Commercial landscaping recruiters serving Winston-Salem.
Standard institutional and corporate landscaping demand tied to Innovation Quarter's mixed-use buildout and downtown's broader growth.
28 acres, eight new buildings.
Metro pay for every role we recruit is in the table below. What the hub does name: standard institutional and corporate landscaping demand tied to Innovation Quarter's mixed-use buildout and downtown's broader growth - not the Freischlag Tower that drives other trades on the same page.
We recruit across the full org chart for commercial landscaping contractors in Winston-Salem against that documented context.
A mixed-use district, still under construction.
One named project, spanning retail, biotech, healthcare, and residential space.
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Eight new buildings between downtown Winston-Salem and U.S. 52, combining retail, scientific/biotech, healthcare, and residential space - the named driver of the metro's standard institutional and corporate landscaping demand.
What commercial landscaping roles pay in Winston-Salem.
In the Winston-Salem metro, BLS puts the median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $37,420 a year, 4% below the $39,150 national median. Among the 112 metros BLS publishes for this occupation, Winston-Salem ranks 75th on pay. Most of the market sits between $31,030 and $48,670. Of the other field roles, grounds crew supervisor pays the most locally, at a $49,400 median. BLS does not publish Winston-Salem pay for 2 of the roles below, which it withholds where a metro's sample is too small to be reliable. National benchmarks by role are in the 2026 Commercial Landscaping Salary Guide.
| Role | Winston-Salem median | Typical range | National median | vs. national | Employed locally |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Landscape / Grounds Crew MemberLandscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (37-3011) | $37,420 | $31,030–$48,670 | $39,150 | −4% | 1,820 |
| Grounds Crew SupervisorFirst-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012) | $49,400 | $45,960–$60,950 | $58,430 | −15% | – |
| Tree Trimmer / ArboristTree Trimmers and Pruners (37-3013) | $47,570 | $39,110–$56,440 | $50,960 | −7% | 110 |
| Licensed Pesticide ApplicatorPesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation (37-3012) | – | – | $46,340 | – | – |
| Landscape Designer / ArchitectLandscape Architects (17-1012) | – | – | $79,870 | – | – |
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem commercial landscaping hiring actually plays out in 2026.
Why we don't tie this page to the Freischlag Tower
Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist's $450M care tower is the metro's largest single named project, driving real premiums for healthcare-construction electricians and plumbers. The hub's own landscaping mini names Innovation Quarter instead, so that's what we report.
Why a multi-year, 28-acre buildout changes how we source
Innovation Quarter Phase II's mixed-use scope means grounds-work staffing needs to plan for a sustained, multi-building pipeline, not a single hiring push.
What this means for sourcing
We source against verified mixed-use/downtown corporate landscaping experience, 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 Winston-Salem commercial landscaping clients, these are the highest-volume roles we've recruited for in the last 24 months.
- Mixed-use campus landscape crew lead
- Corporate campus landscape designer
- Landscape crew foreman
- Grounds maintenance manager
For the broader picture across every commercial trade in Winston-Salem, see the Winston-Salem 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 Winston-Salem, plainly.
Same approach we use in every market - but tuned for what works in Winston-Salem's commercial landscaping segment specifically:
- Same-day intake call. We get the role, the project context, the budget, your dealbreakers. For Winston-Salem landscaping work, we also confirm whether the role sits within Innovation Quarter's scope or standard downtown grounds work.
- Candidate sourcing within 48 hours. We pull from our existing Winston-Salem commercial landscaping candidate network.
- Vetted short list (week one to several weeks). Three to five candidates. We verify real mixed-use/downtown 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 Winston-Salem's documented general context.
Winston-Salem runs 9% more commercial landscaping 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. Metro-wide figures for the base occupation; the wage table above is role-specific and commercial.
How Winston-Salem's commercial landscaping market compares
In 2023 the Winston-Salem metro had 334 landscaping companies (counted by business location), with about 1,757 people on their payrolls. Average pay at those firms was $42,624, 11.7% below the national average of $48,279 for the same kind of employer. Headcount grew 3.8% over the year, faster than the 2.2% national increase, so local employers were adding people quicker than most of the country. The number of these employers rose 5.4%, more firms competing for the same crews. That works out to 49 per 100,000 residents against 37 nationally, a crowded field where experienced people get approached often.
