Landscaping services · United States
How to Start a Lawn Care Business: Price the Yard, Including the Drive
Price the yard with the minutes on the grass and the minutes between yards.
- 117,969landscaping establishments, Census 2023
- $18.82hourly median, groundskeeping workers, May 2025
- $999Makita GML01SM at Home Depot, Nov 6, 2026
- $57/mogeneral liability in the Insureon sample
Decision summary
- Employer landscaping locations are not solo mowers. Census County Business Patterns 2023, U.S. total, legal form
-, NAICS 561730: 117,969 establishments and 802,899 employees. Read from cbp23us.zip on November 6, 2026. - Of those establishments, 83,241 have fewer than 5 employees. That works out to 70.6% (83,241 ÷ 117,969).
- BLS OEWS Table 1, May 2025, landscaping and groundskeeping workers (37-3011): employment 952,640, hourly median $18.82, hourly mean $20.33, annual mean $42,290. Table 1. Use the hourly median as a wage benchmark, and price the yard from minutes and fuel.
- Fox021, 15 October 2026: “how to start a lawn care business” 1,600 searches a month and “lawn care business plan” 590. Page. A Keyword Planner series for a landscaping how-to-start query peaks at 2,400 in April. Seasonality table. Different phrases. Not added together.
0. One neighborhood
- Pick a cluster of yards you can reach without a long unpaid drive.
- Mowing only, or fertilizer and weed control too. Spraying often needs a separate applicator credential in your state.
- Read the insurance sample below, then get a quote before the first paid cut.
Lawn care startup costs
| SKU | Price | What the page says |
|---|---|---|
| Makita GML01SM, internet #322449914 | $999.00 | 21 in. walk-behind self-propelled commercial kit, 4.0Ah. Product page. |
| DEWALT DXGZ148P, internet #314730700 | $6,799.00 | Z148 48 in. zero-turn. The specification table says Commercial. Product page. |
Insureon’s lawn-care page, updated September 28, 2026 and read November 6, 2026, shows a general-liability sample of $57 a month ($685 a year) at $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate. The method note uses the median; the headings say average. Insureon lawn-care costs.
Per-yard pricing and the wage
| Figure | Value | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Employment | 952,640 | Workers in the occupation, May 2025 |
| Hourly median | $18.82 | Middle of the hourly wage distribution |
| Hourly mean | $20.33 | Average hourly wage |
| Annual mean | $42,290 | Average annual wage in the same table |
If you mow the yard yourself, cash wages can be zero and the minutes are still gone. Put a loaded rate in the tool, including burden if you pay it. Do not add burden twice.
Price per yard
Type the price, the minutes on the grass, and the minutes driving. The wage table above stays out of the form until you enter a rate.
1. First route
Time the yards you can reach: minutes on the grass, minutes driving, and fuel. A hoped-for route size stays an example until those yards are on the calendar.
10. A crew
Hire when paid yards already overflow the week and the contribution survives a wage. A second crew needs a lead who can check the work. Chemical programs are a different service and were not priced here. The section number is an outline label, not a headcount.
Licenses and insurance
Mowing a yard and spraying a yard are different services. A pesticide applicator credential is set by the state agriculture department. This page does not survey those licenses. If the offer is mowing only, keep chemicals off the quote until that page has been opened.
Insureon’s lawn-care page, updated September 28, 2026, shows general liability at $57 a month ($685 a year) for $1 million / $2 million, as the median of policies its customers bought. The headings on that page say average. Get a quote that lists the mower you will actually use.
First 90 days
- Days 1–14: pick one neighborhood you can reach without a long unpaid drive. Time the grass and the drive on yards you could actually book.
- Days 15–45: price insurance and decide whether chemicals are in the offer. If they are, open the state applicator page before you buy product.
- Days 46–90: buy the machine that matches the route. On November 6, 2026 the Makita walk-behind kit was $999 and the DEWALT commercial zero-turn was $6,799 at Home Depot.
When to stop
Drop a yard when the drive minutes, at the rate you typed, use up the price. Do not hire until paid yards already overflow the week and the contribution still covers a wage.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to start a lawn care business?
On November 6, 2026, Home Depot listed the Makita GML01SM 21-inch commercial walk-behind kit at $999 and the DEWALT DXGZ148P 48-inch commercial zero-turn at $6,799. Those are two shelf prices at one store, not a full kit and not a market average. Add fuel cans, a trimmer, insurance, and the trailer only after you price them.
How should I price a yard?
Time the minutes on the grass and the minutes driving, then enter both in the per-yard tool. A national wage is a pay benchmark, not the price of the yard.
What do groundskeeping workers earn?
BLS OEWS Table 1 for May 2025, occupation 37-3011, lists employment of 952,640, an hourly median of $18.82, an hourly mean of $20.33, and an annual mean of $42,290. The annual mean is the average, not the median.
How many lawn businesses are there?
Census County Business Patterns 2023, NAICS 561730, counts 117,969 landscaping establishments and 802,899 employees. 83,241 have fewer than 5 employees, which is 83,241 ÷ 117,969, or 70.6%.
How much is lawn-care general liability?
Insureon’s lawn-care page, updated September 28, 2026, shows a customer median of $57 a month ($685 a year) at $1 million per occurrence and $2 million aggregate. Get a quote for your equipment and your state before the first paid cut.
Do I need a pesticide license to mow?
Mowing and fertilizer or weed control are different services. Spraying often needs a separate applicator credential. This page does not survey those state licenses. If you only mow, confirm that boundary with your state agriculture department before you add chemicals.
Should I buy the $999 mower or the $6,799 zero-turn first?
Buy the machine that matches the yards you already have a route for. The walk-behind is a $999 shelf price. The zero-turn is a $6,799 shelf price. Neither price includes tax, delivery, or a trailer.
When does a yard stop paying for the drive?
When the minutes between yards, at the rate you typed, use up the price. The tool shows that. Drop the far yard or raise the price before you add it to the weekly route.
When should I hire a crew?
When paid yards already overflow the week and the contribution still covers a wage. A second crew needs someone who can check the work.
What belongs in the first 90 days?
Pick one neighborhood you can reach without a long unpaid drive, time ten real yards, price insurance, and only then decide between a walk-behind and a zero-turn.
Still open
- Applicator licenses for spraying are still a state-by-state read.
- The Census row counts employer establishments. Operators with no payroll are in a different file.