What should I charge per mowing visit?

Industry-average residential mowing pricing in 2026 runs $40–$80 per visit on standard quarter-acre lots, $55–$110 on third-acre, $75–$160 on half-acre. Price by lot size and route density. Highest-margin routes are dense suburban neighborhoods where the truck can do 5–8 lawns within 10 minutes drive-time of each other.

How does route density affect pricing economics?

Route density is the single biggest gross-margin lever in lawn care. A truck doing 30 mows in a 2-mile radius makes 2–3× the per-stop margin of the same truck doing 30 mows over 15 miles. The same $55/mow charge yields $32 gross margin in a tight route and $11 in a scattered route. Marketing that targets by street (mailed landscape quotes) systematically stacks density; demographic-targeted marketing scatters customers.

What's the LTV of a mowing subscriber?

Average mowing subscriber economics: $50/visit × 28 cuts = $1,400 in season-one revenue. Year-2 retention 75–85% = $1,170. Year-3 retention 60–75% = $940. Three-year LTV averages $3,500 per subscriber. Snow plowing addon (~30% attach) adds another $700–$1,400 per winter. A subscriber acquired for $40–$60 CAC returns 60–90× LTV — the strongest unit economics in residential home services.

How should I price mulch beds and one-off landscape jobs?

Mulch beds: $3.50–$5.00 per sq ft installed (mulch + edging + labor). Bed installs: $8–$15 per sq ft. Spring cleanup: $200–$600 per visit for standard residential. Hardscape (paver patios, retaining walls): $20–$50 per sq ft. One-off jobs use a deposit + balance-on-completion flow rather than the subscription model.

What's the target gross margin on a mowing route?

Healthy residential lawn care contractors target 40–55% gross margin per visit on dense routes (revenue minus crew labor + fuel + equipment maintenance, before fixed overhead). At $55/mow with $25–$32 in variable cost, gross margin runs 42–55%. Scattered routes can compress gross margin to 25–35% due to drive-time. Stacking density via mailed landscape quotes is the lever that moves gross margin up across a whole route.

Lawn Care + Landscape Pricing Guide (2026)

Lawn care pricing in 2026 is squeezed by aggregator marketplaces (Lawn Love, Thumbtack, GreenPal) compressing per-visit pricing and rising fuel/labor costs raising the floor. The contractors who price by lot size AND route density — not just a flat per-mow rate — keep healthy gross margin.

Per-visit mowing pricing by lot size

Lot size	Per visit (national)	Notes
Small (under 5,000 sq ft, ~1/8 acre)	$30–$45	Townhouses, small urban lots
Standard (5,000–10,000 sq ft, ~1/4 acre)	$40–$80	Most suburban lots
Medium (10,000–15,000 sq ft, ~1/3 acre)	$55–$110	Larger suburban
Large (15,000–25,000 sq ft, ~1/2 acre)	$75–$160	Premium suburban / semi-rural
Estate (25,000+ sq ft, >1/2 acre)	$160–$400+	Custom pricing per property

National averages — adjust by region. West Coast and Northeast typically 15–25% above national; Southeast typically 10–15% below.

Route density math

The single biggest margin lever in lawn care

Two trucks. Same crew. Same equipment. Same per-mow charge of $55:

Truck A — dense route: 30 mows in a 2-mile radius. 6-min drive between stops. Total field-time: 6 hours. Drive-time: 2 hours. Revenue $1,650. Variable cost ~$750. Gross margin per mow: $30.
Truck B — scattered route: 30 mows over 15 miles. 22-min drive between stops. Total field-time: 6 hours. Drive-time: 8 hours. Revenue $1,650. Variable cost ~$1,300. Gross margin per mow: $12.

The mowing rate is identical. The variable cost is the same per-lawn. The difference is route density — and direct mail targeted by street (mailed landscape quotes) is the only acquisition channel that systematically delivers it.

Subscription LTV

$1,400

Year-1 revenue per subscriber

$3,500

3-year LTV average

60–90×

LTV-to-CAC ratio

Mowing subscribers are the strongest unit economics in residential home services. A subscriber acquired for $40–$60 in postcard cost generates $3,500+ in three-year LTV. Snow plowing addon (~30% attach rate) adds another $700–$1,400 per winter to subscriber LTV at essentially $0 marginal CAC.

One-off landscape job pricing

Service	Per unit / per project	Average residential
Mulch beds — install	$3.50–$5.00 / sq ft	$800–$2,500
Bed installs (new plantings)	$8–$15 / sq ft	$2,000–$8,000
Spring cleanup	One-off project	$200–$600
Fall cleanup	One-off project	$250–$700
Paver patio	$20–$35 / sq ft	$5,000–$15,000
Retaining wall	$30–$50 / sq ft of face	$3,000–$15,000
Sod installation	$0.80–$2.00 / sq ft	$800–$4,000

Snow plowing pricing

Snow plowing pricing for residential driveways: $40–$90 per event for standard driveways, with options for per-event vs seasonal flat-rate billing.

Per-event billing: $40–$90/push. Lower commitment, higher per-event price.
Seasonal flat-rate: $400–$900 per winter for unlimited pushes. Better cash flow predictability; homeowner pays whether it snows or not.
Per-inch tiered: $40 for 2-6", $60 for 6-12", $90+ for 12"+. Common in heavy-snow regions.

Gross margin math

Healthy residential lawn care contractors target 40–55% gross margin per visit on dense routes:

Cost line	Per $55 mow (dense route)
Revenue (homeowner pays)	$55
Crew labor (2-person × 20 min, all-in)	$14–$18
Fuel (truck + mower)	$2–$4
Equipment maintenance allocation	$3–$5
Customer acquisition (amortized over 3-yr LTV)	$1–$3
Gross margin	$25–$35 (45–64%)

Common pricing mistakes

Flat per-mow pricing regardless of route density. A $55 lawn in a tight route is profitable; the same $55 lawn 12 miles from your nearest customer is barely break-even. Either price by drive-time premium or refuse the scattered job.
Underpricing snow plowing. Snow plowing is a captive-customer addon for existing mowing subscribers. Premium pricing (vs commodity rates) works because the customer is already on file.
Matching aggregator-marketplace pricing on self-generated leads. Self-generated subscribers from mailed landscape quotes aren't comparison-shopping. Price at your local median or above.
Not pricing seasonal flat-rate for snow. Per-event-only billing creates revenue volatility (mild winter = empty trucks). Mix in seasonal flat-rate plans for cash flow predictability.

Stack route density at your existing pricing.

Landscape Launch lets you mail postcards street-by-street, adding new subscribers next to existing customers. Type in a block adjacent to your route and start a free campaign. Average return: $32+ per $1 spent in season one.

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