Commercial Irrigation recruiters serving Raleigh.
Raleigh has 25% more landscaping and groundskeeping workers per job than the country as a whole, about 5,710 in the metro. BLS counts 684 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 Raleigh.
BLS counts about 9,700 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Raleigh metro, the largest group being landscaping and groundskeeping workers (about 5,710). Relative to the size of the local economy, landscaping and groundskeeping workers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.25). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Irrigation hub.
Irrigation Technician / Installer
Raleigh: 5,710 employed · $38,500 median, 55th-highest of 112 metros
Certified Irrigation Technician (CIT)
Irrigation System Designer
Raleigh: 250 employed · $83,420 median, 26th-highest of 78 metros
Backflow Prevention Specialist
Raleigh: 2,810 employed · $60,540 median, 69th-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Service / Repair Technician
Irrigation Foreman / Crew Lead
Raleigh: 930 employed · $57,950 median, 57th-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Project Manager
Raleigh: 3,020 employed · $119,700 median, 38th-highest of 111 metros
Irrigation Estimator
Raleigh: 1,420 employed · $79,230 median, 43rd-highest of 111 metros
Smart / Controller Systems Technician
Landscape Water Management Auditor
What Commercial Irrigation roles earn in Raleigh.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Raleigh earn a median $38,500, level with the $39,150 national figure, and 55th of 112 metros. Pay runs $34,910 at the tenth percentile to $47,370 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is landscape architects, at $83,420 against $79,870 nationally.
| Role | Raleigh 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) | $38,500 | $34,910–$47,370 | $39,150 | −2% | 5,710 |
| Irrigation System DesignerLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $83,420 | $57,940–$118,990 | $79,870 | +4% | 250 |
| Backflow Prevention SpecialistPlumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-2152) | $60,540 | $42,940–$77,610 | $63,800 | −5% | 2,810 |
| Irrigation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $57,950 | $46,360–$77,980 | $58,430 | −1% | 930 |
| Irrigation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $119,700 | $78,010–$182,990 | $114,990 | +4% | 3,020 |
| Irrigation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $79,230 | $38,350–$131,400 | $78,740 | +1% | 1,420 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Raleigh 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 Raleigh's commercial irrigation market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Raleigh rose from 554 in 2018 to 684 in 2023, up 23%, ahead of the 13% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 17%, to about 7,251 people. Average annual pay there went from $37,380 to $47,373 (+27%), slower than the 31% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 554 | 684 | +23% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 6,200 | 7,251 | +17% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $37,380 | $47,373 | +27% |
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
Raleigh runs 25% 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 Raleigh's commercial irrigation market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Raleigh ranks 37th for headcount, 50th for median pay and 16th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 8,400 | $38,630 | 1.01 | 1,223 |
| Raleigh | 5,710 | $38,500 | 1.25 | 684 |
| Winston-Salem | 1,820 | $37,420 | 1.09 | 334 |
| Greensboro | 1,730 | $37,830 | 0.77 | 337 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | 1,710 | $38,610 | 0.81 | 240 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial irrigation employers in Raleigh, 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, Raleigh metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Irrigation licensing in North Carolina.
North Carolina requires irrigation contractors to hold a state license from a dedicated board. Applicants need irrigation experience, a background check, a passing exam score and a surety bond. The same state rules apply in Charlotte, Greensboro, Winston-Salem and Durham-Chapel Hill, so candidates licensed there can work in Raleigh without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: North Carolina Irrigation Contractors' Licensing Board. Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Raleigh talent.
The closest metro we cover is Durham-Chapel Hill, about 20 miles away, with roughly 1,710 landscaping and groundskeeping workers (0.3 times Raleigh's 5,710). Pay is close across the region: medians run from $37,170 in Richmond to $38,630 in Charlotte, against $38,500 here.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raleigh | – | 5,710 | $38,500 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | 21 mi | 1,710 | $38,610 |
| Greensboro | 68 mi | 1,730 | $37,830 |
| Winston-Salem | 93 mi | 1,820 | $37,420 |
| Charlotte | 130 mi | 8,400 | $38,630 |
| Richmond | 139 mi | 4,360 | $37,170 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Raleigh crews.
Not commercial irrigation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Raleigh in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Hub RTP$2BPhased, multi-year
100-acre downtown Research Triangle Park district delivering 1.5M+ sq ft of office/lab space plus 1,200 residential units. Conventional commercial and mixed-use construction alongside the region's pharma manufacturing boom.
- Johnson & Johnson Wilson biologics campus$2BMulti-year
Biologics manufacturing campus adding to the region's life-sciences construction pipeline - cleanroom and process-utility work drawing on the same specialized labor pool as Novo Nordisk and Fujifilm.
- Novo Nordisk Clayton expansion$4.1BMulti-year buildout
Adds 1.4M sq ft of advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing and roughly 1,000 permanent jobs. One of the largest single pharma capital projects in the Southeast, requiring cleanroom-grade mechanical, electrical, and process piping at scale.
Showing 3 of 5 projects tracked in this metro. The Raleigh market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial irrigation, and what kills offers in Raleigh.
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 Raleigh.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Raleigh?
BLS puts the Raleigh median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $38,500 a year, about the same as the $39,150 national median. That ranks 55th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $34,910 to $47,370 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.4x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other North Carolina metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Raleigh?
Not by national standards. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers make up 25% more of the Raleigh workforce than they do nationally, about 5,710 people. The 684 landscaping companies here average about 11 employees per location. With 23% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial irrigation roles pay the most in Raleigh?
Of the roles we recruit for, Irrigation Project Manager pays the most in Raleigh, a $119,700 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Irrigation System Designer at $83,420, 30% below it. Irrigation Technician / Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $38,500. Relative to national pay, Irrigation System Designer is the strongest-paying role here (4% above). Backflow Prevention Specialist trails national pay the most (5% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Raleigh?
BLS counted 684 landscaping companies in Raleigh in 2023, employing about 7,251 people between them. Up from 554 in 2018, a 23% increase against 13% growth nationally. That averages 11 people per location. They pay about the national average of $48,279. BLS counts irrigation contractors under landscaping companies.
Which nearby metros compete with Raleigh for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Durham-Chapel Hill (21 miles, about 1,710, $38,610 median), Greensboro (68 miles, about 1,730, $37,830 median) and Winston-Salem (93 miles, about 1,820, $37,420 median).
Plenty of people. Few of them looking.
Raleigh 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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