# First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers

US SOC code 37-1012. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/37-1012

Also called: Landscape supervisor, Grounds supervisor, Lawn service supervisor, Grounds maintenance supervisor, Groundskeeping supervisor.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **130,760** US first-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers, with median pay of **$58,430** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2021, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/series/america-on-the-world-stage/lawn-and-landscape-world-context-1945-2000) of **120,000** from 1900, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era in this work: Robotic mowers, 2018 to 2024. Industry consensus as of 2024 is that robotic mowers optimize existing labor rather than displacing supervisory positions.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 4% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=37-1012&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **24.5%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend.

## First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1858
- Latest US employment: 130,760 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Latest US median pay: $58,430 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [10]
- Outlook: +4% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [25]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 82031)
  - Employment, 2020: 19,400. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [8]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 82031 Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$56,800. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [12]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 82031 Contractors and supervisors, landscaping, grounds maintenance and horticulture services, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1900 | 120,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Derived estimate of the ~1900… [1] |
| 1930 | 165,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Derived estimate of the ~1930… [2] |
| 1960 | 210,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Pennington [3] |
| 1980 | 160,000 (estimate) | $14,000 (estimate) | Est., MSU Turfgrass Information Center [4] |
| 2000 | 190,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., National Association of Landscape… [5] |
| 2003 | 95,450 | $33,770 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [6] |
| 2004 | 102,380 | $35,340 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [6] |
| 2005 | 106,280 | $36,320 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [6] |
| 2006 | 111,100 | $37,300 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [6] |
| 2007 | 110,340 | $38,720 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [6] |
| 2008 | 108,940 | $39,920 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [6] |
| 2009 | 103,540 | $40,950 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [6] |
| 2010 | 100,630 | $41,860 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [6] |
| 2011 | 100,460 | $42,050 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [6] |
| 2012 | 99,010 | $42,160 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [6] |
| 2013 | 99,620 | $42,570 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [6] |
| 2014 | 101,190 | $43,160 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [6] |
| 2015 | 103,450 | $43,980 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [6] |
| 2016 | 103,070 | $45,740 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [6] |
| 2017 | 100,320 | $47,030 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [6] |
| 2018 | 101,390 | $48,220 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [6] |
| 2019 | 103,580 | $49,370 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [6] |
| 2020 | 103,730 | $51,010 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [6] |
| 2021 | 116,380 | $48,800 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [6] |
| 2022 | 122,910 | $50,810 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [6] |
| 2023 | 126,020 | $55,740 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [6] |
| 2024 | 124,130 | $56,170 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [6] |
| 2025 | 130,760 | $58,430 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [6] |

## Sources (89)

### Employment series

1. [Derived estimate of the ~1900 grounds/gardening supervisory workforce; the 1900 Census combined "gardeners, florists, and nurserymen" (61,788) and reported no separate supervisory sub-count.](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/series/america-on-the-world-stage/lawn-and-landscape-world-context-1945-2000), Future History derived estimate (from 1900 US Census occupation data)
2. [Derived estimate of the ~1930 grounds/gardening supervisory workforce; the 1930 Census "gardeners and groundskeepers" category combined workers and foremen without separating supervisors.](https://www.gcsaa.org/who-we-are/gcsaa-founded-in-1926), Future History derived estimate (from 1930 US Census occupation data)
3. [Pennington -- "The History of the American Lawn": postwar suburban boom drove home and garden market to $4.5B by 1960](https://www.pennington.com/all-products/grass-seed/resources/the-history-of-the-american-lawn), Pennington
4. [MSU Turfgrass Information Center -- "History of the Lawn Care Industry" (Robert Earley, Lawn Care Industry, 1980)](https://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/mitgc/article/1980100.pdf), Michigan State University Turfgrass Information Center
5. [National Association of Landscape Professionals -- Landscape Industry Statistics (historical industry size references)](https://www.landscapeprofessionals.org/LP/LP/Media/landscape-industry-statistics.aspx), National Association of Landscape Professionals
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
7. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
8. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

9. [MSU Turfgrass Information Center -- "History of the Lawn Care Industry" (Robert Earley, 1980): wage and industry cost structure references](https://archive.lib.msu.edu/tic/mitgc/article/1980100.pdf), Michigan State University Turfgrass Information Center
10. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
11. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
12. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

