Starting a Company

Best Locations for Lawn Care Companies

7 min read

Many entrepreneurs start their businesses close to home. Usually, they see that there is a need for a service right in their hometown, and that is where they choose to set up shop.

Each state, city or region represents a potential market for you to service, and no two markets are exactly the same. Each market will have unique customer needs, opportunities and even regulations and taxes.

For the lawn care industry, the location of where you start your business can help shape your career.

Some important questions to consider when establishing your business location are: what is the weather like most of the year? How populated is the state? Are there dense neighborhoods with grass-filled properties? If there is limited grass or it snows a few months out of the year, what other services can you capitalize on? (such as snow removal or landscape maintenance)

The objective is to earn a profit for your business.

Lawn care providers must also consider the city sales tax they will be inclined to pay as well state charges they will incur. This may make one state preferable to another. Since the objective is to earn a profit for your business, it's essential to consider which states offer the greatest tax savings for businesses. As an entrepreneur, it will be your responsibility to identify the regulations of your city and strictly adhere to them to make sure your business is legitimate and credible.

We created this guide to help aspiring lawn care business owners discover the best geographic locations to start their businesses or even expand your current business! It may not be ideal to start a company in the state or city you currently live. Instead, you may find relocating a viable option because of the opportunities that await!

US broken down by region

Eastern United States

Eastern states include Maine, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, D.C., Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida.

Florida is one of the most thriving states for lawn care businesses. The average maximum temperature in the southern part of the state is 86 degrees. The chance of lawns scorching is less likely because temperatures seldom top higher than 100 degrees.

Precipitation readings taken throughout 2018 were 60.52 inches for the entire state, with May being the month with the highest readings of 9.23 inches. With less than 10 inches of rainfall a year and low temperatures reading 58 degrees in the north of the state and 70 degrees Fahrenheit in the south of the state, Florida has the type of climate fitting for a successful year-round lawn care business.

Western United States

The West Coast states include California, Washington, and Oregon. Other Western states include Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico.

California tends to be the best state in the West for starting a lawn care business due to its high dollar residential and commercial properties requiring lawn and landscaping services. The average annual temperatures for the state are between 47 - 73 degrees. Summers are prone to drought throughout the state, however, making it challenging to develop regularity in mowing and landscaping schedules. Grass and plants may not grow as rapidly due to watering restrictions, meaning that a company can have many accounts but service them less frequently during the hottest months of the year. Even though the frequency and mowing may be reduced during these times of the season, it would be a good idea to think of other services to offer these customers (leaf cleanups, trimming, power washing, etc.)

Midwest United States

The Midwest consists of North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio.

The Midwest can be more affordable to live in states such as Kansas and Missouri, but due to the four seasons experienced in the region, the number of months to mow, weed, and landscape are cut short. Kansas has an abundance of grass, an ample amount of rainfall, and warm temperatures starting in late April into early May. The capital city of Topeka's average high in August is 89 degrees, making it ideal temperatures for mowing and working on yards.

Southern United States

Southern states include Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee, and Kentucky.

Texas is the biggest, most populated states in the country and possibly one of the best options for starting a lawn care business due to how populated it is. An estimated 29.47 million people live in the state currently, making it the most populated state in America. The more people there are living in a state, the greater opportunities exist for building a large customer base of clients.

Southern states can get very hot during summer, causing residents to water their grass more often, allowing it to grow to ideal mowing height. As long as the sun doesn't scorch the grass, your business will stay busy in the South.

What about Hawaii and Alaska?

Hawaii and Alaska aren't necessarily ideal for starting a lawn care business. Alaska's average temperatures are often below zero, and Hawaii is an island full of sand, surrounded by water. In addition to sandy beaches, there are also pebble and lava rock beaches, limiting the amount of land with grass available to mow.

There are many commercial landscapers in Hawaii due to the resorts and tourist attractions that someone must keep up throughout the year. It may be challenging to compete in a marketplace already overflowing with lawns there are green and well-kept. Hawaii's minimum wage is only $10.10, which is $2.90 less than California's state minimum wage and $3.82 less than the average minimum paid to lawn care workers nationwide. Alaska and Hawaii are the least likely places to experience growth as the owner of a lawn care company.

Conclusion

Our findings show that while California is one of the most expensive states to live in, it ends up being the best to operate a lawn care business in. Thanks to its mild temperatures and abundance of sprawling properties, the need for good lawn care services remains high. We find that it's the ideal setting for mowing lawns even during the hottest months of the year. However, there is heavy competition from other independent landscaping companies.

California requires employers to pay one of the highest minimum wages in the country which is currently $13.00. The average hourly earnings of a lawn care tech is $13.92. Companies can attract more full-time and part-time workers by offering a competitive wage that they're willing to work for.

Texas and Florida are also very promising due to their large population and predictable weather conditions. Big cities that are known as urban jungles such as New York City are not ideal for lawn care businesses because of the limited amount of lawn space available. There are many office buildings and residential apartment buildings built right next to each other to maximize every square inch of real estate available, minimizing the amount of lawns to mow.

While some states are initially more lucrative than others when it comes to lawn care, anyone can be successful in their own area with the right amount of preparation and determination.