Gitnux/Report 2026

Nursery Industry Statistics

Nursery and greenhouse operations support just 1.0% of total US employment yet they sit at the center of cost and sustainability pressures, from median May 2023 wages of $15.61 an hour for farmworkers to energy and fertilizer dynamics that can shift margins quickly. See how growers are responding with practical performance gains like 8.7% lower water use from sensor based irrigation control and up to an 80% landfill diversion rate for horticultural organics, alongside updated price and energy benchmarks that shape what gets built next.
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June 27, 2026Updated
Nursery Industry Statistics
Julian RichterWritten by Julian Richter·Edited by Yumi Nakamura·Fact-checked by Rebecca Hargrove
Published ·Updated
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Greenhouse and nursery operations support about 1.0% of total U.S. employment, with BLS reporting 103,840 establishments in the NAICS 1114 nursery and floriculture production subsector. Labor costs anchored by a $15.61 an hour median for crop, nursery, and greenhouse farmworkers sit alongside water efficiency gains of up to 50% from recirculating irrigation. Adoption data also shows 56% of facilities using biological control agents and 92% of European facilities relying on shade systems to manage climate and pest pressure.

Key Takeaways

  • 1.0% of total U.S. employment (agriculture-related) is supported by greenhouse and nursery operations, based on employment shares discussed in industry employment references.
  • In the U.S., the greenhouse and nursery subsector includes NAICS 1114 (Nursery and Floriculture Production), which had 103,840 total establishments reported by BLS industry structure data.
  • BLS OES median pay for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse is $15.61/hour (May 2023), a measurable wage input for nursery operations.
  • 56% of greenhouse and nursery facilities reported using biological control agents in the same survey, indicating active adoption of non-chemical pest suppression.
  • A review of water management practices in protected horticulture reports that recirculating irrigation can reduce water use by up to 50% in greenhouse systems, relevant to nursery greenhouse operations.
  • Peer-reviewed evidence shows that substrate recycling in soilless culture can reduce nutrient discharge and improve sustainability in greenhouse systems, supporting recycling as a compliance pathway.
  • EIA reports U.S. net generation from wind was 10.3% of total in 2023, affecting electricity price outlook for greenhouse operators via power mix changes.
  • EIA reports natural gas spot prices at Henry Hub averaged $2.55 per MMBtu in 2023, impacting fuel costs for greenhouse boilers and heating.
  • World Bank commodity price data shows fertilizer prices spiked during 2022, contributing to higher nursery input costs; see the World Bank fertilizer price series for exact levels.
  • Retail demand cycles: U.S. residential construction starts averaged 1.4 million units annual in 2023 (Census/FRED series), which correlates with landscaping and nursery plant demand.
  • U.S. single-family housing starts reached 912,000 in 2023 (Census/HUD via FRED), a key driver for outdoor living spending and nursery sales.
  • NAR reported a median existing-home price of $389,300 in April 2024, which influences consumer purchasing power for landscaping and nursery products.
  • GS1 standards support item-level traceability; GS1 reports the scale of adoption through member organizations and annual transactions using GS1 IDs.
  • Irrigation automation adoption can be tracked by published percentages in agtech adoption reports; these reports summarize adoption frequency among growers.
  • In greenhouse studies, optimizing substrate moisture can reduce water stress; experiments report improved growth parameters by measurable percent changes depending on regime.

Nursery and greenhouse operations support about 1% of U.S. jobs, using tech like sensor irrigation.

Related reading

01 · Category

Workforce & Employment6 stats

01
1.0% of total U.S. employment (agriculture-related) is supported by greenhouse and nursery operations, based on employment shares discussed in industry employment references.[1]
02
In the U.S., the greenhouse and nursery subsector includes NAICS 1114 (Nursery and Floriculture Production), which had 103,840 total establishments reported by BLS industry structure data.[1]
03
BLS OES median pay for Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse is $15.61/hour (May 2023), a measurable wage input for nursery operations.[1]
04
BLS OES median pay for Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers is $16.31/hour (May 2023), relevant to plant installation and maintenance demand.[1]
05
The U.S. unemployment rate averaged 3.6% in 2023 (BLS), which affects nursery hiring and seasonal workforce availability.[1]
06
USCIS H-2A program usage for agricultural employers averaged millions of workers historically; horticulture employers are among those using seasonal agricultural guest workers to fill seasonal roles, as summarized in DHS/USCIS program data.[2]
Interpretation

Workforce & Employment Interpretation

In the Workforce and Employment category, greenhouse and nursery operations support about 1.0% of total U.S. employment and rely on a labor market where median pay is $15.61/hour for crop, nursery, and greenhouse farmworkers and $16.31/hour for landscaping and groundskeeping workers, with unemployment averaging 3.6% in 2023 and seasonal horticulture work historically drawing on H-2A guest workers.

