Philadelphia sits at about the national rate for commercial landscaping — neither unusually deep nor unusually thin.
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 Philadelphia's commercial landscaping market compares
In 2023 the Philadelphia metro had 2,600 landscaping companies (counted by business location), with about 18,928 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $50,821, 5.3% above the national average of $48,279 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 0.4% over the year, a little behind the 2.2% national increase. That works out to 42 per 100,000 residents, close to the 37 national rate.
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 landscaping 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.
How Philadelphia's commercial landscaping 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.
Frequently asked — commercial landscaping hiring in Philadelphia.
What is driving commercial landscaping demand in Philadelphia right now?
University expansion at UPenn, Drexel, and Temple ($2B+ aggregated) and the Philadelphia Navy Yard expansion ($6B, 20-year plan) are the named drivers.
Why does historic preservation matter for Philadelphia landscaping work?
The metro's own data names historic landscape preservation as a specific specialty required for Center City properties, distinct from standard commercial landscaping.
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 landscaping roles pay the most in Philadelphia?
Of the roles we recruit for, Landscape Designer / Architect pays the most in Philadelphia, a $84,270 median. Landscape / Grounds Crew Member is the lowest-paid field role at $42,130. Relative to national pay, Tree Trimmer / Arborist is the strongest-paying role here (24% 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.
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.
We have not closed a commercial landscaping 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.
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Hiring commercial landscaping talent in Philadelphia?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you timeline and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.