Where do Americans spend the most to keep the grass greener on their side of the fence?
To mark National Lawn Care Month, Lawn Love ranked 2024’s Most Expensive Metro Areas for Lawn Maintenance.
We compared nearly 120 of the biggest U.S. metro areas based on 3 categories. We looked at household spending on lawn care and gardening services, lawn watering costs, and average yard sizes. We also considered mowing frequencies during peak grass season, between March and October.
Explore our ranking below. To learn how we ranked the metros, see our methodology.
Contents
Metro rankings
See how each metro fared in our ranking:
Top 5 close up
Check out the slideshow below for stats on each of our 5 most expensive metros for lawn maintenance.
Portion of Household Income Spent on Lawn and Gardening Services: 0.79% | Rank: 3
Average Mowing Frequency per Lawn: 1.8 | Rank: 59
Lawn Watering Costs Index: 31 | Rank: 6
Average Yard Acreage: 0.22 | Rank: 98
Local tips:
Best Grass Types for Sacramento
9 Best Native Plants for Sacramento
6 Drought-Resistant Landscaping Ideas for Sacramento
Photo Credit: Josh Hild | Unsplash | Unsplash License
Portion of Household Income Spent on Lawn and Gardening Services: 0.78% | Rank: 5
Average Mowing Frequency per Lawn: 1.5 | Rank: 112
Lawn Watering Costs Index: 21 | Rank: 5
Average Yard Acreage: 0.25 | Rank: 87
Local tips:
5 Best Grass Types for California Lawns
27 California Native Plants
California’s Green Lawn Care Law: What You Need to Know
Photo Credit: Capricorn90 | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 3.0
Portion of Household Income Spent on Lawn and Gardening Services: 0.73% | Rank: 8
Average Mowing Frequency per Lawn: 1.8 | Rank: 54 (tie)
Lawn Watering Costs Index: 2 | Rank: 1
Average Yard Acreage: 0.23 | Rank: 97
Local tips:
5 Best Grass Types for California Lawns
27 California Native Plants
California’s Green Lawn Care Law: What You Need to Know
Photo Credit: Kelly Verdeck | Flickr | CC BY-ND 2.0
Portion of Household Income Spent on Lawn and Gardening Services: 0.9% | Rank: 1
Average Mowing Frequency per Lawn: 1.9 | Rank: 44
Lawn Watering Costs Index: 252 | Rank: 38
Average Yard Acreage: 0.22 | Rank: 101
Local tips:
5 Best Grass Types for Houston
9 Best Native Plants for Houston
9 Hurricane-Resistant Landscaping Ideas for Houston
Photo Credit: Trace Hudson | Pexels | Pexels Lic
Portion of Household Income Spent on Lawn and Gardening Services: 0.7% | Rank: 14
Average Mowing Frequency per Lawn: 1.8 | Rank: 54 (tie)
Lawn Watering Costs Index: 254 | Rank: 40
Average Yard Acreage: 0.47 | Rank: 19
Local tips:
11 Spring Lawn Care Tips for New Orleans
6 Best Grass Types for New Orleans
10 Hurricane-Resistant Landscaping Ideas for New Orleans
Photo Credit: TheLionHasSeen | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY-SA 4.0
Key insights
Bad News: 9 California metros land among the 50 most expensive for lawn maintenance due to high watering costs and frequent mowing needs, despite having smaller-than-average lawns.
Good News: 4 Golden State metros — such as Los Angeles (No. 79) and San Francisco (No. 115) — finish in the most affordable half of our ranking with smaller yards, fewer mows, and lower spending on professional lawn care services.
Southern states like Louisiana, North Carolina, and Texas score among the most expensive half of our ranking with spacious yards, more frequent mows, and higher spending on lawn care services and watering. North Carolina metros claim some of the biggest lawns on average, with Asheville (No. 17) boasting the largest in our ranking, 0.62 acres.
Homeowners in Northern states like New York, Michigan, and Ohio schedule more frequent mows — with Dayton-Kettering, Ohio (No. 74), getting over 2 monthly mows on average (No. 3). However, those states’ metros land in the most affordable half with low spending on both irrigation and yard upkeep overall.
Residents of Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, Nevada (No. 58), have their grass cut least often — fewer than 1 mow per month — and the smallest yards, 0.12 acres. However, homeowners in this region are spending a higher share of their income on yard care, likely for converting grass to low-maintenance xeriscapes.
Behind the Ranking
First, we determined the factors (metrics) that are most relevant to rank the Most Expensive Metro Areas for Lawn Maintenance. We then assigned a weight to each factor based on its importance and grouped those factors into 3 categories: Lawn Care Cost, Lawn Irrigation Cost, and Yard Size. The categories, factors, and their weights are listed in the table below.
For each of the 119 biggest U.S. metro areas, we then gathered data on each factor from the sources listed below the table.
Finally, we calculated scores (out of 100 points) for each metro to determine its rank in each factor, each category, and overall. A metro’s Overall Score is the average of its scores across all factors and categories. The highest Overall Score ranked “Most Expensive” (No. 1) and the lowest “Most Affordable” (No. 119). Note: The “Most Affordable” among individual factors may not be No. 119 due to ties.
Sources: Federal Housing Finance Agency, Lawn Love, LawnStarter, and U.S. Census Bureau
Final Thoughts
Some lawn care innovations (and traditions) can make the job easier, but they come with a different price tag.
Some homeowners and professionals are investing in Inventions like robotic mowers. Other folks are looking toward old-school landscaping methods by hiring local animal lawn mowing services.
When it comes to lawn care, some of the costliest expenses can be avoided with a little creativity and DIY magic. Check out our tips below.
- Switch to a low-maintenance grass type.
- Skip the weekly mow with a no-mow grass alternative.
- Fill your property with low-maintenance landscaping.
- Dry climate? Opt for drought-tolerant landscaping and grass types to bring down your water bills.
- Learn how to aerate, dethatch, and overseed your lawn.
- Make your own homemade fertilizer.
- Check out our lawn mowing tips and tricks before taking the mower out for its first spin this season.
Having a stunning lawn and landscape can increase property value and boost homeowner satisfaction, but it can take a lot of time and effort to manage. Hire a Lawn Love crew to handle all your landscaping and lawn maintenance needs and keep your property looking beautiful.
Media Resources
Main Photo Credit: Jared Muller | Unsplash | Unsplash License
