Best degree programs for First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers, ranked by enrollment
7 college programs and 217 schools train First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $58,430 median wage, 130,760 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
7 college programs at 217 schools train first-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers, graduating 4,159 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations, General. The job pays a median of $58,430 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About first-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in landscaping or groundskeeping activities. Work may involve reviewing contracts to ascertain service, machine, and workforce requirements; answering inquiries from potential customers regarding methods, material, and price ranges; and preparing estimates according to labor, material, and machine costs.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
7 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 01.0601 | 2,248 | 54.1% | 141 | $35,900 | $14,000 |
| 2 | CIP 01.0605 | 966 | 23.2% | 82 | $35,900 | $14,000 |
| 3 | CIP 01.0607 | 385 | 9.3% | 35 | $35,900 | $14,000 |
| 4 | CIP 31.0302 | 177 | 4.3% | 8 | $33,076 | $25,000 |
| 5 | CIP 01.0606 | 156 | 3.8% | 26 | $35,900 | $14,000 |
| 6 | CIP 01.0604 | 133 | 3.2% | 18 | $35,900 | $14,000 |
| 7 | CIP 01.0603 | 94 | 2.3% | 15 | $35,900 | $14,000 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What first-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | $53,340 | 3,460 | 0.68× | 15 | 555 |
| California | $63,270 | 14,850 | 0.97× | 36 | 519 |
| North Carolina | $56,930 | 4,300 | 1.03× | 18 | 343 |
| Texas | $47,630 | 11,260 | 0.95× | 8 | 315 |
| Florida | $51,290 | 12,020 | 1.44× | 8 | 301 |
| Georgia | $54,830 | 4,770 | 1.16× | 13 | 238 |
| Ohio | $55,680 | 4,120 | 0.88× | 8 | 151 |
| Pennsylvania | $55,450 | 5,610 | 1.10× | 7 | 141 |
| South Carolina | $60,100 | 2,250 | 1.16× | 5 | 137 |
| Wisconsin | $62,630 | 2,690 | 1.09× | 9 | 116 |
| Missourimoderate | $48,710 | 1,760 | 0.71× | 3 | 112 |
| Washington | $71,930 | 2,030 | 0.68× | 7 | 110 |
| New York | $70,760 | 6,320 | 0.78× | 7 | 109 |
| Louisianalimited | $48,410 | — | — | 1 | 81 |
| Minnesotamoderate | $62,280 | — | — | 4 | 81 |
| Coloradomoderate | $60,840 | 4,390 | 1.82× | 4 | 79 |
| Oregonmoderate | $70,560 | 1,180 | 0.71× | 3 | 75 |
| Virginia | $58,400 | 3,380 | 0.98× | 6 | 74 |
| Idaholimited | $58,200 | 1,120 | 1.55× | 2 | 70 |
| Michiganmoderate | $58,840 | 4,000 | 1.08× | 4 | 70 |
| Alabamalimited | $52,710 | 1,720 | 0.97× | 2 | 65 |
| Marylandmoderate | $54,730 | 3,900 | 1.68× | 4 | 57 |
| Oklahoma | $49,700 | 1,180 | 0.82× | 6 | 47 |
| Massachusettsmoderate | $63,750 | 2,510 | 0.82× | 3 | 35 |
| Indianamoderate | $62,040 | 2,230 | 0.83× | 3 | 32 |
| Arkansasmoderate | $49,890 | 1,140 | 1.04× | 3 | 31 |
| Nebraskamoderate | $57,820 | 1,010 | 1.18× | 4 | 29 |
| South Dakotamoderate | $60,680 | 340 | 0.88× | 3 | 27 |
| Mississippimoderate | $47,130 | 820 | 0.84× | 3 | 25 |
| Utahlimited | $57,200 | 2,080 | 1.43× | 2 | 22 |
| Arizonamoderate | $56,410 | 2,530 | 0.93× | 3 | 20 |
| Kansaslimited | $61,270 | 1,110 | 0.92× | 1 | 17 |
| Iowalimited | $57,670 | 1,140 | 0.87× | 1 | 13 |
| Mainelimited | $62,300 | 790 | 1.48× | 1 | 12 |
| New Jerseymoderate | $68,580 | 2,830 | 0.79× | 3 | 12 |
| New Mexicolimited | $59,120 | 530 | 0.72× | 1 | 12 |
| Delawarelimited | $74,340 | 250 | 0.62× | 1 | 7 |
| Hawaiilimited | $62,570 | — | — | 1 | 7 |
| Tennesseelimited | $53,700 | 2,020 | 0.73× | 1 | 4 |
| Connecticutlimited | $62,740 | 1,860 | 1.30× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Establish and enforce operating procedures and work standards that will ensure adequate performance and personnel safety.
- Schedule work for crews, depending on work priorities, crew or equipment availability, or weather conditions.
- Tour grounds, such as parks, botanical gardens, cemeteries, or golf courses, to inspect conditions of plants and soil.
- Monitor project activities to ensure that instructions are followed, deadlines are met, and schedules are maintained.
- Direct activities of workers who perform duties, such as landscaping, cultivating lawns, or pruning trees and shrubs.
- Inspect completed work to ensure conformance to specifications, standards, and contract requirements.
- Plant or maintain vegetation through activities such as mulching, fertilizing, watering, mowing, or pruning.
- Direct or perform mixing or application of fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, or fungicides.
Skills
- Monitoring4.0
- Active Listening3.9
- Speaking3.8
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Active Learning3.1
- Learning Strategies3.1
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Writing3.0
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service4.0
- English Language3.9
- Administration and Management3.9
- Mathematics3.7
- Public Safety and Security3.7
- Personnel and Human Resources3.5
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension4.0
- Oral Expression3.9
- Problem Sensitivity3.8
- Near Vision3.4
- Speech Clarity3.3
- Speech Recognition3.3
Core activities
- Scheduling Work and Activities4.4
- Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others4.4
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems4.3
- Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment4.3
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.3
- Getting Information4.3
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Work experience needed
- Less than 5 years
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 7 majors mapped to First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers7 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 01.0601Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations, General
- 01.0603Ornamental Horticulture
- 01.0604Greenhouse Operations and Management
- 01.0605Landscaping and Groundskeeping
- 01.0606Plant Nursery Operations and Management
- 01.0607Turf and Turfgrass Management
- 31.0302Golf Course Operation and Grounds Management
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping?+
High school diploma or equivalent is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Applied Horticulture/Horticulture Operations, General, which awarded 2,248 degrees in 2024-25, 54.1% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 7 programs to this occupation. The largest are Applied Horticulture and Horticultural Business Services, Parks. Together they graduate about 4,159 people a year.
How much do first-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers earn?+
The median is $58,430 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $40,560 at the 10th percentile to $85,650 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for first-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers growing?+
BLS projects a +2.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 23,200 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
217 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 7 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do first-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Grounds Manager, Grounds Supervisor, Landscape Supervisor, Golf Course Superintendent among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 37-1012.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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