Outdoor power equipment spans consumer and commercial machines, their engines, the workers who use them, and the safety and environmental outcomes associated with them. The statistics below separate shipment coverage, occupational estimates, historical emissions models, regulatory projections and injury estimates so that unlike measures are not treated as interchangeable.
Key Outdoor Power Equipment Statistics
The following figures summarize the broadest findings across market scale, work, emissions and safety:
- More than 30 outdoor power equipment categories are included in OPEI’s monthly shipment-data program for the U.S. market, according to its current program description.
- More than 90% of U.S. outdoor power equipment shipments are represented by direct reports from OPEI member companies in the association’s current coverage estimate.
- More than 20 years of historical shipment data are held in OPEI’s U.S. market-statistics program as described in 2026.
- 20,000,000 small lawn-and-garden engines per year were estimated by EPA in 2000 for the U.S. rule context.
- 70% lower ground-level ozone pollution was EPA’s projection for the regulated engines when standards were fully in place in 2007 in the United States.
- 30% higher fuel efficiency was EPA’s projected gain from the 2000 small-engine standards in the United States.
- 50,900,000 small engines in service were estimated in the United States on December 31, 1972, across lawn-and-garden and miscellaneous categories.
- 943,430 landscaping and groundskeeping workers were estimated by BLS in the United States in May 2024.
- $40,880 was the mean annual pay for U.S. landscaping and groundskeeping workers in May 2024.
- 103,570 landscaping and groundskeeping workers were estimated in California in May 2024.
- 934,394 lawn-mower-related injuries were estimated to have been treated in U.S. emergency departments from 2005 through 2015.
- 35,000 riding-lawnmower consumer injuries were estimated to have been treated in U.S. emergency departments during 2008–2010.
- 32,900 annual senior falls injuries were estimated for the broad U.S. Outdoor Work/Lawn Tools category in the CPSC’s 2024 Seniors Report period.
- 19,700 annual senior overexertion injuries were estimated for the same broad U.S. Outdoor Work/Lawn Tools category during the CPSC’s 2024 Seniors Report period.
- 4.0 grams per day of diurnal evaporative loss was the EPA model input for walk-behind mowers.
- 5% to 10% of total U.S. emissions for each of CO, CO2, NOx, hydrocarbons and PM2.5 was the study estimate for a defined handheld two-stroke source in its source-apportionment framing.
Contents
- Market coverage and shipment scale
- Landscaping employment and wages
- Emissions, engine types and regulatory trends
- Lawn mower injury statistics
- State and service-occupation data
Outdoor Power Equipment Statistics: Market Coverage and Shipment Scale
OPEI’s market data describes the breadth and reporting reach of the U.S. outdoor power equipment industry, not a government census of every manufacturer or machine. Its current program description says the monthly series covers more than 30 categories, and member-company direct reports represent more than 90% of U.S. shipments.
- OPEI describes the program as containing more than 20 years of historical U.S. outdoor power equipment shipment data. This is the historical depth of the program, not a cumulative shipment total.
- The more-than-90% figure is an industry association coverage estimate; shipments from nonmember companies are not directly reported in that figure.
- The more-than-30 category figure is a program-scope measure, so it should not be read as the number of equipment types owned by households or businesses.
Source: Market Analysis & Stats | Outdoor Power Equipment Institute.
Outdoor Power Equipment Statistics in Landscaping Employment and Wages
Outdoor power equipment is used in occupations that maintain lawns, grounds, trees and vegetation, but BLS occupational counts do not measure equipment ownership, purchases or hours of use. The May 2024 national estimates show the scale of the labor context surrounding commercial equipment.
| U.S. occupation, May 2024 | Employment | Mean annual pay |
|---|---|---|
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers | 943,430 | $40,880 |
| First-line landscaping supervisors | 124,130 | $59,380 |
| Tree trimmers and pruners | 47,870 | $54,970 |
| Vegetation pesticide handlers, sprayers and applicators | 25,200 | $45,960 |
The BLS also listed 1,030,070 total grounds-maintenance workers in May 2024, including the 943,430 landscaping and groundskeeping workers shown above. These are related occupational categories, not separate people to add together.
- Massachusetts and the District of Columbia had the highest listed mean annual wage for landscaping and groundskeeping workers at $49,130 in May 2024.
- West Virginia had the lowest listed mean annual wage for that occupation at $32,310 in May 2024.
- The landscaping and groundskeeping mean annual wage of $40,880 compared with $67,920 for all occupations in the United States in May 2024; this is occupational context, not an equipment-cost comparison.
Source: Data tables for the overview of May 2024 occupational employment and wages.
Outdoor Power Equipment Emissions, Engine Types and Regulatory Trends
EPA’s historical records show why engine type, control status and measurement date matter. The 1972 inventory describes uncontrolled-equipment estimates, while later EPA material describes regulatory projections, model inputs and implementation dates.
| Measure | Figure | Period and scope |
|---|---|---|
| Lawn-and-garden four-stroke engines in service | 41,600,000 | December 31, 1972, United States |
| Lawn-and-garden two-stroke engines in service | 2,880,000 | December 31, 1972, United States |
| Miscellaneous four-stroke small engines in service | 6,380,000 | December 31, 1972, United States |
| Total small-engine population | 50,900,000 | December 31, 1972, United States |
For that 1972 inventory, EPA estimated annual emissions from lawn-and-garden engines as follows:
- Four-stroke hydrocarbon emissions were estimated at 78,100 tons per year, while two-stroke hydrocarbon emissions were estimated at 47,000 tons per year.
