Reshuffle the plan for wet weather
Rain changed today's priorities, so you reshuffle the plan and give remaining jobs to available workers and machines.
Career profile
Landscaping Supervisor
Landscaping supervisors lead crews that maintain lawns, planting beds and the grounds around them.
Your job turns what a property needs into tasks your crew can finish. You also help your workers improve, and the results are on you.
A day in the life
Check a complaint on site
Walk the property after a customer complains, inspect the skipped spot and decide the crew's fix.
Point out missed mower upkeep
Inspect a mower alongside one crew member and explain the upkeep task they left out.
Log hours and machine upkeep
Submit hours worked digitally and log which machines ran and their upkeep, so tomorrow starts with accurate records.
Quick facts
Grounds experience first
United States
$58,430 a year
United States · 2025
1%–2% growth
United States · 2024–2034
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
Grounds experience firstBuild practical skills before leading a crew. Education requirements vary by employer.
Pay
$58,430 a yearNational median for landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping supervisors; $28.09 an hour.
Outlook
1%–2% growthSlower-than-average projected growth, with about 23,200 openings annually, including replacement needs.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You like deciding who should tackle which job.
- You can explain a task patiently, then give honest feedback.
- You notice neglected plants or unfinished work when you walk through a place.
Things to weigh
- Leading a crew can still mean lifting, bending, and spending much of the day on your feet in heat or cold.
- You may need to correct poor performance. Some municipal jobs also call crews out for storm cleanup.
Where AI may help
Some commercial robotic mowers cut within digital boundaries and let you change mowing schedules from a phone.
What people still lead
You still coach workers, inspect the grounds, and decide which problems need attention first.
What we can’t predict yet
How much mowing shifts away from crews will depend partly on terrain and equipment limits; the balance between operating machines and monitoring them may change.
Pay in context
Earnings
The 2025 national median was $58,430 a year, or $28.09 an hour. That describes the middle of supervisor wages, not a starting offer.
The national spread
The lowest-paid 10% earned $40,560 or less annually; the highest-paid 10% earned $85,650 or more. These are wage percentiles, not beginner and experienced pay steps.
Workplace type matters
In May 2023, supervisors in services to buildings and dwellings averaged $56,940 a year ($27.37 an hour). Local government, excluding schools and hospitals, averaged $70,030 ($33.67 an hour). These older industry averages show variation, not what either workplace offers today.
Getting started
Work your way up from a grounds crew
- What the route involves
- Start in grounds maintenance and learn planting, mowing, pruning, and equipment care on the job. Entry-level roles typically have no formal education requirement.
- What it can lead to
- Related experience and other qualifications can help you move into crew leadership or supervision.
- What to check
- Check driving and equipment requirements before applying; some crew leader jobs require a valid driver's license.
Combine landscape study with field experience
- What the route involves
- Study horticulture or landscape technology while building practical grounds maintenance experience.
- What it can lead to
- Some public employers count a relevant certificate or associate degree toward part of their supervisor experience requirement.
- What to check
- Education substitutions are employer-specific. A qualification alone may leave additional experience requirements to meet.
Supervision usually follows hands-on grounds work. You can build that experience through employment or combine it with relevant study.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn each site's service expectations and build a reliable routine for crew assignments, time logs, and equipment checks.
Build your judgment
Get better at coaching workers and coordinating projects that involve both grounds care and facilities work.
Manage a wider operation
With further experience and the required qualifications, you could pursue a parks and grounds superintendent role, managing budgets, staffing, and long-term maintenance plans.
Where you can work
Commercial landscaping contractors
Your crew works at client properties, with trucks and trailers carrying equipment. Service schedules and customer expectations shape the day; an operations manager helps resolve larger concerns.
- Outdoors
- Vehicle
- Physical demands
Municipal parks departments
The grounds include public amenities such as playgrounds, trails, and athletic fields. Some crews also set up events and handle storm cleanup outside their normal schedule.
- Outdoors
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
From a public path, sketch a small park and list the grounds work you notice. Make a morning plan for an imaginary three-person crew, then revise it when one mower is unavailable. Notice whether you enjoy setting priorities and explaining your choices.
Stay safe: Keep this a paper exercise; stay clear of working crews and equipment.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Department of Labor. First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- O*NET OnLine / U.S. Department of Labor; Bureau of Labor Statistics. National Wages: 37-1012.00. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023: 37-1012. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Grounds Maintenance Workers: Occupational Outlook Handbook. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- City of San Diego. Grounds Maintenance Supervisor — 2025 recruitment. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- BrightView. Crew Leader — Upland, California. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- City of Greenville, South Carolina. Grounds Supervisor — 2026 recruitment. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Provo City. Parks and Grounds Superintendent — classification specification. Accessed 2026-10-03.
- Husqvarna. Automower 560 EPOS — commercial robotic mower. Accessed 2026-10-03.