Tree Trimmers and Pruners Salary
In Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, tree trimmers and pruners earn $39,660 at the median, or about $19.07 an hour. The range runs from $38K at the entry level to $46K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $40,211 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,573/month, about 55.1% of take-home, which is tight.
Where the paycheck goes
What $40K actually covers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About tree trimmers and pruners
Sponsored links, AffordMap may earn a commission at no cost to you. Learn more
What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Pay for tree trimmers and pruners in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands runs about 22% below the U.S. median of $51K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,573/month, which is 55.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for tree trimmers and pruners.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for tree trimmers and pruners in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $40K | $39K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $45K | $46K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $36K | $39K |
| Oklahoma City | $50K | $56K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level tree trimmers and pruners (10th percentile) start around $38K. Mid-career wages sit at $40K. Top earners bring in $46K or more, a $7K spread from bottom to top.
Tree Trimmers and Pruners pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Tree Trimmers and Pruners salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minnesota | $77K | +52% | N/A |
| Oregon | $75K | +48% | 1,610 |
| New Jersey | $72K | +41% | N/A |
| Illinois | $64K | +26% | 700 |
| Washington | $64K | +25% | 700 |
| Massachusetts | $63K | +23% | 2,090 |
| California | $63K | +23% | 9,610 |
| New York | $62K | +22% | 3,750 |
| Vermont | $62K | +22% | 430 |
| Missouri | $61K | +20% | 970 |
| Rhode Island | $61K | +20% | 110 |
| New Hampshire | $60K | +17% | 330 |
| Montana | $60K | +17% | 230 |
| Pennsylvania | $58K | +14% | 3,160 |
| Wisconsin | $58K | +14% | 1,190 |
| Michigan | $58K | +13% | 1,840 |
| Hawaii | $57K | +12% | 170 |
| Utah | $57K | +12% | 200 |
| Colorado | $51K | +1% | 1,200 |
| Nevada | $51K | +0% | 190 |
| Arizona | $51K | -1% | N/A |
| South Dakota | $50K | -1% | 270 |
| Ohio | $50K | -3% | 1,460 |
| Delaware | $49K | -3% | N/A |
| West Virginia | $49K | -4% | 1,420 |
| Connecticut | $49K | -4% | 360 |
| Virginia | $49K | -5% | 1,070 |
| North Carolina | $48K | -5% | 1,560 |
| Kansas | $48K | -5% | 390 |
| Louisiana | $47K | -7% | 120 |
| Tennessee | $47K | -7% | 710 |
| New Mexico | $47K | -7% | N/A |
| Maryland | $47K | -7% | 730 |
| Oklahoma | $47K | -8% | 860 |
| Georgia | $47K | -8% | 1,030 |
| Maine | $46K | -9% | N/A |
| Wyoming | $46K | -9% | N/A |
| Florida | $46K | -10% | 2,770 |
| Indiana | $46K | -10% | 1,850 |
| Arkansas | $46K | -10% | 290 |
| North Dakota | $45K | -12% | N/A |
| Kentucky | $44K | -13% | 1,020 |
| Idaho | $44K | -14% | N/A |
| South Carolina | $44K | -14% | 430 |
| Iowa | $43K | -16% | 380 |
| Mississippi | $42K | -18% | 260 |
| Alabama | $42K | -19% | 890 |
| Texas | $40K | -22% | 4,460 |
| Nebraska | $39K | -23% | N/A |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track tree trimmers and pruners salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
Related careers in Building & Maintenance
Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a tree trimmers and pruner afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $40K, rent takes 55.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for tree trimmers and pruners in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new tree trimmers and pruners typically earn — is $38K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,746/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 57% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is tree trimmers and pruner a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Local pay runs 22% below the national median — $40K here vs. $51K nationally.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for tree trimmers and pruners?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $40K median vs. the U.S. average of $51K — that’s -22%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $40K — below the national median.
How much do tree trimmers and pruners make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $39,660 a year, that works out to about $19 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $38,470, and experienced tree trimmers and pruners can clear $45,820. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $40K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $2,825/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 55.7% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a tree trimmers and pruners salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median tree trimmers and pruners salary is worth about $40,211 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do tree trimmers and pruners get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.