13. [Briggs & Stratton -- "History of the Lawn Mower": Edwin Budding 1830 patent; Amariah Hills first US patent 1868; horse-drawn and push mowers through 1900](https://www.briggsandstratton.com/en-us/support/maintenance-how-to/history-of-the-lawn-mower), Briggs & Stratton
14. [Library of Congress / Olmsted Associates Records -- "Parks for the People: Evolution of the Olmsted Firm, 1822 to 1900" (Olmsted as Central Park superintendent managing crews)](https://www.loc.gov/collections/olmsted-associates-records/articles-and-essays/timelines/evolution-of-olmsted-firm-1822-to-1900/), Library of Congress
15. [GCSAA -- "GCSAA Founded in 1926": golf course superintendent profession formalized by 60 greenkeepers at Sylvania Country Club, Toledo, Ohio](https://www.gcsaa.org/who-we-are/gcsaa-founded-in-1926), Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
16. [Pennington -- "The History of the American Lawn": DuPont Uramite (1955), postwar fertilizer marketing for residential lawns; suburban boom driving demand](https://www.pennington.com/all-products/grass-seed/resources/the-history-of-the-american-lawn), Pennington
17. [Today's Homeowner -- "What Happened to ChemLawn?": ChemLawn founded 1969 Troy OH, broke $1M in 1970, became first national lawn care brand; industry "Wild West" characterization of 1980s from industry veteran Robert Mann](https://todayshomeowner.com/lawn-garden/reviews/chemlawn/), Today's Homeowner
18. [Wikipedia -- National Association of Landscape Professionals: ALCA founded 1961, PLCAA founded 1979, PLANET formed 2005 (ALCA+PLCAA merger), rebranded NALP 2015](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_of_Landscape_Professionals), Wikipedia
19. [NALP -- Landscape Industry Statistics: industry represents 1.4M+ employees, 692,777 businesses; NALP credentialing and professional standards history](https://www.landscapeprofessionals.org/LP/LP/Media/landscape-industry-statistics.aspx), National Association of Landscape Professionals
20. [Jobber -- Lawn and Landscaping Industry Statistics 2025: Jobber founded 2011; platform used by landscaping contractors for scheduling, invoicing, and client communication](https://www.getjobber.com/academy/lawn-care/lawn-landscaping-industry-statistics/), Jobber
21. [Aspire Software -- agentic AI for landscaping operations (2025): company founded 2012 for commercial landscape business management; GPS tracking and job costing context](https://www.youraspire.com/blog/agentic-ai-landscaping-operations), Aspire Software
22. [NALP -- "How Robotic Mowers Have Moved from a Curiosity to a Competitive Advantage": COVID-19 accelerated adoption; contractors now use robotic mowing to optimize labor and offset staffing gaps](https://blog.landscapeprofessionals.org/how-robotic-mowers-have-moved-from-a-curiosity-to-a-competitive-advantage/), National Association of Landscape Professionals
23. [Actsoft -- "How Will Autonomous Mowers Affect Your Landscaping Company?" (2020): robotic mowers free supervisors and crews for non-automated tasks; labor-optimization framing](https://www.actsoft.com/2020/02/07/how-will-autonomous-mowers-affect-your-landscaping-company/), Actsoft
24. [PRNewswire -- Jobber unveils Jobber Voice, AI Receptionist, Quote Automations, Campaign Generator (Sept 2025)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/industry-leader-jobber-unveils-exciting-new-ai-offerings-for-home-service-businesses-302567290.html), PR Newswire / Jobber

### Forecasts and exposure studies

25. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 37-1012 First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers (2025: 243.3 thousand; 2035: 253.0 thousand; +4.0%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=37-1012&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
26. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 37-1012.00, human-rated β 0.245)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

