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Nursery manager salary

Quoted expert
Dr. Neil Anderson

Average nursery manager salary

$40,526

$19.48 hourly rate

Entry-level nursery manager salary
$24,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Average Nursery Manager Salary

The average nursery manager salary in the United States is $40,526 per year, or approximately $19 per hour. This figure reflects the demand for skilled professionals in this field, which involves overseeing nursery operations, managing staff, and ensuring quality care for plants and customers.

How Much Does a Nursery Manager Make?

Factors such as experience, education, and location play a significant role in determining a nursery manager’s salary. For example, nursery managers with several years of experience or those working in metropolitan areas may earn significantly more than their entry-level counterparts.

Where Can a Nursery Manager Earn More?

States like California, New York, and Florida are known for higher salaries in this profession, often due to the cost of living and demand for skilled nursery managers. Additionally, industries such as agriculture and landscaping tend to offer competitive salaries.

Salary Estimates from Across the Web

Salary estimates for nursery managers vary, but they consistently reflect the essential role these professionals play in maintaining healthy environments for plant growth and customer satisfaction. Job seekers should explore various opportunities to maximize their earning potential.

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Where can a Nursery Manager earn more?

Compare salary by location
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57k
37k
17k
-3k
Columbus, OH$40,592
Othello, WA$26,895
Compare salary by company
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77k
57k
37k
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Parkland Hospital$52,403
Ace Hardware$27,415

Nursery manager salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Indeed, Glassdoor, SalaryExpert and Comparably, the average salary for a nursery manager typically falls between $40,526 and $77,698.
zippia
$40,526yearly
glassdoor[1]
$56,070yearly
indeed[2]
$42,804yearly
comparably[3]
$77,698yearly
SalaryExpert[4]
$76,859yearly

Average nursery manager salary by state

The average nursery manager salary in New Jersey, California, and Michigan are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average nursery manager salary states are Missouri, Nebraska, and Montana.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for nursery managers

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New Jersey$42,276$20.32
2Michigan$38,713$18.61
3Pennsylvania$34,946$16.80
4California$39,490$18.99
5New York$35,678$17.15
6Connecticut$36,107$17.36
7Texas$34,821$16.74
8Indiana$33,260$15.99
9Delaware$36,160$17.38
10Alaska$35,281$16.96
11Illinois$34,023$16.36
12Wisconsin$35,338$16.99
13Maine$36,326$17.46
14Massachusetts$35,525$17.08
15Arkansas$30,938$14.87
16Maryland$34,286$16.48
17Rhode Island$35,287$16.96
18District of Columbia$34,560$16.62
19Florida$32,773$15.76
20Tennessee$31,567$15.18
21North Dakota$34,556$16.61
22Georgia$31,583$15.18
23New Hampshire$33,264$15.99
24Iowa$32,385$15.57
25New Mexico$33,028$15.88
26Virginia$31,646$15.21
27Ohio$30,112$14.48
28Vermont$32,351$15.55
29West Virginia$29,976$14.41
30Minnesota$30,003$14.42
31Arizona$29,153$14.02
32Oklahoma$30,728$14.77
33Kansas$28,884$13.89
34North Carolina$27,092$13.03
35Hawaii$28,557$13.73
36Nevada$27,398$13.17
37Missouri$25,170$12.10
38Kentucky$26,889$12.93
39Mississippi$29,071$13.98
40Washington$26,905$12.94
41Louisiana$27,127$13.04
42South Dakota$27,597$13.27
43Utah$26,281$12.64
44South Carolina$25,863$12.43
45Idaho$26,765$12.87
46Nebraska$25,131$12.08
47Alabama$25,212$12.12
48Montana$24,674$11.86
49Colorado$23,401$11.25
50Oregon$22,528$10.83
51Wyoming$23,481$11.29

