Commercial Irrigation recruiters serving Seattle.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Seattle earn a $48,480 median, 24% above the national figure, and about 11,780 of them work in the metro. BLS counts 1,547 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 Seattle.
BLS counts about 19,870 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Seattle metro, the largest group being landscaping and groundskeeping workers (about 11,780). Relative to the size of the local economy, landscaping and groundskeeping workers are less concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 0.92). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Irrigation hub.
Irrigation Technician / Installer
Seattle: 11,780 employed · $48,480 median, 2nd-highest of 112 metros
Certified Irrigation Technician (CIT)
Irrigation System Designer
Seattle: 600 employed · $76,730 median, 54th-highest of 78 metros
Backflow Prevention Specialist
Seattle: 6,350 employed · $95,230 median, 6th-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Service / Repair Technician
Irrigation Foreman / Crew Lead
Seattle: 1,140 employed · $76,490 median, 3rd-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Project Manager
Seattle: 4,010 employed · $159,430 median, 3rd-highest of 111 metros
Irrigation Estimator
Seattle: 4,340 employed · $94,490 median, 5th-highest of 111 metros
Smart / Controller Systems Technician
Landscape Water Management Auditor
Hiring the same trade in another market? We recruit it in Winston-Salem, NC too.
What Commercial Irrigation roles earn in Seattle.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Seattle earn a median $48,480, 24% over the $39,150 national figure, and 2nd of 112 metros. Pay runs $40,470 at the tenth percentile to $62,890 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, at $95,230 against $63,800 nationally.
| Role | Seattle 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) | $48,480 | $40,470–$62,890 | $39,150 | +24% | 11,780 |
| Irrigation System DesignerLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $76,730 | $65,150–$127,740 | $79,870 | −4% | 600 |
| Backflow Prevention SpecialistPlumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-2152) | $95,230 | $51,930–$153,500 | $63,800 | +49% | 6,350 |
| Irrigation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $76,490 | $58,180–$104,890 | $58,430 | +31% | 1,140 |
| Irrigation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $159,430 | $109,800–$221,370 | $114,990 | +39% | 4,010 |
| Irrigation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $94,490 | $62,020–$152,220 | $78,740 | +20% | 4,340 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Seattle 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 Seattle's commercial irrigation market has changed since 2018.
Seattle lost landscaping companies between 2018 and 2023, from 1,583 business locations to 1,547 (down 2%), behind the 13% growth nationally. Headcount at those firms went up 10%, to about 10,914 people, so fewer firms are employing more people each. Average annual pay there went from $40,235 to $52,580 (+31%), in step with the 31% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 1,583 | 1,547 | −2% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 9,878 | 10,914 | +10% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $40,235 | $52,580 | +31% |
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
Seattle runs 8% fewer commercial irrigation 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 (nearest published occupation for this trade). Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Seattle's commercial irrigation market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Seattle ranks 16th for headcount, 2nd for median pay and 62nd 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.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seattle | 11,780 | $48,480 | 0.92 | 1,547 |
| Spokane | 2,070 | $44,630 | 1.32 | 248 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial irrigation employers in Seattle, 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, Seattle metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Irrigation licensing in Washington.
Washington's Department of Health backflow assembly tester (BAT) certification is administered by Washington Certification Services. A Labor & Industries landscape construction policy lists installing lawn or landscape sprinkler systems up to three feet below grade as allowed work. The same state rules apply in Spokane, so candidates licensed there can work in Seattle without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Washington State Department of Health (backflow); Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (contractors). Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a commercial irrigation search in Seattle 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 Seattle than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- Service Operations CoordinatorA lead dispatcher used to 20-25 technicians and 75 calls a day, placed in eight days.
- Commercial SuperintendentTwenty-five years of ground-up commercial leadership, placed in two weeks.
- Construction SuperintendentTenant-improvement and renovation leadership, including prevailing-wage public work.
Nearby markets competing for Seattle talent.
The closest metro we cover is Portland, about 145 miles away, with roughly 6,710 landscaping and groundskeeping workers (0.6 times Seattle's 11,780). Seattle pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($48,480 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Spokane at $44,630. Seattle 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 Seattle crews.
Not commercial irrigation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Seattle in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Amazon & Microsoft campus build-outs + TIsReal trend, no verified regional totalRolling
South Lake Union and Eastside campuses plus continuous tenant-improvement churn. High-spec commercial MEP, fast-track fit-out, senior PMs with tech-client experience in constant demand.
- Seattle Convention Center Summit + downtown commercial~$2BSummit building completed January 2023; adjacent downtown towers ongoing
The Summit building itself is already open -- current demand is from adjacent downtown towers and commercial work, not the convention center build-out itself. Large-scale commercial MEP, curtain wall, and envelope work in a dense urban core.
- Sound Transit ST3 light-rail expansion$185B+ (revised from the original 2016 $54B estimate)Phased through 2044
Largest transit expansion in the region's history. Heavy civil, tunneling, stations, systems + traction power. Multi-year demand for civil crews, high-voltage electricians, and transit-experienced supers.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Seattle market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial irrigation, and what kills offers in Seattle.
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 Seattle.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Seattle?
BLS puts the Seattle median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $48,480 a year, 24% above the $39,150 national median. That ranks 2nd of 112 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $40,470 to $62,890 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other Washington metro we cover pays more for this work (Spokane: $44,630).
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Seattle?
It is about average. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers are as common in Seattle as they are nationally (location quotient 0.92), with about 11,780 in the metro. The 1,547 landscaping companies here average about 7.1 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name.
Which commercial irrigation roles pay the most in Seattle?
Of the roles we recruit for, Irrigation Project Manager pays the most in Seattle, a $159,430 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Backflow Prevention Specialist at $95,230, 40% below it. Irrigation Technician / Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $48,480. Relative to national pay, Backflow Prevention Specialist is the strongest-paying role here (49% above). Irrigation System Designer trails national pay the most (4% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Seattle?
BLS counted 1,547 landscaping companies in Seattle in 2023, employing about 10,914 people between them. Down from 1,583 in 2018, a 2% decline against 13% growth nationally. That averages 7.1 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $52,580, 9% above the $48,279 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counts irrigation contractors under landscaping companies.
Which nearby metros compete with Seattle for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Portland (145 miles, about 6,710, $46,450 median) and Spokane (228 miles, about 2,070, $44,630 median). Seattle out-pays Spokane, an advantage when recruiting from there.
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
1,547 landscaping companies in Seattle are drawing on the same 11,780 landscaping and groundskeeping workers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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