Average lawn care cost (2024)

Key points

• Expect to pay between $500 and $800 annually for a professional lawn maintenance service.

• More than one-third of homeowners pay for a full-service lawn care plan.

• Mowing is the most popular single-service treatment that homeowners outsource.

Curb appeal increases the value of a house — and a manicured grassy expanse is eye candy. To sport a lawn that will make neighbors green with envy, you need to either get your hands dirty (quite literally) or hire lawn care professionals.

The average lawn care cost is $749 for an annual service plan and $190 for a single service from a full-service lawn company, according to our February 2024 lawn care survey. 

Of 1,000 participants, 38% reported that they pay for full-service lawn care all year, 35% pay for full-service lawn care for part of the year, and 19% pay for a single service and do the rest of the lawn maintenance themselves.

Our survey respondents primarily hired a professional lawn care service because of convenience (35%), followed by lack of expertise (19%). Eleven percent of participants opted for professional help because they didn’t have the right lawn equipment, and 12% had physical restrictions preventing them from doing lawn work.

The price of establishing and maintaining a beautiful lawn depends on several factors. However, your lawn’s condition and size will likely play large roles in the cost of professional lawn care.

See how common lawn services stack up and what you can expect to pay.

How much does the average person spend on their lawn?

The ballpark estimate for a lawn care plan is between $500 and $800 per year if you’re only doing routine maintenance. 

Single service costs

The pricing for single-service projects depends on your needs and the state of your lawn. Our experts quoted costs between $48 and $180 per visit. The average cost of a single service visit from TruGreen, a national lawn care company, is $183, and a single treatment from Weed Man averages $128, according to our survey results.

Annual service costs

The same survey reported that TruGreen's year-round lawn care plan averages $746 and Weed Man’s averages $627. The average cost for a Sunday Lawn Care annual product-only subscription plan is $566 — you apply the products yourself. 

However, our first-hand experience testing Sunday’s plans in California showed that an annual Basic Care plan, which only includes fertilizer products, starts at $220 and goes up to $356 for specialty plans such as Lawn and Paws, which includes a pet spot treatment product and pet urine-resistant grass seed.

Specialty services costs

Based on our expert interviews, specialty services such as reseeding and fertilizing can range from $750 to $2,500 but vary by location. For instance, professional reseeding and labor can start at $2,500 for a 5,000-square-foot lawn in Twin Falls, Idaho, according to an estimate by Kody Ketterling, landscape and garden expert and founder of K-IT Products. 

Jorge Martinez, owner of World Class Landscape in Los Angeles, said reseeding fescue grass and aeration costs approximately $2,600 for a 1,800-square-foot lawn.

Homeowners looking for a la carte services can expect to pay an hourly rate of $40–$70, according to experts we spoke with. Additional services, such as spring and fall cleanup, fall between $400 and $600. 

Mowing should be done weekly from early spring through late fall, according to Janice Parker, owner of Janice Parker Landscape Architects in Greenwich, Connecticut. Our experts said that the price range for each visit is between $48 and $85 for a 5,000-square-foot lawn.

Below are cost estimates for the most common lawn care services — each is a prerequisite for a healthy lawn. Estimates are based on data from experts we’ve consulted.

What are specific lawn care costs? 

According to Homefront research, below are costs you can expect associated with various types of lawn care:

Lawn Care Service	Lawn Care Cost
Average annual service from a full-service lawn company	$749
Average single-service project from a full-service lawn company	$190
Hourly labor rate for lawn care	$40–$70
Seasonal cleanup	$400–$600
Seeding	$795–$1,500
Aerating treatment	$75–$225
Fertilizing treatment	$50–$150
Herbicide (labor and product)	$90–$180
Mowing service (per session)	$48–$85
Pesticide (labor and product)	$90–$180

Seeding

If you’re starting a new lawn or reseeding, you’ll need about 30 pounds of grass seed, estimated Sara Bendrick, a landscape contractor and owner of Sarita Landscape Design in San Diego. The cost of a 30-pound bag ranges from $60 to $120. Fifteen pounds should be enough to overseed an existing lawn by filling in bare patches.

To prep the site for seeding, your lawn care pro may charge you a project fee for prep and seeding labor plus materials — Bendrick estimated that at $1,500. In Cleveland Heights, Ohio, the total cost of reseeding a property's front and back yard ranging in size from 5,000 to 8,000 square feet is about $795, according to Ronald Saddler, the owner and operator of Saddler Lawn Care Services. 

You can also combine seeding with fertilizing in a process called hydroseeding, which Parker described as “the application of seed in a slurry mixed with mulch.” She said that method costs $0.50 per square foot versus about $0.30 per square foot for conventional seeding. “I would also include a layer of hay mulch for all seeding — an additional cost of $0.05 or less per square foot,” Parker added.

Aerating

If the soil gets too compacted — think barbecue parties and yard games — it becomes difficult for air and nutrients to circulate. The solution? Lawn aeration. This additional service can be done once a year in the spring or fall. You can wait a few years to aerate if your lawn doesn’t get as much traffic.

It all depends on what your lawn needs. As a lawn care provider, Sadler charges $75 an hour for lawn aeration or up to $150 per hour for larger properties of up to three-quarters of an acre. A 5,000-square-foot property would take about an hour to 90 minutes to complete.