Highest paying cities for nursery managers

The highest-paying cities for nursery managers are Carpinteria, CA, Nipomo, CA, and El Paso de Robles, CA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Carpinteria, CA$40,592$19.52
2Nipomo, CA$40,327$19.39
3El Paso de Robles, CA$39,739$19.11
4River Rouge, MI$38,747$18.63
5Falmouth, MA$36,446$17.52
6Sag Harbor, NY$35,495$17.06
7Concord, MA$35,288$16.97
8Winchester, MA$35,188$16.92
9Chelmsford, MA$35,032$16.84
10Island Lake, IL$34,519$16.60
11Venice, FL$33,620$16.16
12Port Charlotte, FL$33,537$16.12
13Lebanon, IN$33,063$15.90
14Davenport, IA$33,038$15.88
15Seagoville, TX$32,922$15.83
16Dallas, TX$32,825$15.78
17Kihei, HI$28,384$13.65
18Kealakekua, HI$28,025$13.47
19Raleigh, NC$27,797$13.36
20Othello, WA$26,895$12.93

Nursery manager salary details

A nursery manager's salary ranges from $24,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $67,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average nursery manager salary graph
Average nursery manager salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a nursery manager's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$67,000$5,583$32
75th Percentile$53,000$4,417$25
Average$40,526$3,377$19
25th Percentile$30,000$2,500$14
10th Percentile$24,000$2,000$12

Highest paying nursery manager jobs

The highest paying types of nursery managers are plant health manager, plant culture manager, and gardening manager.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Manager$58,651$4,888$28.201,236,194

How would you rate the starting salaries for nursery managers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Dr. Neil Anderson

Professor, University of Minnesota

Starting salaries vary, depending on the interest area you have, but they are competitive for the industry. Any alumni that are highly motivated and driven for success quickly move up the managerial chain to positions of greater responsibility.

Which companies pay nursery managers the most?

Nursery manager salaries at Parkland Hospital and University of Colorado Boulder are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average nursery manager salary at companies like Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs and Monsanto are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Parkland Hospital$52,403$25.19
2University of Colorado Boulder$49,339$23.72
3Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs$44,162$21.23
4Monsanto$40,136$19.30
5Colorado State Express$39,211$18.85
6AgReliant Genetics$38,335$18.43
7Speedling Incorporated$37,610$18.08
8University of Colorado$34,255$16.47
9State of Colorado$34,027$16.36
10GLN Inc.$31,040$14.92
11Parkland College$30,439$14.63
12Mahoney's Garden Centers$28,094$13.51
13Ace Hardware$27,415$13.18

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$42,000$41,400$40,800$40,200$39,600$39,000
MaleFemale

Nursery Manager salary by industry

The average nursery manager salary varies across industries:

  • The average nursery manager salary in the health care industry is $45,058, the highest of any industry.
  • The average nursery manager salary in the finance industry is $38,295.
  • Nursery managers in the retail industry earn an average salary of $31,080, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for nursery managers

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Health Care$45,058$21.66
2Agriculture$38,295$18.41
3Manufacturing$38,126$18.33
4Non Profits$33,366$16.04
5Retail$31,080$14.94

High paying nursery manager jobs

Nursery manager salary trends

The average nursery manager salary has risen by $2,042 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average nursery manager earned $38,484 annually, but today, they earn $40,526 a year. That works out to a 3% change in pay for nursery managers over the last decade.

Compare nursery manager salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average nursery manager salary over time

Compare nursery manager salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Nursery manager salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2026$40,500$19.48-4.5%
2025$42,400$20.36+4.5%
2024$40,400$19.44-2.5%
2023$41,400$19.92+4.7%
2022$39,500$18.99+3.3%

Recently added nursery manager salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
University of ColoradoGrounds & Nursery IColorado Springs, CO06/29/2025$43,068
C0001Grounds & Nursery IColorado Springs, CO06/26/2025$43,068
CooperativeenergyDeputy Nursery ManagerWarwick, RI02/19/2025$40,396
FledgelingsdaynurseryNursery ManagerNome, TX02/19/2025$38,183
Calbg & Bert & RockyNursery ManagerClaremont, CA02/17/2025$50,088
Freeman Landscape, Inc.Nursery ManagerWilmington, NC02/17/2025$55,000
CrosscreeknurseryAssistant Nursery ManagerEnon, VA02/17/2025$41,740
Trees AtlantaNursery ManagerAtlanta, GA02/13/2025$45,000
Colorado State UniversityNursery ManagerFort Collins, CO01/14/2025$80,000
Planting JusticeEL Sobrante Nursery ManagerEl Sobrante, CA12/15/2024$65,000

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