The Level Index
Landscaping & Lawn CareHow does your landscape company compare?
Labor leverage, maintenance vs. install economics, customer retention, and cash flow benchmarks for U.S. landscape companies. Sourced from NALP, Lawn & Landscape, BrightView and SiteOne 10-Ks, BLS, USCIS H-2B data, and the Level founding team's operator analysis.
Last refreshed April 2026. NALP industry statistics, Lawn & Landscape benchmarking summaries, BrightView FY2025 10-K, BLS NAICS 561730, USCIS H-2B FY2024 data.
$188.8B
Market size
U.S. landscaping industry (2025 IBIS)
692K+
Establishments
Landscaping businesses in the U.S.
911K
Employment
Landscape services jobs (BLS 2024)
37%
H-2B share
Of H-2B certifications → landscaping (largest occupation)
Check your own numbers
Route density beats revenue growth when labor and H-2B exposure move against you.
Landscape operators can add revenue and lose margin if maintenance mix, crew routing, equipment utilization, and seasonal labor planning are not measured together.
In the free audit, we check:
- •labor cost, crew productivity, and route density by service line
- •maintenance versus install mix and renewal pricing discipline
- •equipment cost, H-2B exposure, DSO, and seasonal cash timing
We use this to prepare your audit before the call. Your numbers stay private.
About the Data
The Level Index is compiled from the founding team's analysis of 2,200+ contractors ($13.25B in revenue) across operating, private-equity, and CFO roles, plus named public filings, government statistics, and industry association surveys. This page focuses on commercial maintenance, install, snow removal & irrigation, drawn from NALP · BLS · USCIS · BrightView 10-K, public company 10-Ks, and the founding team's operator analysis. Where private-company quartile data is not publicly published, we use the best available median, range, or surveyed cohort and label the source clearly.
Methodology
Landscaping P10-P90 quartile distributions are mostly behind the NALP and Lawn & Landscape paid reports. Where percentile data is unavailable, this page uses industry medians from these surveys, public-company anchors (BrightView, SiteOne, Toro), and government data (BLS, USCIS, DOL). Vendor-sponsored surveys (Aspire) are clearly labeled.
The Level CLEAR Framework
Five pillars of landscaping & lawn care financial health
Every metric in the Level Index maps to one of five pillars. Together they give you a complete picture of where money is made, lost, stuck, or at risk.
DSO (~60 days commercial), seasonal cash swings, residential prepayment programs. Off-seasons burn cash while payroll and equipment notes stay monthly.
Crew productivity (revenue per labor hour), hourly turnover, H-2B exposure (landscaping is the largest single H-2B occupation, about 37% of certifications), equipment-to-labor ratio.
Gross margin by line (maintenance vs. install vs. snow vs. irrigation), EBITDA margin (BrightView 13.2%), net margin (industry avg ~12%, IBISWorld; BrightView ~2% at scale, FY2025 10-K).
Customer retention (~89% industry avg), revenue per customer (~$15K), close rate (~55%), cross-sell rate (maintenance + install + irrigation).
Weather risk, equipment downtime cost, customer concentration, insurance cost (GL + auto + WC + umbrella combined), H-2B political exposure.
Key Finding
37% of U.S. H-2B labor certifications in FY2024 went to landscaping, the single largest occupation, making immigration policy a primary P&L variable.
DOL Office of Foreign Labor Certification data shows landscaping and groundskeeping workers were the single largest H-2B occupation in FY2024 (90,121 positions, 37% of the full-year total), far ahead of the next category (housekeeping at ~8%). For mid-sized landscape operators, this is not 'a paperwork issue', it is a structural labor supply, wage, and political exposure that determines whether you can ramp crews in March or not. The largest single landscaping employer alone had over 1,200 H-2B positions certified in FY2024.
If H-2B caps tighten, your wage line moves up and your crew availability moves down, at the same time. Companies hedging with year-round work (snow, indoor maintenance, equipment service) are the ones least exposed.
DSO of ~60 days is the floor, and it gets worse in winter.
Days Sales Outstanding (DSO)
Source / sample: BrightView FY2025 10-K + commercial maintenance benchmarks
Commercial maintenance bill cycles + retainage/approval chains stretch AR. DSO is the first warning flare for winter working-capital stress. Negotiate ACH terms with property management firms before April, once busy season starts, you can't.
How we measured
BrightView FY2025 10-K
Labor productivity separates the $10M+ operators from everyone else.