He does not rent out his Billy Goat core aerator, which costs about $3,900 if you buy it from a retailer, but other landscape companies will rent out aerators at a rate around $100 a day if you want to do the job yourself. Simpler machines range in price from $50 for a manual aerator to $550 for high-end products, Bendrick said.

As of March 2024, our experts clock aerating costs between $75 and $225.

Fertilizing

Lawns get hangry, too. Lawn fertilization ensures that grass receives essential nutrients, keeping your lawn looking its best. Parker recommended applying fertilizer every six weeks from early spring through early fall.

The frequency of fertilization can also depend on soil type. “Sandy soils require more frequent applications than soils with silt and clay textures,” said Certified Sports Field Manager, Steve Peeler of Simple Lawn Solutions.

A 50-pound bag of fertilizer costs between $33 and $100, according to our research. It should be enough to cover a 5,000-square-foot lawn and possibly up to 10,000 square feet, depending on the product, Bendrick said. You can apply fertilizer yourself, but you’ll need a spreader for dry fertilizer or a hose applicator for liquid.

Professional fertilizer application ranges from $50 to $150 per application, as of March 2024. Given that you may need up to six applications, expect to pay $300–$900 for the season.

High-end companies can charge up to $900 for a golf course-style lawn fertilizing treatment that treats feeds, insects and diseases, according to an expert we spoke with from the Northwest. Organic treatment with no added chemicals can cost $750.

Herbicide and weeding

“Preemergent fertilizers are recommended to feed the turf and control the population of weeds,” Peeler said. “Weed control used in the spring can be applied again after 90 days to accomplish season-long control.”

You can take the DIY approach to weeds with a garden hoe or grass trimmer. Herbicide products cost between $25 to $200, according to Peeler. But you might want to hire a professional if you’re dealing with fast-spreading plants such as creeping Charlie.

Herbicide services range from $90 to $180 for labor and product, according to Ketterling. “Spray in early spring, starting in mid-April,” he said. “You can add [it] to fertilization to help promote grass growth.”

Should your lawn need extensive remediation, treatments can start at $450 and go up from there. “Plan to pay $650 per day for deep weed cleaning in the yard,” said Bendrick, noting that this will take one to three days for a 5,000-square-foot yard. Parker estimated this would cost $1,250, or 25 cents per square foot (with fertilization).

You’ll want to invest more time in weed control and pull up pesky plants after periods of rain. To prevent weeds throughout the year, put down a thick layer of mulch.

Mowing

DIY lawn care may save you the labor costs of hiring a pro. Still, it can require an initial investment in lawn care machinery such as mowers, which can range from $100 to $600 depending on whether it is a push mower, self-propelled, uses a rechargeable battery or needs gas, Bendrick said.

A lawn mowing service can range from $48 to $85 per session, according to our experts. However, rates can go as high as $150 a session in some parts of the country — San Diego, for example. Plan to budget at least $1,200 if you anticipate hiring for weekly mowing from April through September. 

Spacing out professional lawn mowing services to save on lawn mowing costs is not always more economical. “If people want to go biweekly or every 10 days, we have a $20 to $80 surcharge depending on the size of the property, as it will be more grass and will take longer to service,” Ketterling said.

Pesticide

You’ll only need to worry about pesticides if you have a problem with insects, such as grubs that munch on grass roots come June. If you notice earth mounds or grass blades look paltry, it may be time to bring in pest control. 

“Pesticides should be utilized only when the insect is present and has the potential to damage the turfgrass plant,” Peeler said. “Certain insects are active at different times of the season and must be monitored on a weekly basis.”

Pesticide products cost around $140 per acre, and liquid pesticide applications require a sprayer. Hand-held sprayers range from $8 to $15; backpack sprayers are $25 to $200, and pull sprayers are $150 to $1,200, according to Peeler. 

“When it comes to chemical applications, it’s a good idea to hire professionals to do this because they have the right training, equipment and safety measures in place,” said Nate Birch, senior vice president of maintenance at Mariani Landscape in Chicago. “They will also be able to diagnose any issues that crop up and make adjustments to the lawn care plan throughout the season.”

Professional lawn pesticide service costs vary based on the location and infestation severity. In Greenwich, Connecticut, expect to pay 10 cents to 25 cents per square foot — that’s $500–$1,250 for a 5,000-square-foot lawn, according to Parker’s estimates. In Twin Falls, Idaho, Kettering quoted professional pesticide applications between $90 and $180.

Depending on the pest issue at hand, you may need to have the service performed six times each season.

What’s next?

Starting in April, come up with a plan for continual lawn care. Your lawn care pricing will vary depending on your needs and even the grass type you prefer in your backyard.

Typical mowing and yard care should span from spring to September when cool-season weather sets in. But don’t neglect the maintenance costs that might follow even as grass goes into dormancy — leaf removal and tree trimming should be on your to-do list. You’ll also want to check your sprinkler system at the beginning and end of each season.

Whether you hire a service provider or choose DIY yard care, know that the overall cost for everything from yard cleanup to mowing will likely be several hundred dollars each season.