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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.
Other titles employers use
Field Manager · Golf Course Superintendent · Grounds Crew Supervisor · Grounds Foreman · Grounds Maintenance Supervisor · Grounds Manager · Grounds Supervisor · Groundskeeper Supervisor
Inside the work
What you would actually do.
6 responsibilities that define the role, before job titles and workplaces change the details.
- 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.
Who it suits
Would this work hold your attention?
This career often appeals to people drawn to persuading, organizing and practical work.
- Persuading
- Leading, selling, starting projects, or making a case
- Organizing
- Creating order, checking details, and keeping work accurate
- Practical
- Building, repairing, using tools, or working outdoors
Skills and strengths
What you would get good at.
Compare the skills the work relies on, the subjects behind it, and the abilities that make it easier to learn.
Core skills
- Monitoring
- Time Management
- Active Listening
- Management of Personnel Resources
- Speaking
- Critical Thinking
Subjects to know
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Administration and Management
- Mathematics
- Public Safety and Security
Useful strengths
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
- Near Vision
- Written Comprehension
Working day
Picture yourself doing it.
These measures show how much of the day involves people, movement, conversation, and hands-on work.
| Measure | Out of 5 | What that means here |
|---|---|---|
| Close to other people | 3.5 | Shared rooms, but not shoulder to shoulder |
| On your feet | 3.7 | Up and down through the day |
| Talking face to face | 4.8 | Continuous — the job is conversations |
| Working with your hands | 4.1 | Handling tools, instruments or materials |
Preparation
How people prepare for this work.
Employers usually ask for a high school diploma. Other routes may also lead into the field.
- A four-year degree 32%
- High school or less 24%
- A certificate or some college 24%
- A two-year degree 14%
- A doctorate or professional degree 6%
Tools of the work
Technology you may use.
- Web page creation and editing software
- Spreadsheet software
- Office suite software
- Electronic mail software
- Presentation software
- Word processing software
- Time accounting software
- Data base user interface and query software
Opportunity near you
See where this work is growing.
Choose a state to compare the size of the field, annual openings, and expected hiring change.
- People doing this work
- 34,900
- Job openings each year
- 3,850
- Expected hiring change, 2022–2032
- 21.6%
Compare every available state
| State | People doing it | Job openings each year | Expected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 34,900 | 3,850 | 21.6% |
| Florida | 23,540 | 2,530 | 13.9% |
| Texas | 19,890 | 2,150 | 15.3% |
| New York | 11,940 | 90 | 8.0% |
| North Carolina | 9,930 | 1,060 | 11.1% |
| Georgia | 9,040 | 960 | 10.4% |
| Colorado | 8,660 | 930 | 12.8% |
| New Jersey | 8,180 | 850 | 6.1% |
| Virginia | 8,090 | 830 | 2.9% |
| Maryland | 7,530 | 790 | 6.4% |
| Illinois | 7,370 | 750 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 6,790 | 700 | 2.9% |
| Ohio | 6,300 | 640 | 1.8% |
| Arizona | 5,810 | 620 | 11.7% |
| Michigan | 5,700 | 570 | −1.9% |
| Washington | 5,600 | 700 | 18.6% |
| Tennessee | 5,160 | 550 | 11.9% |
| Connecticut | 4,520 | 480 | 13.3% |
| Minnesota | 4,250 | 440 | 3.9% |
| Wisconsin | 3,950 | 420 | 11.3% |
| Utah | 3,930 | 450 | 35.5% |
| Indiana | 3,880 | 400 | 3.2% |
| Oregon | 3,870 | 420 | 13.2% |
| South Carolina | 3,740 | 400 | 11.6% |
| Alabama | 3,460 | 360 | 6.1% |
| Kentucky | 3,100 | 320 | 6.5% |
| Missouri | 2,910 | 300 | 3.6% |
| Arkansas | 2,440 | 260 | 10.4% |
| Oklahoma | 2,350 | 250 | 7.3% |
| Kansas | 2,230 | 230 | 2.8% |
| Massachusetts | 2,220 | 230 | 6.2% |
| Puerto Rico | 2,090 | 230 | 17.4% |
| Iowa | 2,040 | 210 | 4.6% |
| Mississippi | 2,010 | 210 | 6.9% |
| Rhode Island | 2,010 | 210 | 6.9% |
| Nevada | 2,000 | 220 | 17.0% |
| Louisiana | 1,880 | 190 | 1.6% |
| Nebraska | 1,800 | 190 | 6.5% |
| New Hampshire | 1,530 | 160 | 8.5% |
| Idaho | 1,440 | 150 | 12.5% |
| Maine | 1,410 | 140 | — |
| New Mexico | 1,190 | 130 | 12.3% |
| West Virginia | 1,130 | 120 | 14.1% |
| Wyoming | 1,040 | 110 | 19.5% |
| Montana | 710 | 80 | 12.7% |
| Delaware | 690 | 70 | 3.0% |
| Vermont | 660 | 70 | 13.8% |
| North Dakota | 630 | 70 | 5.0% |
| South Dakota | 580 | 60 | 9.4% |
| Alaska | 110 | 10 | 10.0% |
| District of Columbia | 90 | 10 | 12.5% |
| Guam | 80 | 10 | 14.3% |
| Virgin Islands | 50 | 10 | 25.0% |
Career to college
Build a path toward this work.
Start with a related major, then compare colleges where students complete that field.
Where to study
Colleges with strong activity in these fields.
Start with program size, admission, and likely cost. Open a college for the full picture.
Brigham Young University-Idaho
- Degrees each year
- 87
- Admit rate
- 97%
- Annual cost after aid
- $6,000
Pennsylvania State University-Main Campus
- Degrees each year
- 111
- Admit rate
- 54%
- Annual cost after aid
- $26,000
Texas A & M University-College Station
- Degrees each year
- 33
- Admit rate
- 63%
- Annual cost after aid
- $17,000
Brigham Young University
- Degrees each year
- 29
- Admit rate
- 69%
- Annual cost after aid
- $13,000
University of Rhode Island
- Degrees each year
- 24
- Admit rate
- 77%
- Annual cost after aid
- $18,000
Colorado State University-Fort Collins
- Degrees each year
- 83
- Admit rate
- 90%
- Annual cost after aid
- $16,000
Clemson University
- Degrees each year
- 114
- Admit rate
- 38%
- Annual cost after aid
- $19,000
Florida International University
- Degrees each year
- 127
- Admit rate
- 59%
- Annual cost after aid
- $11,000
Compare every college offering applied horticulture and horticultural business services