Pricing guide
How Much Does Landscaping Cost?
Landscaping spans recurring lawn care and one-time projects like mulch, cleanups, and design and install. Maintenance is priced per visit or monthly; projects are priced by the job. Maintenance and one-off projects are kept apart below, since mixing them is what makes two landscaping quotes impossible to compare.
Founder, Smarfle · Published June 26, 2026
Average lawn maintenance
$50 to $200+ per visit
Recurring mowing and maintenance is priced per visit or monthly. Design and installation projects are priced by the job and cost much more.
Quick answer
Lawn mowing typically costs $30 to $80 per visit and full monthly maintenance $120 to $400, depending on property size. Projects like mulch, sod, cleanups, and design-and-install are priced by the job, with design-and-install often $3,000 to $20,000 or more.
Landscaping price list
| Service | Typical price |
|---|---|
| Lawn mowing (per visit) | $30 to $80 |
| Full maintenance (monthly) | $120 to $400 |
| Mulch install (per yard) | $60 to $120 |
| Spring / fall cleanup | $200 to $600 |
| Sod install (per sq ft) | $1 to $2 |
| Landscape design + install | by project |
Prices are typical U.S. ranges and vary by region, scope, and condition. Always get a written quote.
Cost by landscaping service
| Service | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Lawn mowing (per visit) | $30 to $80 |
| Full maintenance (monthly) | $120 to $400 |
| Mulch install (per yard) | $60 to $120 |
| Sod install (per sq ft) | $1 to $2 |
| Tree or shrub trimming | $75 to $400 |
| Spring / fall cleanup | $200 to $600 |
| Landscape design + install | $3,000 to $20,000+ |
Lawn mowing cost by lot size
| Lot size | Per visit |
|---|---|
| Up to 1/4 acre | $30 to $50 |
| 1/4 to 1/2 acre | $45 to $70 |
| 1/2 to 1 acre | $60 to $100 |
| 1+ acre | $100 to $250+ |
What landscaping labor costs by state
Labor is the largest single input in most landscaping jobs, and it is the part that moves most between states. The median landscaping and groundskeeping workers wage runs from $31,630 to $48,790, a 1.5x spread, against a national median of $39,150. Expect a quote above the ranges on this page in the first group and below them in the second.
The adjusted column divides each wage by that state's cost of living, so a high number in the first column does not automatically mean an expensive market. In California a $45,560 wage is worth $41,149 once living costs come out, while in Arkansas a smaller $35,770 is worth $41,145.
| State | Median | Cost adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $48,790 | $44,395 |
| Massachusetts | $48,670 | $46,021 |
| Alaska | $47,690 | $46,591 |
| Washington | $46,950 | $43,873 |
| Minnesota | $46,610 | $47,262 |
| State | Median | Cost adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | $31,630 | $36,376 |
| West Virginia | $32,240 | $36,024 |
| Louisiana | $34,870 | $39,532 |
| South Dakota | $35,370 | $39,927 |
| Alabama | $35,630 | $40,113 |
Where landscaping and groundskeeping workers pay goes furthest
Median wage after each state's cost of living, highest first.
Wages are the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics median for Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (SOC 37-3011), 2025. The adjusted figure divides by each state's BEA Regional Price Parity (2024, US = 100). A few states are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality and are left out. See all 50 states.
How crowded the landscaping market is where you live
Wages explain what a crew costs to run. Competition explains what they are willing to charge. Across the country there are about 19 landscaping businesses for every 10,000 residents, but that runs from 3.5 in the District of Columbia to 35 in Mississippi, a 9.9x spread.
In the denser states more operators are bidding the same work, so quotes cluster lower and you can usually get someone out this week. In the thinner ones the same job carries a premium and a longer wait, because the few firms that exist already have a full schedule and no reason to discount. Alaska has added the most since 2019, up 41%, so competition there is still building.
| State | Per 10k | Businesses |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 35 | 10,223 |
| Louisiana | 33 | 15,364 |
| Vermont | 33 | 2,151 |
| Georgia | 31 | 34,226 |
| Alabama | 30 | 15,246 |
| State | Per 10k | Businesses |
|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | 3.5 | 246 |
| New Mexico | 11 | 2,253 |
| Nevada | 11 | 3,618 |
| New York | 11 | 21,995 |
| Alaska | 12 | 863 |
Most landscaping businesses per 10,000 residents
Business counts are U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns employer establishments plus Nonemployer Statistics firms for NAICS 561730, so a one-person operation counts the same as a company with twelve vans. Population is the American Community Survey. CBP 2023, NES 2023, ACS 2024. See all 50 states.
