Commercial Irrigation recruiters serving Salt Lake City.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Salt Lake City earn a $43,890 median, 12% above the national figure, and about 5,090 of them work in the metro. BLS counts 580 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 Salt Lake City.
BLS counts about 9,260 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Salt Lake City metro, the largest group being landscaping and groundskeeping workers (about 5,090). 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
Salt Lake City: 5,090 employed · $43,890 median, 29th-highest of 112 metros
Certified Irrigation Technician (CIT)
Irrigation System Designer
Salt Lake City: 40 employed · $94,510 median, 11th-highest of 78 metros
Backflow Prevention Specialist
Salt Lake City: 3,190 employed · $64,800 median, 42nd-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Service / Repair Technician
Irrigation Foreman / Crew Lead
Salt Lake City: 940 employed · $57,200 median, 59th-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Project Manager
Salt Lake City: $109,710 median, 57th-highest of 111 metros
Irrigation Estimator
Salt Lake City: 1,260 employed · $81,540 median, 25th-highest of 111 metros
Smart / Controller Systems Technician
Landscape Water Management Auditor
What Commercial Irrigation roles earn in Salt Lake City.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Salt Lake City earn a median $43,890, 12% over the $39,150 national figure, and 29th of 112 metros. Pay runs $35,260 at the tenth percentile to $60,190 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is landscape architects, at $94,510 against $79,870 nationally.
| Role | Salt Lake City 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) | $43,890 | $35,260–$60,190 | $39,150 | +12% | 5,090 |
| Irrigation System DesignerLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $94,510 | $65,950–$106,330 | $79,870 | +18% | 40 |
| Backflow Prevention SpecialistPlumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-2152) | $64,800 | $47,870–$88,310 | $63,800 | +2% | 3,190 |
| Irrigation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $57,200 | $45,900–$80,380 | $58,430 | −2% | 940 |
| Irrigation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $109,710 | $79,310–$166,100 | $114,990 | −5% | – |
| Irrigation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $81,540 | $54,220–$130,960 | $78,740 | +4% | 1,260 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City's commercial irrigation market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Salt Lake City rose from 433 in 2018 to 580 in 2023, up 34%, ahead of the 13% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 38%, to about 5,008 people. Average annual pay there went from $34,878 to $47,970 (+38%), faster than the 31% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 433 | 580 | +34% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 3,638 | 5,008 | +38% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $34,878 | $47,970 | +38% |
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
Salt Lake City 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 Salt Lake City's commercial irrigation market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Salt Lake City ranks 39th for headcount, 25th for median pay and 47th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt Lake City | 5,090 | $43,890 | 1.00 | 580 |
| Provo | 2,490 | $39,220 | 1.33 | 303 |
| Ogden | 2,190 | $39,690 | 1.32 | 271 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial irrigation employers in Salt Lake City, 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, Salt Lake City metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Irrigation licensing in Utah.
In Utah, irrigation sprinkling work falls under the S330 Landscape and Recreation Construction contractor classification, which absorbed the former P203 Irrigation Sprinkling Contractor classification in 2019. The Division of Drinking Water certifies backflow assembly testers. The same state rules apply in Provo and Ogden, so candidates licensed there can work in Salt Lake City without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Utah Division of Professional Licensing (irrigation); Utah Department of Environmental Quality, Division of Drinking Water (backflow). Confirm current rules with the agency.
Nearby markets competing for Salt Lake City talent.
The closest metro we cover is Ogden, about 30 miles away, with roughly 2,190 landscaping and groundskeeping workers (0.4 times Salt Lake City's 5,090). Salt Lake City pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($43,890 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Provo at $39,220. Salt Lake City is the largest market for this work in the region, so nearby metros tend to recruit from here rather than the other way round.
What else is competing for Salt Lake City crews.
Not commercial irrigation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Salt Lake City in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Novva Data Center Campus (West Jordan)1M sq ft total, 175MW capacityPhases 2-3 completing 2026
A 100-acre direct-to-chip cooled AI data-center campus inside the Salt Lake City MSA proper - among the largest of its kind in the world. Extremely demanding mechanical (liquid cooling) and electrical scope.
- Stratos Project (Box Elder County)9GW capacity requiredApproved May 2026
A data-center and energy campus spanning roughly 40,000 acres, led by investor Kevin O'Leary. Outside the core SLC MSA but a massive draw on the same statewide skilled-trades labor pool once construction ramps.
- Creekstone Energy "gigasite" (Millard County)10+ GW capacityUnder construction
Billed as the largest data-center campus in the world once complete. Like Stratos, outside the core metro but a defining statewide demand signal for Utah's mechanical and electrical trades.
Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Salt Lake City market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial irrigation, and what kills offers in Salt Lake City.
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 Salt Lake City.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Salt Lake City?
BLS puts the Salt Lake City median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $43,890 a year, 12% above the $39,150 national median. That ranks 29th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Most of the market sits between $35,260 and $60,190, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. No other Utah metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Salt Lake City?
It is about average. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers are as common in Salt Lake City as they are nationally (location quotient 1.00), with about 5,090 in the metro. The 580 landscaping companies here average about 8.6 employees per location. With 34% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial irrigation roles pay the most in Salt Lake City?
Of the roles we recruit for, Irrigation Project Manager pays the most in Salt Lake City, a $109,710 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Irrigation System Designer at $94,510, 14% below it. Irrigation Technician / Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $43,890. Relative to national pay, Irrigation System Designer is the strongest-paying role here (18% above). Irrigation Project Manager trails national pay the most (5% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Salt Lake City?
BLS counted 580 landscaping companies in Salt Lake City in 2023, employing about 5,008 people between them. Up from 433 in 2018, a 34% increase against 13% growth nationally. That averages 8.6 people per location. They pay about the national average of $48,279. BLS counts irrigation contractors under landscaping companies.
Which nearby metros compete with Salt Lake City for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Ogden (32 miles, about 2,190, $39,690 median), Provo (38 miles, about 2,490, $39,220 median) and Boise (296 miles, about 3,650, $43,540 median). Salt Lake City out-pays Ogden and Provo, an advantage when recruiting from there.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
580 landscaping companies in Salt Lake City are drawing on the same 5,090 landscaping and groundskeeping workers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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