Commercial landscaping recruiters serving Portland.
Stormwater is the story here - Portland's green infrastructure requirements make bioswale and ecoroof construction routine commercial scope, not specialty work.
Green infrastructure is the baseline, not the upgrade.
Metro pay for every role we recruit is in the table below. What the hub does name: stormwater as the whole story here, with bioswale, ecoroof, and stormwater facility construction as routine commercial scope rather than specialty work.
Designers and crew leads who can build and maintain to City of Portland stormwater standards are genuinely differentiated and hard to replace.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial landscaping contractors in Portland against that documented context.
A code requirement, not a single project.
City stormwater standards apply across essentially every new commercial build.
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Bioswale, ecoroof, and stormwater facility construction are named by the hub as routine commercial scope in Portland - not specialty add-ons, but the baseline expectation on new commercial construction.
What commercial landscaping roles pay in Portland.
In the Portland metro, BLS puts the median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $46,450 a year, 19% above the $39,150 national median. Among the 112 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, Portland ranks 9th on pay. Most of the market sits between $38,550 and $59,960. Of the other field roles, grounds crew supervisor pays the most locally, at a $76,910 median. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Landscaping Salary Guide.
| Role | Portland median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape / Grounds Crew MemberLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (37-3011) | $46,450 | $38,550–$59,960 | $39,150 | +19% | 6,710 |
| Grounds Crew SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $76,910 | $55,220–$98,270 | $58,430 | +32% | 600 |
| Tree Trimmer / ArboristTree Trimmers and Pruners (37-3013) | $75,570 | $51,220–$90,830 | $50,960 | +48% | 1,160 |
| Licensed Pesticide ApplicatorPesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation (37-3012) | $58,550 | $49,070–$77,290 | $46,340 | +26% | 100 |
| Landscape Designer / ArchitectLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $73,600 | $49,660–$128,150 | $79,870 | −8% | 250 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Portland 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 Portland commercial landscaping hiring actually plays out in 2026.
Why stormwater compliance is the entire story here, not a side scope
The hub states this directly: stormwater is the story. Bioswale and ecoroof construction are routine commercial scope in Portland, not specialty work reserved for a handful of projects.
Why crew leads who can build to City stormwater standards are hard to replace
The hub calls designers and crew leads who can build and maintain to City of Portland stormwater standards genuinely differentiated - a narrow, specific compliance skill set that most general landscaping crews don't have.
What this means for sourcing
We source against verified City of Portland stormwater-compliance project history, not resume claims, given the specific regulatory 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 Portland commercial landscaping clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months.
- Bioswale/ecoroof construction specialist
- Stormwater-compliant landscape designer
- Landscape crew foreman
- Grounds maintenance manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in Portland, see the Portland 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 Portland, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in Portland's commercial landscaping segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. For Portland landscaping work, we also confirm whether the role requires City stormwater-compliance experience.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Portland commercial landscaping candidate network, filtered for verified bioswale/ecoroof construction credentials.
- Vetted short list (week one to several weeks). Three to five candidates. We verify real stormwater-compliance 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 Portland documented general context.
Portland runs 9% 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 Portland's commercial landscaping market compares
In 2023 the Portland metro had 1,067 landscaping companies (counted by business location). BLS publishes that count but withholds headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. The number of these employers rose 3.6%, more firms competing for the same crews. That works out to 42 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, Portland ranks 30th for headcount, 7th for median pay and 63rd for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers. Pay here is among the highest we see, so offers need to start near the top of the range.
What this means for hiring:For commercial landscaping employers in Portland, the pool is about the national norm for its size, so difficulty depends on the role more than the market.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Portland metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Portland's commercial landscaping market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Portland rose from 920 in 2018 to 1,067 in 2023, up 16%, close to the 13% national change. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Portland, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 920 | 1,067 | +16% |
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 Portland.
Why is stormwater construction routine in Portland rather than specialty work?
The metro's own data names Portland's green infrastructure requirements as making bioswale, ecoroof, and stormwater facility construction routine commercial scope on new commercial construction, not an occasional add-on.
What is driving commercial landscaping demand in Portland right now?
City of Portland stormwater standards are the dominant named driver - designers and crew leads who can build to those standards are genuinely differentiated and hard to replace.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Portland?
BLS puts the Portland median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $46,450 a year, 19% above the $39,150 national median. That ranks 9th of 112 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $38,550 to $59,960 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Portland?
It is about average. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers are as common in Portland as they are nationally (location quotient 0.91), with about 6,710 in the metro. With 16% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial landscaping roles pay the most in Portland?
Of the roles we recruit for, Grounds Crew Supervisor pays the most in Portland, a $76,910 median. Landscape / Grounds Crew Member is the lowest-paid field role at $46,450. Relative to national pay, Tree Trimmer / Arborist is the strongest-paying role here (48% above). Landscape Designer / Architect trails national pay the most (8% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Portland?
BLS counted 1,067 landscaping companies in Portland in 2023. Up from 920 in 2018, a 16% increase against 13% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers.
Which nearby metros compete with Portland for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Seattle (145 miles, about 11,780, $48,480 median) and Spokane (290 miles, about 2,070, $44,630 median). Seattle has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move.
We have not closed a commercial landscaping search in Portland 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 Portland than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Site SuperintendentTwenty years of construction and six as a superintendent, placed onto Portland-Vancouver jobsites in two weeks.
- Lead Fire Alarm TechnicianSeven weeks for an NFPA-licensed lead fire alarm technician - the right length for a life-safety role.
Hiring commercial landscaping talent in Portland?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you timeline and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.