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Commercial Irrigation recruiters serving Spokane.

Spokane has 32% more landscaping and groundskeeping workers per job than the country as a whole, about 2,070 in the metro. BLS counts 248 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 Spokane.

BLS counts about 3,110 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Spokane metro, the largest group being landscaping and groundskeeping workers (about 2,070). Relative to the size of the local economy, landscaping and groundskeeping workers are far more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.32). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Irrigation hub.

Irrigation Technician / Installer

Spokane: 2,070 employed · $44,630 median, 23rd-highest of 112 metros

Certified Irrigation Technician (CIT)

Irrigation System Designer

Spokane: 30 employed

Backflow Prevention Specialist

Spokane: 810 employed · $72,800 median, 29th-highest of 112 metros

Irrigation Service / Repair Technician

Irrigation Foreman / Crew Lead

Spokane: 200 employed · $61,240 median, 28th-highest of 112 metros

Irrigation Project Manager

Spokane: 340 employed · $131,710 median, 11th-highest of 111 metros

Irrigation Estimator

Spokane: 580 employed · $73,940 median, 82nd-highest of 111 metros

Smart / Controller Systems Technician

Landscape Water Management Auditor

What Commercial Irrigation roles earn in Spokane.

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Spokane earn a median $44,630, 14% over the $39,150 national figure, and 23rd of 112 metros. Pay runs $36,440 at the tenth percentile to $60,590 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters, at $72,800 against $63,800 nationally. BLS withholds Spokane pay for one occupation in the table.

What these roles pay in Spokane
RoleSpokane medianTypical rangeNational medianvs. nationalEmployed locally
Irrigation Technician / Installer · Certified Irrigation Technician (CIT) · Irrigation Service / Repair TechnicianLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (37-3011)$44,630$36,440–$60,590$39,150+14%2,070
Irrigation System DesignerLandscape Architects (17-1012)––$79,870–30
Backflow Prevention SpecialistPlumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-2152)$72,800$47,830–$105,980$63,800+14%810
Irrigation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012)$61,240$48,200–$94,550$58,430+5%200
Irrigation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021)$131,710$84,820–$197,030$114,990+15%340
Irrigation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051)$73,940$54,360–$118,760$78,740−6%580

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Spokane 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.

Get the full Commercial Irrigation Salary Guide →

How Spokane's commercial irrigation market has changed since 2018.

The number of landscaping companies in Spokane rose from 245 in 2018 to 248 in 2023, up 1%, behind the 13% growth nationally.

Spokane, 2018 vs 2023
Measure20182023Change
Landscaping companies: business locations245248+1%
Landscaping companies: employment–1,883–
Landscaping companies: average annual pay–$44,164–

BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.

Spokane · commercial irrigation · market scale
2,070employed in the Spokane metro
1.32concentration vs. the national rate
$44,630BLS metro median, all landscaping and groundskeeping workers

Spokane runs 32% 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.

Local market detail

How Spokane's commercial irrigation market compares

248landscaping companies in the metro
1,883people on their payrolls
$44,164average annual pay at these firms

Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Spokane ranks 78th for headcount, 21st for median pay and 10th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers. That puts it among the deepest commercial irrigation labor markets in the country.

Washington metros we cover: Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers
MetroEmployedMedian payConcentrationCommercial employers
Seattle11,780$48,4800.921,547
Spokane2,070$44,6301.32248

BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.

What this means for hiring:For commercial irrigation employers in Spokane, the local pool is deeper than most, so a well-run search can usually fill field roles from inside the metro.

Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Spokane 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 Seattle, so candidates licensed there can work in Spokane without re-qualifying.

Licensing authority: Washington State Department of Health (backflow); Washington State Department of Labor & Industries (contractors). Confirm current rules with the agency.

Nearby markets competing for Spokane talent.

The closest metro we cover is Seattle, about 230 miles away, with roughly 11,780 landscaping and groundskeeping workers (5.7 times Spokane's 2,070). Seattle pays the most nearby, a $48,480 median, 9% above Spokane. That is the number any Spokane offer is competing with when experienced people weigh a move. Seattle has the deepest pool within reach, so a search for senior roles here usually extends there.

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers within 300 miles
MetroDistanceEmployedMedian pay
Spokane–2,070$44,630
Seattle228 mi11,780$48,480
Boise286 mi3,650$43,540
Portland290 mi6,710$46,450

BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.

MAJOR CAPITAL PROJECTS, SPOKANE

What else is competing for Spokane crews.

Not commercial irrigation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Spokane in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.

  • North Spokane Corridor$1.9B total ($633M for 2026)
    Crews beginning elevated highway foundations

    The most expensive highway project in Eastern Washington history - a 10.5-mile corridor with a new elevated four-lane section from the Spokane River to I-90.

  • Riverside Park Water Reclamation Facility upgrade$80-100M (a pre-escalation estimate; a more recent figure puts the membrane/filtration component alone at ~$126M)
    Underway

    A major upgrade to the city's water reclamation infrastructure.

  • Solstice Advanced Materials facility expansion$200M
    Capacity expanding through 2029

    An electronic/semiconductor materials facility expansion in Spokane Valley, built by Garco Construction.

Showing 3 of 4 projects tracked in this metro. The Spokane market page lists them all.

WHAT IT TAKES TO WIN THE HIRE, SPOKANE

What credentials matter for commercial irrigation, and what kills offers in Spokane.

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 Spokane.

What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Spokane?

BLS puts the Spokane median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $44,630 a year, 14% above the $39,150 national median. That ranks 23rd of 112 metros with published figures, in the top quarter. Most of the market sits between $36,440 and $60,590, a 1.7x gap and a moderate spread, so a few thousand dollars over the median buys real experience. Within Washington, Seattle pays more, at $48,480.

Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Spokane?

Not by national standards. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers make up 32% more of the Spokane workforce than they do nationally, about 2,070 people. The 248 landscaping companies here average about 7.6 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name.

Which commercial irrigation roles pay the most in Spokane?

Of the roles we recruit for, Irrigation Project Manager pays the most in Spokane, a $131,710 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Backflow Prevention Specialist at $72,800, 45% below it. Irrigation Technician / Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $44,630. Relative to national pay, Irrigation Project Manager is the strongest-paying role here (15% above). Irrigation Estimator trails national pay the most (6% below).

How many landscaping companies operate in Spokane?

BLS counted 248 landscaping companies in Spokane in 2023, employing about 1,883 people between them. That is roughly where the count stood in 2018 (245). That averages 7.6 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $44,164, 9% below the $48,279 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counts irrigation contractors under landscaping companies.

Which nearby metros compete with Spokane for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?

The closest metros we cover with published figures are Seattle (228 miles, about 11,780, $48,480 median), Boise (286 miles, about 3,650, $43,540 median) and Portland (290 miles, about 6,710, $46,450 median). Seattle has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Seattle pays 9% more, which is where Spokane employers tend to lose people.

Plenty of people. Few of them looking.

Spokane 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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