Revenue per Employee ($K)
Source / sample: NALP 2025 Financial Benchmark Report (n=142 firms)
Productivity isn't 'work harder', it's routing density, equipment leverage, scope discipline, and pricing. The same headcount with better job costing prints winter survival.
How we measured
NALP 2025 Financial Benchmark Report
Most landscape operators net 8-12%, and the biggest public players run far thinner.
Net Profit Margin
Source / sample: NALP 2025 Financial Benchmark Report + IBISWorld 2025 + BrightView FY2025 10-K
Beware the margin illusion: many owner-operator P&Ls show a higher 'net' only because the owner's own salary is not booked as an expense. BrightView, the largest pure-play landscape operator, books full management cost and nets about 2% (FY2025 10-K). Once you add fully-burdened labor and the cost of carrying 60-plus-day receivables, the true number is usually below what the books suggest.
How we measured
NALP 2025 Financial Benchmark Report; IBISWorld Landscaping Services 2025; BrightView (BV) FY2025 10-K
Customer retention stayed strong at 89%, but composition matters more than the headline.
Customer Retention Rate (annual)
Source / sample: Lawn & Landscape benchmarking 2025 (industry avg)
Retention is the distribution system for route density and wage inflation pass-throughs. Losing one $50K commercial maintenance contract is not the same as losing 10 $5K residential accounts, track retention by revenue tier, not just count.
How we measured
Lawn & Landscape benchmarking 2025
Sales close rate of ~55% sounds great, until you measure against your lead quality.
Sales Close Rate (NALP 2020 data)
Source / sample: NALP 2021 Financial Benchmark Study (2020 data)
A 55% close rate is often a triage problem disguised as a sales problem. Top performers qualify out bid-shoppers earlier and spend their pricing time on accounts they can actually win profitably.
How we measured
NALP 2021 Financial Benchmark Study
Recurring maintenance revenue determines your valuation multiple, not your top line.
Recurring Revenue Mix Examples
Source / sample: BrightView FY2025 segment + Level founding-team observation
PE buyers consistently pay higher EBITDA multiples for maintenance-heavy operators. A $10M operator at 70% recurring maintenance is worth materially more than a $15M operator at 30%, same EBITDA, very different cash flow predictability.
How we measured
BrightView FY2025 segment disclosure; Level founding-team M&A observation
Benchmarks by Service Type
Landscaping & Lawn CareMaintenance compounds; install is lumpy. Snow is a hedge against winter cash burn. Irrigation is the highest-margin add-on most operators under-sell.
Commercial Maintenance
Recurring revenue base
BrightView ~70% maintenance
Residential Maintenance
Customer retention
~89% (industry avg)
Design-Build / Install
Margin pattern
Lumpy, 15-25% gross typical
Snow & Ice Management
Role
Winter cash hedge for commercial
Irrigation
Add-on opportunity
Highest-margin work most under-sell
Equipment-heavy ops
BrightView Adj EBITDA
13.2% margin (FY2025)
Advanced Landscaping & Lawn Care Metrics
Sub-segment breakdowns, advanced operational metrics, and percentile distributions for commercial maintenance, install, snow removal & irrigation.
| Metric | Bottom Quartile | Median | Top Quartile | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maintenance Gross Margin | < 35% | ~50% | > 58% | Wilson 360 / Lawn & Landscape composite ~53% |
| Install Gross Margin | < 18% | 22-28% | > 32% | Level founding-team observation for heavy-material new-construction install. Note: published design-build/enhancement benchmarks (Wilson360, Landscape Management) run higher at 45-65%, measuring lighter-material enhancement work; this band reflects material-heavy installs. |
| Snow Gross Margin | < 15% | 20-28% | > 35% | Level founding-team observation; highly variable by storm year |
| Irrigation Gross Margin | < 35% | 45-55% | > 60% | Level founding-team observation; highest-margin add-on most operators under-sell |
| Net Profit Margin | < 5% | ~12% | > 15% | IBISWorld ~12% / NALP survey 8-12%; BrightView (largest pure-play operator) nets ~2% at scale, FY2025 10-K (owner-operator P&Ls look higher only because owner salary isn't booked) |
| Customer Retention | < 78% | 89% | > 94% | Track by revenue tier, not just count |
| Sales Close Rate | < 40% | 55% | > 70% | NALP 2021, needs lead quality context |
| DSO (commercial) | > 75 days | 55-60 days | < 40 days | BrightView FY2025 implied ~54 days on billed AR, ~69 including unbilled revenue |
| DPO (days payable) | < 20 days | ~25 days | > 40 days | BrightView FY2025 implied (AP / COGS x 365) |
| True Loaded Crew Cost per Hour | base wage only | wage + ~30% burden | fully modeled | BLS SOC 37-3011 median wage x (1 + payroll tax/WC/benefits ~30%); costing crews at base wage understates every job |
| Revenue per Customer | < $7K | $15K | > $30K | NALP 2024, median ~$14,682 |
| Recurring Revenue Mix | < 30% | 55% | > 75% | Drives valuation multiple at exit |
Benchmarks for other service businesses
Simple pricing
Three tiers, one ladder.