Cite this data
The state figures above are free to reference with a link back. Cite the underlying study rather than the cost ranges on this page, because those ranges are editorial estimates and the state data is not.
Ihor Lavrenenko (2026). Landscaping Business Statistics by State. Smarfle. https://www.smarfle.com/small-business-statistics/landscaping-business-statistics
What affects the cost
Property size
A bigger lawn or property takes more time and equipment, so mowing and maintenance scale with lot size.
Service type
Recurring mowing is the least expensive; full maintenance (mowing, trimming, beds), cleanups, and installs cost more per the work involved.
Frequency
Weekly visits cost less per visit than occasional ones because the lawn stays manageable. Recurring plans are the best value.
Materials
Projects with mulch, sod, plants, stone, or hardscape carry material cost on top of labor, which can dominate the price.
What you are actually paying for
The parts of a landscaping quote that never appear as a line item, from the side of the business that has to cover them.
The mow is priced to hold the account
Recurring maintenance is deliberately thin. It exists to keep the property on the schedule, and the margin arrives with cleanups, mulch, sod and installs through the year. That is why a mowing quote is often lower than the arithmetic suggests and why the project quotes are where the real money sits.
Drive time between stops is the hidden line
A crew's day is a fixed number of paid hours, and every minute spent on the road is an hour not spent cutting. A property that sits inside a tight route is genuinely cheaper to serve than one the same size twenty minutes away, and the difference shows up in your rate.
The crew has to be kept through the slow months
Mowers, trimmers, blowers and a trailer are replaced on a cycle, and the people who run them will not wait out an unpaid winter. Businesses that keep a trained crew year round price that into the growing season, which is part of why the cheapest quote is often a crew that will not exist next spring.
Where the money goes
Recurring maintenance is usually a per-visit or monthly rate based on property size. Projects (mulch, cleanups, sod, design and install) are bid by the job, with materials often the largest line. The best value for ongoing care is a recurring plan that keeps the property maintained rather than paying for a big cleanup later.
Should you DIY or hire a pro?
Mowing, weeding, and spreading mulch are DIY-able if you have the time and equipment. Design, installation, irrigation, large-tree work, and hardscaping need a pro for the equipment, expertise, and safety. A recurring maintenance plan is the best value if you want the time back, since a maintained yard costs less than a big seasonal rescue.
How to save on landscaping
- Take a maintenance plan rather than calling for one-off cuts. The recurring rate is deliberately thin because it exists to hold the account.
- Move to biweekly cutting through slow-growth months.
- Choose low-maintenance native planting to cut the years of upkeep that follow the install.
- Handle edging and weeding between visits yourself.
- Ask which day they work your area and take that slot, because a crew already nearby is not paying to reach you.
What the federal data shows
Landscaping is a large, mostly solo trade. Census counts 634,541 U.S. landscaping businesses, 81% of them with no employees, which keeps maintenance pricing competitive.
Read the Landscaping Business Statistics studyRun a landscaping business? Here is what to charge
If you run a landscaping business, build a dense recurring route (drive time kills margin) and sell maintenance plans, not one-off mows. Charge projects separately and price materials accurately.
Frequently asked questions
How much does landscaping cost?
How much does it cost to mow a lawn?
How much does monthly lawn maintenance cost?
How much does landscape design and installation cost?
How much does mulch installation cost?
More pricing guides
Where these numbers come from
The dollar ranges on this page are our own editorial estimates, not survey data. We build them from the federal wage figures cited below, which set the labor floor for the trade, plus the typical job scopes we see in the field. Materials, permits, access and local demand move every one of them. Treat the ranges as a starting point for a conversation with a contractor, not as a quote.
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Grounds Maintenance Workers (May 2025)National median grounds maintenance wage of $40,080, the labor cost behind a mowing or maintenance visit.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns and Nonemployer Statistics (2023)Counts of landscaping businesses and their payroll, including sole operators, which is what sets the competitive floor on price in a given market.
Last reviewed September 2026.
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