Commercial Irrigation recruiters serving Tampa.
About 9,860 landscaping and groundskeeping workers work in the Tampa metro, at a $37,210 median. BLS counts 1,546 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 Tampa.
BLS counts about 15,420 people working in the occupations behind these roles across the Tampa metro, the largest group being landscaping and groundskeeping workers (about 9,860). Relative to the size of the local economy, landscaping and groundskeeping workers are more concentrated here than nationally (location quotient 1.11). Local headcount and pay for each role are below; role descriptions are on the Commercial Irrigation hub.
Irrigation Technician / Installer
Tampa: 9,860 employed · $37,210 median, 78th-highest of 112 metros
Certified Irrigation Technician (CIT)
Irrigation System Designer
Tampa: 120 employed · $77,040 median, 53rd-highest of 78 metros
Backflow Prevention Specialist
Tampa: 4,180 employed · $52,000 median, 101st-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Service / Repair Technician
Irrigation Foreman / Crew Lead
Tampa: 1,260 employed · $53,790 median, 80th-highest of 112 metros
Irrigation Project Manager
Tampa: 4,760 employed · $120,800 median, 33rd-highest of 111 metros
Irrigation Estimator
Tampa: 2,330 employed · $78,740 median, 48th-highest of 111 metros
Smart / Controller Systems Technician
Landscape Water Management Auditor
What Commercial Irrigation roles earn in Tampa.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Tampa earn a median $37,210, 5% under the $39,150 national figure, and 78th of 112 metros. Pay runs $30,840 at the tenth percentile to $47,360 at the ninetieth. The best-paid role below is landscape architects, at $77,040 against $79,870 nationally.
| Role | Tampa 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) | $37,210 | $30,840–$47,360 | $39,150 | −5% | 9,860 |
| Irrigation System DesignerLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $77,040 | $59,630–$129,000 | $79,870 | −4% | 120 |
| Backflow Prevention SpecialistPlumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters (47-2152) | $52,000 | $41,610–$66,830 | $63,800 | −18% | 4,180 |
| Irrigation Foreman / Crew LeadFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $53,790 | $38,270–$82,170 | $58,430 | −8% | 1,260 |
| Irrigation Project ManagerConstruction Managers (11-9021) | $120,800 | $63,200–$212,960 | $114,990 | +5% | 4,760 |
| Irrigation EstimatorCost Estimators (13-1051) | $78,740 | $45,280–$128,780 | $78,740 | 0% | 2,330 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Tampa 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 Tampa's commercial irrigation market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Tampa rose from 1,375 in 2018 to 1,546 in 2023, up 12%, close to the 13% national change. Headcount at those firms went up 7%, to about 9,954 people. Average annual pay there went from $31,558 to $42,037 (+33%), in step with the 31% national increase.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 1,375 | 1,546 | +12% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 9,263 | 9,954 | +7% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $31,558 | $42,037 | +33% |
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
Tampa runs 11% more commercial irrigation workers per job than the country as a whole — 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 Tampa's commercial irrigation market compares
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Tampa ranks 20th for headcount, 72nd for median pay and 31st for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami | 21,170 | $37,430 | 1.23 | 2,385 |
| Orlando | 11,430 | $36,310 | 1.32 | 1,303 |
| Tampa | 9,860 | $37,210 | 1.11 | 1,546 |
| Jacksonville | 6,140 | $37,320 | 1.31 | 876 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | 5,080 | $36,790 | 2.72 | 624 |
| North Port-Sarasota | 4,740 | $37,200 | 2.27 | 740 |
| Deltona-Daytona | 2,610 | $36,600 | 1.94 | 462 |
| Lakeland | 2,450 | $35,490 | 1.51 | 345 |
| Port St. Lucie | 2,330 | $36,480 | 2.23 | 363 |
| Palm Bay-Melbourne | 1,870 | $36,570 | 1.24 | 368 |
| Pensacola | 1,220 | $36,160 | 1.05 | 220 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial irrigation employers in Tampa, 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, Tampa metro. Employers are counted by business location.
Commercial Irrigation licensing in Florida.
Florida offers a voluntary state-certified irrigation specialty contractor license. It is an alternative to a local irrigation certificate of competency or a full plumbing license, and it does not create a mandatory statewide requirement. The same state rules apply in Miami, Orlando, Jacksonville, North Port-Sarasota, Cape Coral-Fort Myers, Lakeland, Deltona-Daytona, Palm Bay-Melbourne, Port St. Lucie and Pensacola, so candidates licensed there can work in Tampa without re-qualifying.