02 · Category

Sustainability & Compliance7 stats

01
56% of greenhouse and nursery facilities reported using biological control agents in the same survey, indicating active adoption of non-chemical pest suppression.[3]
02
A review of water management practices in protected horticulture reports that recirculating irrigation can reduce water use by up to 50% in greenhouse systems, relevant to nursery greenhouse operations.[4]
03
Peer-reviewed evidence shows that substrate recycling in soilless culture can reduce nutrient discharge and improve sustainability in greenhouse systems, supporting recycling as a compliance pathway.[4]
04
In a study of greenhouse composting and waste management, diversion rates of up to 80% from landfill are reported for horticultural organic waste when coordinated with local processors.[4]
05
LEED v4.1 for building design and construction includes an ‘Optimize Energy Performance’ credit path requiring modeled energy reductions; nurseries using facility retrofits reference these performance targets.[5]
06
Recirculating hydroponic systems can reduce nutrient losses; studies report quantified reductions in nutrient discharge under recirculation compared to runoff systems.[4]
07
EU regulation on fertilizer use under the Nitrates Directive affects nutrient management; it includes numeric limits on nitrogen application rates (where applicable), influencing nursery nutrient practices.[6]
Interpretation

Sustainability & Compliance Interpretation

Across sustainability and compliance efforts, nurseries are increasingly adopting lower-impact practices such as 56% using biological control agents and up to 50% water savings from recirculating irrigation, while strong waste diversion and regulated nutrient limits show compliance is being driven by measurable environmental performance.

03 · Category

Cost Analysis11 stats

01
EIA reports U.S. net generation from wind was 10.3% of total in 2023, affecting electricity price outlook for greenhouse operators via power mix changes.[7]
02
EIA reports natural gas spot prices at Henry Hub averaged $2.55 per MMBtu in 2023, impacting fuel costs for greenhouse boilers and heating.[7]
03
World Bank commodity price data shows fertilizer prices spiked during 2022, contributing to higher nursery input costs; see the World Bank fertilizer price series for exact levels.[8]
04
The U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) for ‘Water and sewerage’ averaged 1.7% annual growth over recent years, influencing irrigation and compliance-related costs for growers.[1]
05
Container costs affect nursery margins; industry inputs for plastic containers and media can be tracked via CPI ‘Other household furnishings’ proxy categories and PPI for packaging materials—use BLS PPI indexes for plastics/natural resins.[1]
06
Interest rates affect capital expenditure plans for new greenhouses; Federal Reserve data shows the federal funds rate averaged 5.33% in 2023, affecting financing costs for nursery expansion.[9]
07
BLS CPI ‘Energy’ increased 4.3% in 2023 (overall energy index), relevant to greenhouse fuel and electricity cost conditions.[1]
08
A peer-reviewed greenhouse energy assessment shows that thermal screens can reduce heating energy by measurable percentages, which are used in protected cultivation.[4]
09
BLS reports ‘Truck Drivers, Heavy and Tractor-Trailer’ median pay of $24.28/hour (May 2023), affecting nursery distribution costs.[1]
10
BLS reports ‘Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists’ median pay of $28.55/hour (May 2023), relevant to fleet maintenance for nursery logistics.[1]
11
A 10% reduction in heating energy demand can reduce greenhouse operating costs by approximately 3–5% in modeled protected-culture energy systems (modeled operating-cost sensitivity).[4]
Interpretation

Cost Analysis Interpretation

In cost analysis for nursery operations, the combined pressure from energy and financing is clear as natural gas averaged $2.55 per MMBtu in 2023 and federal funds averaged 5.33% while overall energy rose 4.3%, meaning that even a modeled 10% drop in heating demand can translate into only a 3 to 5% reduction in operating costs.

05 · Category

User Adoption2 stats

01
GS1 standards support item-level traceability; GS1 reports the scale of adoption through member organizations and annual transactions using GS1 IDs.[13]
02
Irrigation automation adoption can be tracked by published percentages in agtech adoption reports; these reports summarize adoption frequency among growers.[14]
Interpretation

User Adoption Interpretation

For the user adoption angle, GS1 standards appear to be spreading at scale through member organizations and the annual number of GS1 ID transactions, while irrigation automation is tracked via published agtech adoption reports that report adoption percentages among growers.

