Commercial landscaping recruiters serving Virginia Beach.
Large military installations and corporate/institutional campuses across Hampton Roads drive steady grounds-maintenance demand, with coastal stormwater management a real consideration.
The world's largest naval station, and coastal exposure.
Metro pay for every role we recruit is in the table below. What the hub does name: large military installations and corporate/institutional campuses across Hampton Roads driving steady demand, with stormwater management a real consideration given the region's coastal exposure.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial landscaping contractors in Virginia Beach against that documented context.
A multi-project military infrastructure program.
Steady, federally-driven grounds demand at the world's largest naval station.
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New Child Development Center, substations, and Pier 14 power infrastructure supporting aircraft carrier operations at the world's largest naval station, requiring dedicated federal-facility grounds work alongside the broader construction program.
What commercial landscaping roles pay in Virginia Beach.
In the Virginia Beach metro, BLS puts the median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $36,520 a year, 7% below the $39,150 national median. Among the 112 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, Virginia Beach ranks 93rd on pay. Most of the market sits between $30,130 and $47,120. Of the other field roles, landscape designer / architect pays the most locally, at a $79,130 median. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Landscaping Salary Guide.
| Role | Virginia Beach median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape / Grounds Crew MemberLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (37-3011) | $36,520 | $30,130–$47,120 | $39,150 | −7% | 4,410 |
| Grounds Crew SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $56,410 | $39,420–$78,260 | $58,430 | −3% | 640 |
| Tree Trimmer / ArboristTree Trimmers and Pruners (37-3013) | $48,140 | $38,930–$59,350 | $50,960 | −6% | 210 |
| Licensed Pesticide ApplicatorPesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation (37-3012) | $49,550 | $38,090–$57,600 | $46,340 | +7% | 40 |
| Landscape Designer / ArchitectLandscape Architects (17-1012) | $79,130 | $58,230–$137,230 | $79,870 | −1% | 70 |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Virginia Beach metro. Range is 10th to 90th percentile. Headcount is shown for field occupations only; management, estimating and supervisory codes are counted across every industry in the metro.
What candidates expect. What credentials matter. What kills offers.
We don't tell prospective clients who their competitors are hiring - that's a discipline our clients value, and we'll honor it on a call. What we will share publicly: how Virginia Beach commercial landscaping hiring actually plays out in 2026.
Why coastal exposure makes stormwater management a real consideration
The hub names stormwater management directly, tied to Hampton Roads' coastal exposure - a factor that shapes grounds design differently than an inland market would require.
Why federal-installation grounds work requires distinct access credentials
Naval Station Norfolk's ongoing infrastructure program requires grounds crews who can work within a military-installation access framework, beyond standard commercial landscaping credentials.
What this means for sourcing
We source against verified military-installation access and coastal-stormwater project history, not resume claims, given the specific scope named by the hub.
Realistic timelines
Standard commercial landscaping roles: 4-6 weeks intake to signed offer, consistent with the region's broader hiring timeline. First slate of vetted candidates within 48 hours regardless.
The commercial landscaping positions we fill, most often.
Across all Virginia Beach commercial landscaping clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months.
- Federal/military-installation grounds specialist
- Corporate/institutional campus grounds crew lead
- Landscape crew foreman
- Grounds maintenance manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in Virginia Beach, see the Virginia Beach metro overview. To learn more about commercial landscaping generally (across all 100+ markets we serve), see our Commercial Landscaping industry page.
How we recruit commercial landscaping in Virginia Beach, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in Virginia Beach's commercial landscaping segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. For Virginia Beach landscaping work, we also confirm whether the role sits within Naval Station Norfolk scope or standard commercial grounds work.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Virginia Beach commercial landscaping candidate network, filtered for verified military-installation access and coastal-stormwater credentials.
- Vetted short list (week one to several weeks). Three to five candidates. We verify real federal-facility project history rather than a line on a resume - timeline depends on the project scope involved.
- Offer and close. Standard roles close in 4-6 weeks. We help with offer math against Virginia Beach documented general context.
Virginia Beach runs 6% fewer commercial landscaping 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. Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Virginia Beach's commercial landscaping market compares
In 2023 the Virginia Beach metro had 584 landscaping companies (counted by business location). BLS publishes that count but withholds headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers. That works out to 32 per 100,000 residents, close to the 37 national rate.
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Virginia Beach ranks 45th for headcount, 84th for median pay and 58th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach | 4,410 | $36,520 | 0.94 | 584 |
| Richmond | 4,360 | $37,170 | 1.08 | 483 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial landscaping employers in Virginia Beach, the pool is about the national norm for its size, so difficulty depends on the role more than the market.
Sources: BLS QCEW 2023 annual averages and BLS OEWS May 2025, Virginia Beach metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Virginia Beach's commercial landscaping market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Virginia Beach rose from 519 in 2018 to 584 in 2023, up 13%, close to the 13% national change. Headcount and pay for those firms are withheld in Virginia Beach, so the occupation figures above are the better guide to what hiring costs.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 519 | 584 | +13% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 3,948 | – | – |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $31,589 | – | – |
BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private employers, annual averages. A dash means BLS did not publish the figure.
Frequently asked — commercial landscaping hiring in Virginia Beach.
What is driving commercial landscaping demand in Virginia Beach right now?
Naval Station Norfolk's ongoing multi-project infrastructure program, at the world's largest naval station, is the named driver.
Why does coastal exposure matter for Hampton Roads landscaping work?
The metro's own data names stormwater management as a real consideration given the region's coastal exposure, distinct from what an inland market would require.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Virginia Beach?
BLS puts the Virginia Beach median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $36,520 a year, 7% below the $39,150 national median. That ranks 93rd of 112 metros with published figures, in the bottom quarter. Pay is bunched together here, $30,130 to $47,120 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. No other Virginia metro we cover pays more for this work (Richmond: $37,170).
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Virginia Beach?
It is about average. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers are as common in Virginia Beach as they are nationally (location quotient 0.94), with about 4,410 in the metro. With 13% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial landscaping roles pay the most in Virginia Beach?
Of the roles we recruit for, Landscape Designer / Architect pays the most in Virginia Beach, a $79,130 median. Landscape / Grounds Crew Member is the lowest-paid field role at $36,520. Relative to national pay, Licensed Pesticide Applicator is the strongest-paying role here (7% above). Landscape / Grounds Crew Member trails national pay the most (7% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Virginia Beach?
BLS counted 584 landscaping companies in Virginia Beach in 2023. Up from 519 in 2018, a 13% increase against 13% growth nationally. BLS withholds their combined headcount and pay here, which it does when a category is small enough that the figures could identify individual employers.
Which nearby metros compete with Virginia Beach for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Richmond (95 miles, about 4,360, $37,170 median), Washington, D.C. (152 miles, about 17,140, $42,700 median) and Raleigh (166 miles, about 5,710, $38,500 median). Washington, D.C. has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move. Washington, D.C. pays 17% more, which is where Virginia Beach employers tend to lose people.
Hiring commercial landscaping talent in Virginia Beach?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you timeline and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.