TL;DR

About 47,870 tree trimmers and pruners nationally earn a mean of $67,558. Employment in the series shown rose about 16% from the first to the last year; projections imply about 5.4% annual growth.

Key Statistics

47,870
2023 Workforce
None
Average Age
$67,558
Average Salary

Tree Trimmers and Pruners: what the data shows

Common questions about tree trimmers and pruners careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.

What is a tree trimmers and pruners?

Tree Trimmers and Pruners is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 37-3013.

U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 47,870 workers.

What does a tree trimmers and pruners do?

O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Performing General Physical Activities, Getting Information, Handling and Moving Objects, Monitoring Processes, Materials, or Surroundings, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.

How much does a tree trimmers and pruners make?

BLS national median annual wage: $50,430 (May 2024 in our extract).

Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $67,558 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.

Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).

Wage percentileAnnual wage
10th percentile$43,112
25th percentile$53,252
Median (50th)$64,668
75th percentile$80,310
90th percentile$88,424

What education do you need?

For Tree Trimmers and Pruners, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).

These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.

What skills do you need?

O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Monitoring, Coordination, and knowledge areas including Customer and Personal Service, Mechanical, Public Safety and Security, Production and Processing. See Education & Skills for detail.

Is tree trimmers and pruners in demand?

Historical employment trend in our series implies about 5.4% annual growth (compound rate in the extract).

Five-year projected employment change: 30.2%.

Ten-year projected employment change: 69.4%.

Current U.S. headcount: 47,870.

We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.

Where do tree trimmers and prunerss work?

Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:

IndustryEmploymentShare
Cross-industry47,87016.9%
Cross-industry, Private Ownership only44,99015.8%
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services42,98015.1%
Administrative and Support Services42,98015.1%
Services to Buildings and Dwellings42,60015.0%
Landscaping Services42,38014.9%

See Industry for charts.

What degrees lead to this career?

Common majors for Tree Trimmers and Pruners in O*NET:

See Related degrees.

Employment

Employment and salary information for the Tree Trimmers and Pruners workforce.

Employment Over Time

47,870 Workforce in 2023

The Tree Trimmers and Pruners workforce has been growing over time.

Historical employment trends for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Yearly Wage Ranking

$67,558 Average Wage

In 2023, Tree Trimmers and Pruners earned an average of $67,558.

Wage ranking compared to other occupations.

Wage Distribution

This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Salary distribution for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Employment Growth Projections

5.4% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)

43,945 Projected Employment (5 years)

Projected growth: 30.2%

57,203 Projected Employment (10 years)

Projected growth: 69.4%

This occupation is projected to grow at 5.4% annually, indicating strong future demand.

Historical employment trends and future projections for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Industry

Information on the industries that employ Tree Trimmers and Pruners and on wages for those in the field.

Occupations by Industries

This graphic shows the share of Tree Trimmers and Pruners employed by various industries.

Industry distribution for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Wage Trends by Industry

11.2% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate

Historical wage growth trends by industry for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Geographic Distribution

Employment and wage information by geographic location for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.

Top States by Employment

Top States by Employment:

  • CA: 8,620 employees, $65,690 avg wage
  • PA: 2,550 employees, $53,570 avg wage
  • NY: 2,520 employees, $64,020 avg wage
  • TX: 2,400 employees, $43,730 avg wage
  • FL: 1,950 employees, $52,980 avg wage
  • MI: 1,890 employees, $51,180 avg wage
  • NJ: 1,540 employees, $59,350 avg wage
  • WV: 1,350 employees, $47,560 avg wage
  • OH: 1,310 employees, $50,130 avg wage
  • NC: 1,240 employees, $44,640 avg wage

Top 10 states by employment for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Top Metropolitan Areas

Top Metropolitan Areas:

  • Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 2,420 employees, $62,800 avg wage
  • New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 2,360 employees, $64,790 avg wage
  • Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 1,110 employees, $57,430 avg wage
  • Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 1,060 employees, $41,300 avg wage
  • Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA: 970 employees, $61,370 avg wage
  • San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA: 940 employees, $66,900 avg wage
  • San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 930 employees, $78,240 avg wage
  • Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA: 800 employees, $71,480 avg wage
  • Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA: 740 employees, $64,780 avg wage
  • Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 740 employees, $65,070 avg wage

Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Diversity

Demographic information on Tree Trimmers and Pruners in the US.

Gender and Age

The workforce of Tree Trimmers and Pruners in 2023 was 47,870 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.

Gender and age distribution for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Races

Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.

Race and ethnicity distribution for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Education & Skills

Data on higher education choices and required skills for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Majors

The most common majors achieved by Tree Trimmers and Pruners in 2023 were Business Administration, Business, Social Sciences.

Common majors for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Education Levels

The main educational levels achieved by Tree Trimmers and Pruners workers.

Education level distribution for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Skills

Tree Trimmers and Pruners need many skills, but most especially Operation and Control, Operations Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Monitoring.

Required skills for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Knowledge & Abilities

Knowledge areas and abilities required for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Knowledge Areas

The most important knowledge areas for Tree Trimmers and Pruners include Customer and Personal Service, Mechanical, Public Safety and Security, Production and Processing, Transportation.

Knowledge areas required for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Abilities

Key abilities needed for Tree Trimmers and Pruners include Control Precision, Problem Sensitivity, Multilimb Coordination, Manual Dexterity, Reaction Time.

Required abilities for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Work Activities

Common work activities performed by Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

Daily Activities

Tree Trimmers and Pruners spend their time on activities such as Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials, Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment, Performing General Physical Activities, Getting Information, Handling and Moving Objects.

Most important work activities for Tree Trimmers and Pruners.

About

Tree Trimmers and Pruners

The average yearly wage for Tree Trimmers and Pruners was $67,558 in 2023.

SOC Code

37-3013 - Tree Trimmers and Pruners

Insights and Analysis

Compensation snapshot: Tree Trimmers and Pruners reports an average salary of $67,558.

Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 47,870 workers, indicating sustained demand.

Forward outlook: Projected annual growth is 5.4%, which should inform long-term career planning.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.

All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.