AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 37-3011.00
Will AI replace Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers?
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers: AI can already handle 1 of 26 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 26 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers, from most to least exposed. 1 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advise customers on plant selection or care. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Water lawns, trees, or plants, using portable sprinkler systems, hoses, or watering cans. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Provide proper upkeep of sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, fountains, planters, burial sites, or other grounds features. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Plan or cultivate lawns or gardens. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Follow planned landscaping designs to determine where to lay sod, sow grass, or plant flowers or foliage. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Attach wires from planted trees to support stakes. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Plant seeds, bulbs, foliage, flowering plants, grass, ground covers, trees, or shrubs, and apply mulch for protection, using gardening tools. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Decorate gardens with stones or plants. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Install rock gardens, ponds, decks, drainage systems, irrigation systems, retaining walls, fences, planters, or playground equipment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain irrigation systems, including winterizing the systems and starting them up in spring. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Maintain or repair tools, equipment, or structures, such as buildings, greenhouses, fences, or benches, using hand or power tools. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Gather and remove litter. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers, or axes. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Operate vehicles or powered equipment, such as mowers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers, chainsaws, electric clippers, sod cutters, or pruning saws. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Prune or trim trees, shrubs, or hedges, using shears, pruners, or chain saws. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Mix and spray or spread fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides onto grass, shrubs, or trees, using hand or automatic sprayers or spreaders. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Use irrigation methods to adjust the amount of water consumption and to prevent waste. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Care for established lawns by mulching, aerating, weeding, grubbing, removing thatch, or trimming or edging around flower beds, walks, or walls. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Trim or pick flowers and clean flower beds. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Mow or edge lawns, using power mowers or edgers. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Rake, mulch, and compost leaves. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Care for natural turf fields, making sure the underlying soil has the required composition to allow proper drainage and to support the grasses. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Haul or spread topsoil, or spread straw over seeded soil to hold soil in place. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Build forms and mix and pour cement to form garden borders. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Care for artificial turf fields, periodically removing the turf and replacing cushioning pads or vacuuming and disinfecting the turf after use to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Shovel snow from walks, driveways, or parking lots, and spread salt in those areas. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 26 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 26 of 26. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A standard-tier model or lower covers 42% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 42% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 58% is hands-on.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 952,640
- Median annual wage
- $39,150
- Middle half of earners
- $36,190 to $46,830
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +3.6%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers 79% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure31
- Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse 72% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure39
- Tree Trimmers and Pruners 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure19
- Forest and Conservation Workers 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure20
- Pesticide Handlers, Sprayers, and Applicators, Vegetation 66% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure28
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers and AI
Will AI replace Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers?
AI already handles 1 of the 26 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 27 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by +3.6% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers?
27 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 0 of the 26 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 26 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Advise customers on plant selection or care. It is the only task that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 42% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 58% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers, and what do they earn?
952,640 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $39,150 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +3.6% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/landscaping-and-groundskeeping-workers
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