$99-$500/mo
Bookkeeping
The clean data layer: monthly books, reconciliations, and organized financials AI can work with.
$1,500-$5,000/mo
Scale
The full AI operating layer: custom agents, weekly actions, and benchmarks to grow margin per hour.
Custom
Platform / Multi-Office
Multi-branch benchmarking and scorecards for PE-backed and multi-location groups.
How does your landscape company compare?
We'll benchmark your maintenance vs. install economics, retention, DSO, and labor leverage against the industry. Free audit included.
No commitment. Real numbers, not generic advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a healthy gross margin for landscape maintenance?
Industry composite (Wilson 360 / Lawn & Landscape) shows landscape maintenance gross margin around 50-53%, with top quartile above 58%. Install runs lower (22-28%) but is lumpier; snow varies wildly with storm year. Irrigation is the highest-margin add-on most operators under-price, top operators run 60%+ on irrigation work and use it to subsidize install pricing.
How exposed is my landscape business to H-2B policy changes?
Landscaping is the single largest occupation in the H-2B program, about 37% of all U.S. H-2B labor certifications (FY2024 DOL full-year data). If H-2B caps tighten or wage rules change, your labor cost line moves up and crew availability moves down at the same time. Operators hedging with year-round work (snow, indoor maintenance, equipment service) are the least exposed; pure-install seasonal operators are the most.
What net profit margin should a landscaping company target?
Most operators net about 8-12% (IBISWorld puts the industry around 12%, NALP survey respondents 8-12%), and well-run shops push toward 15%. BrightView, the largest pure-play public operator, nets about 2% at scale (FY2025 10-K) because it books full management cost. Beware the margin illusion: owner-operator P&Ls often look higher only because the owner's own salary is not expensed, and once you load fully-burdened labor and the cost of carrying 60-plus-day receivables, the true number is usually lower than the books suggest.
How important is recurring maintenance revenue to my exit valuation?
Critically. PE buyers consistently pay higher EBITDA multiples for maintenance-heavy operators. A $10M business at 70% recurring maintenance is worth materially more at exit than a $15M business at 30%, same EBITDA, very different cash flow predictability. BrightView's ~70% maintenance mix is a model worth studying.
What's a normal DSO in commercial landscape maintenance?
BrightView's FY2025 implied DSO is ~69 days. Commercial maintenance averages 55-60+ days because property management approval chains and retainage stretch AR. Top quartile gets to <40 days through ACH-on-receipt terms, e-invoicing, and dedicated AR follow-up. Set these terms before April, once busy season starts, the AR battle is already lost for that year.
Sources
- • NALP, Landscape Industry Statistics + 2025 Financial Benchmark Report
- • Lawn & Landscape, Benchmarking Your Business Report (2025 data)
- • BrightView FY2025 10-K (segment, DSO, EBITDA proxies)
- • SiteOne FY2025 10-K (distribution channel proxy)
- • BLS NAICS 561730 + OEWS wage percentiles
- • USCIS / DOL OFLC, H-2B FY2024 statistics
- • Aspire Software 2026 operator survey (vendor)
- • Level Index, the founding team's analysis of 2,200+ contractors ($13.25B revenue) across operating, private-equity, and CFO roles, extended with landscape operator observations
The Level Index represents the personal analysis and professional opinions of the Level team, compiled from public industry surveys, government statistics, SEC filings, and the founding team's operator analysis. All data is anonymized and aggregated. Specific figures are rounded and should be treated as directional benchmarks, not precise measurements. The Level Index does not constitute financial advice. Individual results vary based on segment, geography, company size, and operational maturity. © 2026 Level. All rights reserved.
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