What is my landscaping business worth?

Landscaping has more closed sales on BizBuySell than most service trades. Recurring maintenance contracts sell for more than one-off installs, and commercial contracts more than residential.

Avg SDE multiple

2.49×

Typical range

1.79–3.01×

Avg revenue multiple

0.72×

Median sale price

$450K

BizBuySell industry row: Landscaping and Yard Service Businesses. Range applies the typical quartile spread (0.72×–1.21× of the average, from BizBuySell's HVAC quartiles) because no trade quartiles are published. Source: BizBuySell — Business Valuation Multiples by Industry (businesses sold Q3 2021–Q2 2026).

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Trade: Landscaping ·

Which state is it in?

Worked example

Hypothetical. A maintenance-focused landscaper with 3 crews. 70% of revenue is on monthly residential and small-commercial contracts. The owner still sells and works one day a week.

Revenue $650,000, owner earnings (SDE) $180,000, 9 years, about 70% recurring, “I work in it part of the time”.
Start at the published 2.49× average.
Recurring revenue 60%+: +0.25×. Contracts and memberships make next year's revenue predictable.
Adjusted multiple 2.74× × $180,000 = $493,000, range $355,000 – $598,000.
Revenue cross-check: $650,000 × 0.72× = $468,000.

What raises the price

Weekly or monthly maintenance contracts, especially commercial
Snow or irrigation add-ons that smooth seasonality
Crew leaders who run jobs without the owner
Well-kept, owned equipment

What lowers it

Mostly one-time install or hardscape jobs
Cash-paid crews or informal labor
Owner on the mower most days
Customer concentration in one HOA or property manager

Calculating SDE for a landscaping business

Start from net profit on your tax return or P&L, then add back:

Owner salary
Depreciation on trucks, trailers and mowers
Personal vehicle and phone
One-time equipment repairs

Only add back what a buyer can verify. If there are two working owners, the second owner's salary usually stays as a cost, because a buyer will need to replace that person.

Questions

Are equipment and trucks included in the price?

In most main-street sales the operating equipment transfers with the business, and real estate is priced separately. Confirm with your broker or buyer, since deal terms vary.

Compare other trades

Trade	Avg SDE multiple	Avg revenue multiple	Median sale price	Basis
Plumbing	2.61×	0.69×	$699,000	Trade row
HVAC	2.83×quartiles 1.99–3.33×	0.60×	$750,000	Trade row
Electrical	2.77×	0.63×	$1,009,000	Trade row
Landscaping	2.49×	0.72×	$449,950	Trade row
Pool service / routes	2.61×	0.83×	—	Sector average (no trade row)
Pest control	2.46×quartiles 1.69–3×	1.01×	$250,000	Trade row
Cleaning	2.25×	0.72×	$281,500	Trade row
Roofing	2.65×	0.59×	$750,500	Sector average (no trade row)
Auto repair	2.85×	0.65×	$430,000	Trade row
Salon / barbershop	2.10×	0.52×	$117,375	Trade row
Other main-street business	2.61×	0.83×	$350,000	General main-street range

Source: BizBuySell, Business Valuation Multiples by Industry, businesses sold Q3 2021–Q2 2026; quartiles from BizBuySell's HVAC and pest-control benchmark pages (sold 2021–2025). Pool and roofing use sector averages; “Other” uses the Service Businesses sector. Retrieved Oct 30, 2026.

Estimates for information only; not an appraisal or an offer. MainStreetKeys is not a business broker. Data retrieved Oct 30, 2026.