The difference in lawn care costs

Patricia Davis, Lawn Starter  - Washington, D.C., homeowners pay $17.80 per 1,000 square feet for a mow — nearly 3X the national average. Less than 100 miles away, Richmond homeowners pay $5.70 per 1,000 square feet for the same service. We dove into LawnStarter’s historical data for our State of Lawn Care in America Industry Report — analyzing 2+ million mowing jobs across 2,000+ cities — to identify some lawn care industry trends across pricing, tipping, weather disruptions, and seasonal patterns.

• Mowing costs per 1,000 square feet increased more than the national average (+4.8%) between 2024 and 2025 in Maryland (+6.1%) and Virginia (+5.6%), but were not as dramatic in D.C. (+2.8%). 

• Mowing prices in D.C. are nearly 3X the national average at $17.80 per 1,000 square feet. Prices are much lower in Richmond at $5.70 per 1,000 square feet. 

• Virginia Beach spends almost $100 more per year on lawn mowing ($505) than the national average ($407). Baltimore spends almost $100 less on mowing ($309) than the national average.

• Lawn care pros in Richmond are more likely to get lucky with a tip thanks to the city’s high average tip rate — 30.4% of mowing jobs receiving tips — and high average tip amount, $10.50. Richmond tips an average of 18% of the total job price.

Richmond has an above-average effective tip per mow, at $3.13 per mow, while D.C. pros have an effective tip of $2.10 per mow.

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