Industry valuation
How Much Is A landscaping business Worth?
Landscaping and yard-service companies sell on how much of the work is contracted versus one-off — the mow-every-week accounts are what a buyer values most.
Averages across real reported sales of landscaping business businesses, businesses sold Q3 2021 – Q2 2026. Multiples are averages; sale price is the median.
A worked example
A business is worth its earnings times a multiple. Take a landscaping business with $180,000 of SDE and apply the average 2.49×:
That’s a midpoint, not a quote — an individual business sells above or below its industry average for the reasons below. Use your own SDE and see the full range in the valuation calculator.
Run your landscaping business’s numbers →Why landscaping business businesses sell for what they do
Recurring maintenance contracts turn seasonal labor into predictable earnings, which is what supports the multiple. Design/build work pays well but is lumpy and harder to underwrite, so a book weighted toward standing contracts commands a higher price than one that lives on one-time installs.
What raises the multiple
- A large base of recurring maintenance contracts
- Commercial and HOA accounts on multi-year terms
- Crews and a foreman who stay after the sale
- Owned equipment in good repair
What lowers it
- Revenue that is mostly one-time design/build or installs
- Heavy seasonality with no winter (e.g. snow) revenue
- An owner who sells and estimates every job personally
- Leased or worn-out equipment
Where these numbers come from
The multiples and median price above are transcribed from BizBuySell, Business Valuation Multiples by Industry, which aggregates real sold-business transactions (businesses sold Q3 2021 – Q2 2026). 80% of businesses in the source data set sold between $50,000 and $2,000,000 — the “main street” segment. SDE (Seller’s Discretionary Earnings) follows the IBBA standard: pre-tax profit plus one owner’s compensation and other add-backs.
Primary source: BizBuySell, Business Valuation Multiples by Industry. Last reviewed: July 2026.
Informational only — not a formal appraisal, a broker’s opinion of value, or professional advice. A published average is a starting point, not your business’s price.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a landscaping business sell for on average?
Over the period businesses sold Q3 2021 – Q2 2026, landscaping business businesses sold for a median price of $449,950 and an average of 2.49× SDE (Seller's Discretionary Earnings). Your own number depends on your earnings — for example, $180,000 of SDE at the average multiple works out to about $448,200.
Why do landscaping business businesses sell for 2.49× SDE?
Recurring maintenance contracts turn seasonal labor into predictable earnings, which is what supports the multiple. Design/build work pays well but is lumpy and harder to underwrite, so a book weighted toward standing contracts commands a higher price than one that lives on one-time installs.
How can I increase what my landscaping business is worth?
The multiple rewards earnings a buyer believes will survive the ownership change. For landscaping business businesses that means: a large base of recurring maintenance contracts; commercial and HOA accounts on multi-year terms; crews and a foreman who stay after the sale. Each one makes the earnings look more durable to a buyer and nudges the multiple up.
Is this an official landscaping business valuation?
No. This is an informational estimate built from published transaction averages, not a formal business appraisal or a broker's opinion of value. Treat it as a starting point to bring to a real conversation — run your own numbers in the calculator, then confirm with a qualified broker or appraiser.
Keep reading: What is my business actually worth? (and why every valuation disagrees)
Related tools
Estimate what your Main Street business would sell for: IBBA-method SDE from your own P&L, an industry multiple from published sold-business data, and every factor behind the number named and priced.
Open tool →Industry Multiple LookupLook up the published SDE and revenue multiples — and median sale prices — for dozens of Main Street industries, from real sold-business transaction data.
Open tool →SDE Calculator & Add-Back WorksheetWork out Seller's Discretionary Earnings line by line — owner compensation, financing and non-cash expenses, one-time items, and the normalization adjustments that cut both ways — per the IBBA's standard definition.
Open tool →