Grounds Maintenance Workers
Impact: Environmental aesthetics, property value, public safety
Maintain grounds of properties using hand or power tools, performing tasks such as mowing, trimming, planting, watering, and fertilizing. Install and repair irrigation systems, and ensure the aesthetic appeal and health of outdoor spaces.
What the day looks like
- People interaction
- Moderate
- Team vs solo
- 60% Team / 40% Solo
- Client facing
- Sometimes
- Impact visibility
- Moderate
- Travel
- Minimal local travel between work sites
- Schedule flexibility
- Structured
- Remote work
- On-site Only
- Typical work hours
- 40 hours/week
- Stress level
- Low
At a glance
- Median salary
- $43,000
- Entry-level
- $30,000 - $35,000
- Senior
- $55,000+
- Growth by 2033
- 3% (average)
- Demand
- Stable
- Freelance potential
- High
- Salary growth potential
- Moderate to 50-80% growth from entry to senior
- Typical student debt
- Minimal
Skills you'll use
Hard skills
- Equipment Maintenance
- Operation and Control
- Repairing
- Landscaping
- Irrigation System Maintenance
- Pesticide Application
Soft skills
- Dependability
- Attention to Detail
- Perseverance
Technical complexity: Low
How to get there
- Minimum education
- High School Diploma
- Licensing
- Varies by State
- Years to mid-career
- 3-5 years
- Years to senior
- 7-10 years
- Career switching
- Moderate
Where this career leads
How people arrive here
Where you can go from here
Typical progression
- Grounds Maintenance Worker
- Lead Groundskeeper
- Grounds Supervisor
Future outlook
- Automation probability
- 20% to some tasks can be automated, but human judgment and physical presence are still key
- AI disruption risk
- Very Low
- Demand trend
- Stable
How people feel about it
- Overall satisfaction
- 3.2/10
- Meaning
- 3/10
- Work-life balance
- 3.5/10
- Prestige
- 3.5/10
- Social perception
- Moderate