Among the 100 metros we cover with published BLS figures, Winston-Salem ranks 81st for headcount, 69th for median pay and 35th for concentration for landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
| Metro | Employed | Median pay | Concentration | Commercial employers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte | 8,400 | $38,630 | 1.01 | 1,223 |
| Raleigh | 5,710 | $38,500 | 1.25 | 684 |
| Winston-Salem | 1,820 | $37,420 | 1.09 | 334 |
| Greensboro | 1,730 | $37,830 | 0.77 | 337 |
| Durham-Chapel Hill | 1,710 | $38,610 | 0.81 | 240 |
BLS OEWS occupation figures and QCEW business-location counts; a dash means not published.
What this means for hiring:For commercial landscaping employers in Winston-Salem, 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, Winston-Salem metro. Employers are counted by business location.
How Winston-Salem's commercial landscaping market has changed since 2018.
The number of landscaping companies in Winston-Salem rose from 258 in 2018 to 334 in 2023, up 29%, ahead of the 13% national rise. Headcount at those firms went up 24%, to about 1,757 people. Average annual pay there went from $30,979 to $42,624 (+38%), faster than the 31% national increase, a sign employers here have had to bid up.
| Measure | 2018 | 2023 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landscaping companies: business locations | 258 | 334 | +29% |
| Landscaping companies: employment | 1,421 | 1,757 | +24% |
| Landscaping companies: average annual pay | $30,979 | $42,624 | +38% |
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 Winston-Salem.
What is Innovation Quarter Phase II?
A 28-acre, 2.5M+ sq ft planned mixed-use buildout of eight new buildings between downtown Winston-Salem and U.S. 52, combining retail, scientific/biotech, healthcare, and residential space - the metro's named landscaping demand driver.
What is driving commercial landscaping demand in Winston-Salem right now?
Standard institutional and corporate landscaping demand tied to Innovation Quarter's mixed-use buildout and downtown's broader growth.
What do landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn in Winston-Salem?
BLS puts the Winston-Salem median for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $37,420 a year, 4% below the $39,150 national median. That ranks 75th of 112 metros with published figures, in the middle of the pack. Pay is bunched together here, $31,030 to $48,670 across the 10th to 90th percentile and only a 1.6x gap, so small differences in an offer are noticed. Within North Carolina, Charlotte pays more, at $38,630.
Is it hard to hire landscaping and groundskeeping workers in Winston-Salem?
It is about average. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers are as common in Winston-Salem as they are nationally (location quotient 1.09), with about 1,820 in the metro. The 334 landscaping companies here average about 5.3 employees per location, mostly small shops, so candidates often know every employer in town by name. With 29% more of those firms than in 2018, more employers are competing for the same crews.
Which commercial landscaping roles pay the most in Winston-Salem?
Of the roles we recruit for, Grounds Crew Supervisor pays the most in Winston-Salem, a $49,400 median. Landscape / Grounds Crew Member is the lowest-paid field role at $37,420. Grounds Crew Supervisor trails national pay the most (15% below).
How many landscaping companies operate in Winston-Salem?
BLS counted 334 landscaping companies in Winston-Salem in 2023, employing about 1,757 people between them. Up from 258 in 2018, a 29% increase against 13% growth nationally. That averages 5.3 people per location, so most are small shops. They pay an average of $42,624, 12% below the $48,279 national average for the same kind of employer.
Which nearby metros compete with Winston-Salem for landscaping and groundskeeping workers?
The closest metros we cover with published figures are Greensboro (25 miles, about 1,730, $37,830 median), Charlotte (69 miles, about 8,400, $38,630 median) and Durham-Chapel Hill (75 miles, about 1,710, $38,610 median). Charlotte has the larger pool, so it is the first place to look for senior people willing to move.
Hiring commercial landscaping talent in Winston-Salem?
Tell us the role. We'll tell you timeline and where we'd source the candidate - in under 30 minutes.