- The middle half earn between $22.99 and $38.00 an hour.
- Only 7 states pay tree trimmers more at the median.
- New York pays more than 3 of its 5 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 3,750 tree trimmers on payrolls in New York.
- At the state median wage, a tree service needs to bill about $123.27 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Tree Trimmer pay in New York, bottom to top
BLS calls this group tree trimmers and pruners. It covers climbers who cut and prune trees for homes, roads and utility lines, and includes utility arborists.
| Pay level | Hourly | Yearly | National hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $20.00 | $41,600 | $18.24 |
| 25th percentile | $22.99 | $47,820 | $21.56 |
| Median | $30.00 | $62,400 | $24.50 |
| 75th percentile | $38.00 | $79,030 | $30.72 |
| 90th percentile | $40.24 | $83,700 | $38.61 |
| Average (mean) | $30.35 | $63,130 | $26.91 |
From the bottom tenth ($20.00) to the top tenth ($40.24), the top of the scale pays about 2 times the bottom in New York, close to the 2.1 times spread for tree trimmers nationwide.
Both ends of the scale beat the national figures: $20.00 against $18.24 at the bottom tenth, and $40.24 against $38.61 at the top.
The average, $30.35, is close to the median, so pay sits fairly evenly around the middle.
How New York compares with other states
Over a full year, the New York median of $62,400 is $11,440 more than the national $50,960.
In the state ranking, New York sits 8th, between Massachusetts ($30.07) and Vermont ($29.89). The range runs from $18.94 in Nebraska to $37.24 in Minnesota.
Against its neighboring states, New York is in the middle: Massachusetts and New Jersey pay more, and Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Vermont pay less.
These are wages as paid, not adjusted for what it costs to live in New York. Rent, home prices and taxes decide how far a higher wage goes.
| Neighboring state | Median hourly | Median yearly | Against New York |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | $30.00 | $62,400 | |
| Connecticut | $23.52 | $48,930 | −$6.48 an hour |
| Massachusetts | $30.07 | $62,550 | +$0.07 an hour |
| New Jersey | $34.59 | $71,940 | +$4.59 an hour |
| Pennsylvania | $27.98 | $58,200 | −$2.02 an hour |
| Vermont | $29.89 | $62,170 | −$0.11 an hour |
How many tree trimmers work in New York
BLS estimates 3,750 tree trimmers on payrolls in New York, 6.8% of the 55,160 nationwide. Only 2 states have more.
That is 0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in New York, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a tree service in New York should charge
Higher wages in New York go straight into the price. Take a tree service in New York paying the state median of $30.00 and run it through the labor rate calculator with its starting numbers (40-hour weeks, 10 paid days off, 2 unbilled hours a day, 7.65% payroll taxes, $90,000 a year of overhead and 15% profit).
| Step | Math | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Paid hours | 40 × 52 | 2,080 |
| Hours at work | 2,080 − 10 days × 8 | 2,000 |
| Billable hours | 2,000 × 6 ÷ 8 | 1,500 |
| Labor cost | $30.00 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $67,174 |
| Break-even rate | ($67,174 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $104.78 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $104.78 ÷ 0.85 | $123.27 |
That is $123.27 per billable hour, 4.1 times the wage, and $9.66 more than the $113.61 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $38.00 in New York, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $137.32.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $22.99, the rate only drops to $110.96.
Overhead, at $60 of every billed hour, and the unbilled hours move this rate more than a raise does. A dollar more in wages adds about $1.76 to the rate.
Run it with your own numbers in the labor rate calculator. It is free and shows every step.
Working as a tree trimmer in New York
- Running the business. Quotes, invoices, booking and your website in one place: how tree services run on Koira.
- Getting found. The free Koira report checks how your business shows up in search and on maps against shops near you.
Where these numbers come from
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
The figures are the BLS state estimates for SOC 37-3013, tree trimmers and pruners, across all industries, read straight from the May 2025 state data file. They cover wage and salary workers, not the self-employed. Where BLS did not publish a figure, this page leaves it out.
All states in one table: tree trimmer salary by state.