- Four-stroke carbon-monoxide emissions were estimated at 878,000 tons per year, and two-stroke carbon-monoxide emissions at 106,000 tons per year.
- Four-stroke nitrogen-oxide emissions were estimated at 9,970 tons per year, and four-stroke particulate emissions at 1,400 tons per year.
These are historical uncontrolled-engine inventory estimates, including the stated exhaust and evaporative scope where applicable. They are not current emissions totals.
EPA’s 2000 rule covered small hand-held engines at or below 25 horsepower used in lawn and garden equipment. EPA estimated that 20,000,000 small lawn-and-garden engines were sold annually and projected a 70% reduction in ground-level ozone pollution, expressed as about 350,000 tons per year, when standards were fully in place in 2007; the agency also projected a 30% increase in fuel efficiency.
Those ozone and fuel-efficiency figures are prospective regulatory estimates, not measured post-implementation results. EPA’s Phase 3 exhaust standards took effect in 2011 or 2012 depending on engine size.
| Equipment category | EPA model diurnal evaporative-loss input |
|---|---|
| Walk-behind mowers | 4.0 grams per day |
| Trimmers and edgers | 0.54 grams per day |
| Chainsaws | 0.32 grams per day |
| Leaf blowers | 0.61 grams per day |
| Commercial turf equipment | 5.5 grams per day |
These values are EPA nonroad-model inputs, not universal measured rates for every machine. A peer-reviewed study published in 2008 estimated that handheld two-stroke lawn-and-garden engines accounted for 5% to 10% of total U.S. emissions for each of CO, CO2, NOx, hydrocarbons and PM2.5 in its defined source-apportionment framing; the study also found fuel blend explained less than 5% of observed emissions variation in its tested engines.
Sources: Final Rule Issued to Reduce Pollution from Lawn and Garden Engines; Exhaust Emissions From Uncontrolled Vehicles and Related Equipment using Internal Combustion Engines; Basic Evaporative Emission Rates For Nonroad Engine Modeling; Regulations for Emissions from Small Equipment & Tools; Carbonaceous species emitted from handheld two-stroke engines.
Lawn Mower and Outdoor Equipment Injury Statistics
Injury estimates cover different years, products and treatment settings. CPSC and CDC figures below are not counts of all injuries from all outdoor power equipment.
| Estimate | Figure | Population and period |
|---|---|---|
| Lawn-mower-related injuries treated in emergency departments | 934,394 | United States, 2005–2015 |
| Average annual injuries in that series | 84,944 | United States, 2005–2015 average |
| Riding-lawnmower consumer injuries treated in emergency departments | 35,000 | United States, 2008–2010 |
| All power-lawn-mower injuries in baseline analysis | About 150,000 per year | United States, 1977 |
| Power-lawn-mower injuries treated in emergency rooms in baseline analysis | About 60,000 per year | United States, 1977 |
The CPSC’s 1977 baseline analysis estimated about 47,000 annual emergency-room injuries involving walk-behind mowers and approximately 30,000 involving contact with a rotating blade. When cases not treated in emergency rooms were included, the estimate for annual walk-behind-mower blade-contact injuries was approximately 77,000.
For adults aged 65 and older, the CPSC estimated an annual average of 32,900 emergency-department-treated Outdoor Work/Lawn Tools falls injuries during the period used in its 2024 Seniors Report. The category is broader than powered equipment.
- Unspecified lawn mowers accounted for 13.5%, or 4,400 injuries per year, of senior Outdoor Work/Lawn Tools falls injuries.
- The same report estimated 19,700 annual senior Outdoor Work/Lawn Tools overexertion injuries.
- Unspecified lawn mowers accounted for 26.6%, or 5,300 injuries per year, of those senior overexertion injuries.
The senior figures are limited to the specified product-code category and injury mechanisms, while the 2005–2015 and 2008–2010 figures concern emergency-department-treated injuries in broader or different mower populations.
Sources: Research into Riding Mower Back-Over and Run-Over Hazards; 2024 Seniors Report; Injuries Related to Operating Riding Lawnmowers.
Outdoor Power Equipment Use Across States and Service Occupations
State employment data can show where landscaping and related service work is concentrated, but it remains an occupational proxy rather than a measure of equipment use. California, Florida and Texas illustrate the scale of the relevant workforce in May 2024.
| State, May 2024 | Landscaping and groundskeeping workers | First-line landscaping supervisors |
|---|---|---|
| California | 103,570 | 14,090 |
| Florida | 84,250 | 11,830 |
| Texas | 68,700 | — |
California also had 8,620 tree trimmers and pruners in May 2024, while Florida had 4,420 vegetation pesticide handlers, sprayers and applicators. These detailed occupations overlap with outdoor service work but do not establish that every worker operates outdoor power equipment.
| State, May 2024 | Building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations | Pest-control workers |
|---|---|---|
| California | 504,060 | 12,290 |
| Florida | 333,890 | 11,130 |
| Texas | 352,180 | 8,640 |
The broad building-and-grounds figures include many occupations beyond landscaping and equipment operation. Likewise, pest-control employment is adjacent service-occupation context, not an equipment-ownership or usage survey.
Source: Data tables for OEWS charts, May 2024.