Landscaping Rates in the Midwest (2025)

The Midwest landscaping season is short and intense. You've got maybe 7 months to make a full year's income, and if your pricing is off, you'll feel it in December when the bills are still coming but the mowers are parked.

I've been collecting rate data from landscapers across Ohio, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa. Here's where pricing stands heading into the 2025 season.

Mowing Rates by State

Mowing is still the bread and butter for most Midwest landscaping operations. Here's what people are charging for a standard residential lawn (roughly 5,000-8,000 sq ft):

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2024 and ProTradeOps market research For more details, see our guide on Landscaping business budget spreadsheet (how to build one that works).

Chicago suburbs run the highest because everything costs more there. Gas, insurance, employee wages. If you're competing in DuPage or Lake County, you need to be at $55+ per cut to make any money after expenses.

Hourly Crew Rates

For jobs that aren't mowing (mulching, bed maintenance, spring/fall cleanups, small installs), most Midwest landscapers quote based on crew hours: For more details, see our guide on How much to charge for lawn mowing (pricing that pays your bills).

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2024 and ProTradeOps market research

These numbers assume you're paying workers $15-$22/hr in most Midwest markets. If you're in a tighter labor market like Madison or Minneapolis, you might be paying $18-$25/hr, which means your crew rate needs to be at the higher end.

Hardscaping and Install Pricing

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2024 and ProTradeOps market research

Fall cleanups in the Midwest are a different beast than in the South. Oak, maple, and elm trees dump massive volumes of leaves. A property that takes 30 minutes to mow in July might take 3 hours to clean up in November. Price accordingly.

The Seasonal Income Problem

Here's the thing about Midwest landscaping that nobody in Florida or California has to think about: your mowing season is April through October at best. November through March, you need a plan.

The landscapers I see doing well up here are doing at least two of these:

• Snow removal. If you're not plowing, you're leaving the biggest winter revenue stream on the table. Residential driveways run $35-$75 per push, and commercial lots can be $150-$500+ per visit.
• Holiday lighting. Install and removal of Christmas lights is a surprisingly good margin business. Typical residential install is $400-$1,200, and you're working in November when there's nothing else to do.
• Hardscaping through October. Push your install season as late as possible. Pavers and retaining walls can go in until the ground freezes.

Our pricing calculator can help you figure out what you need to charge during the active season to cover your full-year expenses. And the rate comparison tool shows how your numbers compare to other landscapers in your state.

Biggest Pricing Mistakes in the Midwest

• Pricing mowing too low to "fill the schedule." A full schedule of $30 lawns is worse than a half-full schedule of $55 lawns. Do the math on your truck, fuel, and time costs.
• Not charging enough for spring cleanups. Spring cleanup is hard, dirty work. It's not a "nice to have" add-on. It's a standalone service that should be priced at $40-$60/man-hour minimum.
• Forgetting about equipment costs. A commercial mower costs $10,000-$15,000 and lasts maybe 3-4 seasons of heavy use. That's $3,000-$5,000 per year in depreciation on one piece of equipment. Add your trailer, truck, trimmers, and blowers and you're probably looking at $8,000-$12,000 per year in equipment costs alone.

The Midwest is a solid market for landscaping. People care about their yards, the suburbs keep expanding, and there's enough seasonal variety to keep things interesting. Just make sure your pricing accounts for the reality that you're building a 12-month business on 7 months of revenue.