- The middle half earn between $23.49 and $30.09 an hour.
- Wisconsin ranks 15th of the 49 states with published figures for median pay in this trade.
- Wisconsin pays more than 2 of its 4 neighboring states.
- BLS counts about 1,190 tree trimmers on payrolls in Wisconsin.
- At the state median wage, a tree service needs to bill about $119.50 an hour on the labor rate calculator's starting numbers.
Tree Trimmer pay in Wisconsin, 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 | $22.06 | $45,880 | $18.24 |
| 25th percentile | $23.49 | $48,850 | $21.56 |
| Median | $27.85 | $57,930 | $24.50 |
| 75th percentile | $30.09 | $62,590 | $30.72 |
| 90th percentile | $37.14 | $77,250 | $38.61 |
| Average (mean) | $28.02 | $58,290 | $26.91 |
Pay is bunched up in Wisconsin. The top tenth earn $37.14 an hour or more, about 1.7 times the $22.06 at the bottom tenth. Nationally that gap is 2.1 times, so the step from the bottom of the scale to the top is shorter here than in most places.
The floor is higher than nationally ($22.06 against $18.24) but the ceiling is lower ($37.14 against $38.61), which squeezes pay toward the middle.
The average, $28.02, is close to the median, so pay sits fairly evenly around the middle.
How Wisconsin compares with other states
Over a full year, the Wisconsin median of $57,930 is $6,970 more than the national $50,960.
In the state ranking, Wisconsin sits 15th, between Pennsylvania ($27.98) and Michigan ($27.67). The range runs from $18.94 in Nebraska to $37.24 in Minnesota.
Against its neighboring states, Wisconsin is in the middle: Illinois and Minnesota pay more, and Iowa and Michigan pay less.
These are wages as paid, not adjusted for what it costs to live in Wisconsin. Rent, home prices and taxes decide how far a higher wage goes.
How many tree trimmers work in Wisconsin
About 1,190 tree trimmers work on payrolls in Wisconsin, 2.2% of the 55,160 nationwide, the 14th largest count among the states.
That is 0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in Wisconsin, close to the trade's share of jobs nationally.
What a tree service in Wisconsin should charge
Higher wages in Wisconsin go straight into the price. Take a tree service in Wisconsin paying the state median of $27.85 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 | $27.85 × 2,080 × 1.0765 | $62,359 |
| Break-even rate | ($62,359 + $90,000) ÷ 1,500 | $101.57 |
| Rate with 15% profit | $101.57 ÷ 0.85 | $119.50 |
That is $119.50 per billable hour, 4.3 times the wage, and $5.88 more than the $113.61 the same math gives at the national median wage.
Paying the 75th percentile instead, $30.09 in Wisconsin, to hire and keep experienced people raises the rate to $123.43.
A cheaper crew saves less than it seems: at the 25th percentile wage of $23.49, the rate only drops to $111.84.
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 Wisconsin
- 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.