Lawn mowing pricing chart
One visit, mow, trim and blow. The model band is the lawn care cost estimator's planning range. The last column is this calculator at its defaults: a $55 crew hour, 10 drive minutes, a $40 minimum.
Swipe sideways to see every column.
| Lawn size | Model band per visit | Per 1,000 sq ft (band) | This calculator |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 5,000 sq ft | $30 to $45 | n/a | $40 at 4,000 sq ft (minimum) |
| 7,500 sq ft | $40 to $65 | $5.33 to $8.67 | $45 |
| 1/4 acre (10,890 sq ft) | $50 to $80 | $4.60 to $7.35 | $52 |
| 1/2 acre (21,780 sq ft) | $70 to $110 | $3.20 to $5.05 | $77 |
| 1 acre (43,560 sq ft) | $100 to $150 | $2.30 to $3.45 | $127 |
Model bands from the lawn care cost estimator, a planning model across 13 U.S. regions.
Per square foot drops as the lawn grows. Unloading, trimming around the house and blowing the drive take about the same time on any lawn. Spread that over more grass and each foot costs less to cut. Quote a flat price per visit.
The formula
- Minutes on site. Mowing, trimming, edging, blowing. The calculator starts at 20 minutes plus 2.5 per 1,000 sq ft. That's our assumption, and it lands near the low end of the estimator's bands. Time five real lawns and use yours.
- Drive minutes. The route time you assign to this stop. Same method for every stop, first and last included.
- Crew-hour rate. What one crew hour must bring in: wages, payroll costs, equipment, insurance, overhead, profit. Two people working an hour is one crew hour.
- Vehicle cost. Only if the rate leaves the truck out. Never count it twice.
Shop math: 6,000 sq ft, 35 minutes on site, 10 minutes of drive, a $48 crew hour. (35 + 10) ÷ 60 × $48 = $36. Four miles at the IRS 76 cents adds $3.04. Target: $39.04.
Where the crew-hour rate comes from
- Add up a year of fixed costs: insurance, equipment payments or replacement savings, truck, phone, software, licences.
- Divide by the crew hours your visits recover, drive time included.
- Add wages and payroll costs per crew hour for everyone on the crew. Your own pay too.
- Divide by one minus your margin. A 20% margin divides by 0.8. Markup is a different calculation.
BLS puts the median wage for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $18.82 an hour (May 2025). That's one worker's pay, before payroll taxes, comp and everything else. The estimator's regional crew rates run $45 to $62. Your accountant and insurer have the real payroll and coverage numbers for your state.
Weekly or every two weeks
Every two weeks means taller grass. University of Minnesota Extension says to take no more than a third of the leaf blade per cut, and to mow several times or rake the clippings off when they run long. Time a biweekly visit in peak growth and put the extra minutes in the price. The season total uses our estimator's assumption of 28 weekly or 14 every-two-weeks visits for an April to October season. Change the visit count for your season.
Sources
Formula, size bands, regional inputs and minimum range: How much to charge for lawn mowing, built on the lawn care cost estimator's planning model.
Median wage, landscaping and groundskeeping workers, May 2025: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Business mileage, 76 cents a mile for July 1 to December 31, 2026: IRS standard mileage rates.
The one-third rule: University of Minnesota Extension, mowing practices.