Headline risk
2%
Very Low RiskTree trimmers and pruners
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
Using sophisticated climbing and rigging techniques, cut away dead or excess branches from trees or shrubs to maintain right-of-way for roads, sidewalks, or utilities, or to improve appearance, health, and value of tree. Prune or treat trees or shrubs using handsaws, hand pruners, clippers, and power pruners. Works off the ground in the tree canopy and may use truck-mounted lifts.
Task evidence
100% weighted task match · 0% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 50,430
Employment 2024
60.1K
Projected Change (2024–34)
3.3%
Openings (2024–34)
7.4K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Overall employment of grounds maintenance workers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Operate boom trucks, loaders, stump chippers, brush chippers, tractors, power saws, trucks, sprayers, and other equipment and tools. AI use: 0%
- 2. Clean, sharpen, and lubricate tools and equipment. AI use: 0%
- 3. Operate shredding and chipping equipment, and feed limbs and brush into the machines. AI use: 0%
- 4. Cut away dead and excess branches from trees, or clear branches around power lines, using climbing equipment or buckets of extended truck booms, or chainsaws, hooks, handsaws, shears, and clippers. AI use: 0%
- 5. Hoist tools and equipment to tree trimmers, and lower branches with ropes or block and tackle. AI use: 0%
- 6. Trim, top, and reshape trees to achieve attractive shapes or to remove low-hanging branches. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 36.9 · 101K employed
Under 25: 18% · 25–54: 68% · 55+: 13%
Related
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
title_match · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Grounds maintenance workers install and maintain landscapes, prune trees or shrubs, and do other tasks to ensure that vegetation is attractive, orderly, and safe.
Most grounds maintenance work is done outdoors in all weather conditions. Some work is seasonal, available mainly in the spring, summer, and fall. The work may be repetitive and physically demanding, requiring frequent bending, kneeling, lifting, or shoveling.
Grounds maintenance workers typically do not need a formal educational credential and are trained on the job. States may require licensing for workers who apply pesticides and fertilizers.
The median hourly wage for grounds maintenance workers was $18.50 in May 2024.
Overall employment of grounds maintenance workers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.