27. [Library of Congress / Olmsted Associates Records -- "Parks for the People: Evolution of the Olmsted Firm, 1822 to 1900"](https://www.loc.gov/collections/olmsted-associates-records/articles-and-essays/timelines/evolution-of-olmsted-firm-1822-to-1900/), Library of Congress
28. [GCSAA -- "GCSAA Founded in 1926": founding by Englishman John Morley at Sylvania Country Club, Toledo, Ohio, September 13, 1926; 60 founding greenkeepers](https://www.gcsaa.org/who-we-are/gcsaa-founded-in-1926), Golf Course Superintendents Association of America
29. [AP Central / College Board -- "Lawn and Landscape in World Context, 1945-2000": Levittown construction 1947-1951; postwar suburban lawn as American institution](https://apcentral.collegeboard.org/series/america-on-the-world-stage/lawn-and-landscape-world-context-1945-2000), College Board / AP Central
30. [Wikipedia -- National Association of Landscape Professionals: ALCA founded 1961; merged with PLCAA (founded 1979) to form PLANET in 2005; rebranded NALP in 2015](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Association_of_Landscape_Professionals), Wikipedia
31. [Today's Homeowner -- "What Happened to ChemLawn?": founded Troy OH 1969, broke $1M by 1970, became industry's first national brand; acquired by Ecolab 1987 for $353M](https://todayshomeowner.com/lawn-garden/reviews/chemlawn/), Today's Homeowner
32. [Journal of Environmental Horticulture -- "Economic Contributions of the Green Industry in the United States in 2018": direct output $159.57B, total output $348.08B, direct employment 1,599,662](https://meridian.allenpress.com/jeh/article/38/3/73/444164/Economic-Contributions-of-the-Green-Industry-in), Allen Press / Journal of Environmental Horticulture
33. [NALP -- Landscape Industry Statistics 2024: $153B market size, 1.4M+ employees, 692,777 businesses; 80%+ owners reporting staffing difficulty](https://www.landscapeprofessionals.org/LP/LP/Media/landscape-industry-statistics.aspx), National Association of Landscape Professionals

### Predecessors & successors

34. [Library of Congress / Olmsted Associates Records -- "Parks for the People" (Olmsted as Central Park superintendent; head gardener tradition inherited from English estates)](https://www.loc.gov/collections/olmsted-associates-records/articles-and-essays/timelines/evolution-of-olmsted-firm-1822-to-1900/), Library of Congress
35. [GCSAA -- "GCSAA Founded in 1926": 60 greenkeepers formalize profession; greenkeeper role as predecessor to broader grounds supervisor category](https://www.gcsaa.org/who-we-are/gcsaa-founded-in-1926), Golf Course Superintendents Association of America

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 : First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (37-1012.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/37-1012.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS OEWS May 2024 : 37-1012: 224,700 employed, median $56,170/yr; 1-2% projected growth 2024-2034](https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes371012.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook : Grounds Maintenance Workers (2024-2034 outlook)](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/building-and-grounds-cleaning/grounds-maintenance-workers.htm), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. (Science 2024) : GPTs are GPTs: physical/outdoor supervisory roles have near-zero LLM exposure](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adj0998), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Goldman Sachs (2023) : Generative AI could raise global GDP by 7%; outdoor/manual roles show little AI automation exposure](https://www.goldmansachs.com/insights/articles/generative-ai-could-raise-global-gdp-by-7-percent), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Aspire Software : How Agentic AI Will Transform Landscaping Operations (2025): Scheduling Assistant, weather rescheduling, crew routing, equipment maintenance alerts](https://www.youraspire.com/blog/agentic-ai-landscaping-operations), accessed 2026-06-05
- [PRNewswire : Jobber unveils Jobber Voice, AI Receptionist, Quote Automations, Campaign Generator for home service businesses (Sept 2025)](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/industry-leader-jobber-unveils-exciting-new-ai-offerings-for-home-service-businesses-302567290.html), accessed 2026-06-05
- [landscapeindustrycareers.org : Landscape Supervisor career overview: salary $46,900-$81,000, field operations management, advancement paths](https://www.landscapeindustrycareers.org/discover-the-industry/career-paths/landscape-supervisor/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Aspire Software : PropertyIntel generates precision site takeoffs from aerial imagery; integrates with job costing and scheduling (2023)](https://www.youraspire.com/news/aspire-software-announces-launch-of-online-property-intelligence-tool-propertyintel), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Workyard : GPS supervisor mode: real-time labor cost tracking against schedule; foreman clocks in entire crew and logs materials per property (2025)](https://www.workyard.com/compare/landscaping-app), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.