Licensing authority: Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Construction Industry Licensing Board. Confirm current rules with the agency.
We have not closed a commercial irrigation search in Tampa 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 Tampa than imply a record in this trade that we do not have yet.
- HVAC Copper PipefitterA fifteen-year experience floor on a single trade specialty took sixteen weeks to clear - and we cleared it twice.
- HVAC Copper PipefitterThe second of two pipefitter seats on the same project, filled from the same extended search.
- HVAC Copper PipefitterA journeyman pipefitter and foreman off large industrial projects, onto a major commercial job in four weeks.
Nearby markets competing for Tampa talent.
The closest metro we cover is Lakeland, about 30 miles away, with roughly 2,450 landscaping and groundskeeping workers (0.2 times Tampa's 9,860). Tampa pays more than every metro we cover within reach ($37,210 median), which helps when recruiting people in from Lakeland at $35,490.
| Metro | Distance | Employed | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa | – | 9,860 | $37,210 |
| Lakeland | 32 mi | 2,450 | $35,490 |
| North Port-Sarasota | 64 mi | 4,740 | $37,200 |
| Orlando | 77 mi | 11,430 | $36,310 |
| Deltona-Daytona | 98 mi | 2,610 | $36,600 |
| Cape Coral-Fort Myers | 101 mi | 5,080 | $36,790 |
BLS OEWS, May 2025; straight-line miles.
What else is competing for Tampa crews.
Not commercial irrigation work. These are the capital projects big enough to pull the same crews into Tampa in the months you are trying to fill a seat, each with the status its own market page reports.
- Water Street Tampa (Strategic Property Partners)$3B+ districtPhased build-out, ongoing
Downtown mixed-use district - office towers, residential, hotels, and USF Health. Class-A commercial finish, custom MEP, and high-rise trade demand concentrated in the urban core.
- Tampa General Hospital campus expansionsOngoing capital programRolling through the late 2020s
One of the region's largest healthcare systems in a sustained expansion. Hospital work is the most demanding commercial mechanical and electrical environment - the trades who can do it are in shortest supply.
- Moffitt Cancer Center - Speros FL life-sciences campus (Pasco County)Long-horizon research campusEarly phases underway, decades-long build-out
A new research and clinical campus north of the metro. Life-sciences construction drives premium demand for lab MEP, cleanroom-adjacent mechanical, and high-spec controls work.
Showing 3 of 6 projects tracked in this metro. The Tampa market page lists them all.
What credentials matter for commercial irrigation, and what kills offers in Tampa.
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 Tampa.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Tampa?
BLS puts the Tampa median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $37,210 a year, 5% below the $39,150 national median. That ranks 78th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $30,840 to $47,360 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.5x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other Florida metro we cover pays more for this work.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Tampa?
It is about average. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers are as common in Tampa as they are nationally (location quotient 1.11), with about 9,860 in the metro. The 1,546 landscaping companies here average about 6.4 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 12% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial irrigation roles pay the most in Tampa?
Of the roles we recruit for, Irrigation Project Manager pays the most in Tampa, a $120,800 median (BLS measures that occupation across all industries in the metro). Among field roles the top earner is Irrigation System Designer at $77,040, 36% below it. Irrigation Technician / Installer is the lowest-paid field role at $37,210. Relative to national pay, Irrigation Project Manager is the strongest-paying role here (5% above). Backflow Prevention Specialist trails national pay the most (18% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Tampa?
BLS counted 1,546 landscaping companies in Tampa in 2023, employing about 9,954 people between them. Up from 1,375 in 2018, a 12% increase against 13% growth nationally. That averages 6.4 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $42,037, 13% below the $48,279 national average for the same kind of employer. BLS counts irrigation contractors under landscaping companies.
Which nearby metros compete with Tampa for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Lakeland (32 miles, about 2,450, $35,490 median), North Port-Sarasota (64 miles, about 4,740, $37,200 median) and Orlando (77 miles, about 11,430, $36,310 median).
The seat is open. The pipeline should not be.
1,546 landscaping companies in Tampa are drawing on the same 9,860 landscaping and groundskeeping workers. Let's get your next hire lined up first.
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