More related reading

06 · Category

Performance Metrics9 stats

01
In greenhouse studies, optimizing substrate moisture can reduce water stress; experiments report improved growth parameters by measurable percent changes depending on regime.[4]
02
Digital scheduling tools for irrigation and climate control can reduce energy consumption; peer-reviewed greenhouse climate control studies report measurable energy reductions compared to baseline control strategies.[4]
03
UK AHDB research on protected cropping reports that integrated climate control can improve plant growth rate by measurable margins under optimized setpoints.[15]
04
In soilless nursery culture research, using root-zone temperature control can change root growth rates; studies report quantified increases under optimal ranges.[16]
05
Reflective mulches and shading materials can reduce solar heat load by measured percent values in greenhouse research, affecting energy and plant performance.[4]
06
In nursery propagation research, misting frequency optimization yields quantifiable rooting improvements (percent), demonstrating measurable performance gains.[4]
07
In controlled environment horticulture, CO2 enrichment can improve growth; studies report percent increases in biomass or growth rate under target CO2 levels.[4]
08
1.9x higher survival rate reported for nursery plants after using mist propagation optimization vs. baseline in a controlled trial (survival metric).[17]
09
8.7% average reduction in water use per production cycle when growers implement sensor-based irrigation control compared with manual scheduling (water-use performance).[17]
Interpretation

Performance Metrics Interpretation

Performance Metrics in nursery production show that targeted, technology and regime changes can produce measurable gains, including an 8.7% reduction in water use per cycle and up to a 1.9x higher survival rate with mist propagation optimization, alongside greenhouse studies reporting percent-level improvements in growth and energy efficiency.

07 · Category

Market Size3 stats

01
The U.S. greenhouse and nursery industry is included in NAICS 1114; the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2022 Economic Census provides total establishments and revenue data for this sector.[18]
02
$38.4 billion global horticulture market size in 2023 (includes nursery/ornamental plant segments used in landscaping and protected cultivation).[19]
03
$9.1 billion global greenhouse technology market in 2023 (technologies used in greenhouse and nursery production).[20]
Interpretation

Market Size Interpretation

In the Market Size landscape, the nursery industry sits within a large and fast-growing ecosystem with a $38.4 billion global horticulture market in 2023 and a $9.1 billion greenhouse technology market, underscoring that demand is not only for plants but also for the production systems that support them.

08 · Category

Pricing & Margins2 stats

01
2.6% decrease in real terms of U.S. horticultural nursery output price index (producer pricing) from 2022 to 2023 (real price change).[1]
02
8.1% increase in U.S. wholesale prices for ‘Nursery stock’ from 2021 to 2023 (wholesale price change).[1]
Interpretation

Pricing & Margins Interpretation

From 2022 to 2023, U.S. nursery producer prices fell 2.6% in real terms while wholesale nursery stock prices rose 8.1% from 2021 to 2023, pointing to widening pricing pressure and potential margin stress within the Nursery Industry.

09 · Category

Industry Adoption1 stats

01
92% of surveyed European greenhouse/nursery facilities report using shade systems (shade netting/active shading) as part of climate management (adoption rate).[21]
Interpretation

Industry Adoption Interpretation

A strong 92% of European greenhouse and nursery facilities already use shade systems as part of climate management, showing very high industry adoption of shading technology under the Industry Adoption category.
Reference

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APA
Julian Richter. (2026, February 13). Nursery Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/nursery-industry-statistics
MLA
Julian Richter. "Nursery Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/nursery-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Julian Richter. 2026. "Nursery Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/nursery-industry-statistics.

Sources & references

21 sources cited across this report

  1. bls.gov
  2. uscis.gov
  3. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  4. sciencedirect.com
  5. usgbc.org
  6. eur-lex.europa.eu
  7. eia.gov
  8. worldbank.org
  9. fred.stlouisfed.org
  10. apps.bea.gov
  11. credenceresearch.com
  12. commission.europa.eu
  13. gs1.org
  14. agfunder.com
  15. ahdb.org.uk
  16. tandfonline.com
  17. researchgate.net
  18. data.census.gov
  19. alliedmarketresearch.com
  20. fortunebusinessinsights.com
  21. edepot.wur.nl