Texas and Ohio mowing route pricing compared, fuel, labor and season length

What to take away

Why the two states price differently

A route price is a stack of costs divided by visits. Fuel, labor, drive time and season length change that stack, and they change it in opposite directions in Texas and Ohio.

Texas runs a long growing season, so one truck can bill many visits. That spreads fixed costs thin, but it also burns more fuel and works more hours, which lifts variable costs.

Ohio runs a short season, so every visit has to carry more of the year's fixed costs. Wages there are higher, which raises the labor line on each bill.

The output is two price sheets. A Texas operator can quote a lower cost per visit and still hold a margin. An Ohio operator who matches that rate loses money on the season.

The same arithmetic sits behind pricing and profit planning. Change the inputs and the output changes with them.

Fuel cost per visit in each state

Fuel cost per visit is miles driven, times gallons per mile, times price per gallon, divided by the visits that truck completes that day.

Texas routes spread out. Lots are bigger, subdivisions are wider, and drive time between stops runs longer. A crew might cover 40 to 60 miles in a day.

Ohio routes stay tight. Older suburbs and smaller lots often mean 20 to 35 miles in a day, roughly half the fuel burn per visit.

Pump prices move with national markets. The EIA weekly U.S. regular gasoline price has typically sat near $3 a gallon through 2025. Check the Petroleum & Other Liquids data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration before you set a fuel surcharge.

Take a Texas day. The truck drives 50 miles at 10 miles per gallon, so it burns 5 gallons. At $3.50 a gallon that is $17.50 of fuel, spread over 12 visits, or $1.46 a visit. The Ohio day is shorter. A truck covers 28 miles, burns 2.8 gallons and pays $9.80, or $0.98 across 10 visits.

Small numbers, but they compound. Texas burns more per visit and runs more visits, so the annual fuel bill is larger.

Base any surcharge on your own miles per gallon and your own route density. A flat national average hides both.

Labor and wage figures from BLS data

Labor is the largest line on most route price sheets. The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wages and employment for grounds maintenance workers, the category that covers mowing crews.

The Grounds Maintenance Workers occupational profile gives median pay and employment by state. Use it to anchor your hourly rate, then add payroll taxes and workers compensation. In the May 2023 estimates, the median annual wage for grounds maintenance workers was $36,160, or about $17.38 an hour. Treat that as a typical national figure, because metro rates vary widely.

For county detail, the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages shows average weekly wages by industry and area. That matters when you price a route in a specific metro.

Ohio wages for grounds maintenance generally run above Texas wages. Texas has a larger labor pool and lower living costs in many metros, which holds pay down.

Ohio also works fewer weeks, so employers pay more per hour to keep crews through winter or to rehire them in spring.

Your loaded labor rate is always above the hourly wage. Add payroll taxes, insurance and paid time off, then put that figure on the sheet. See wages and labor costs for how to build it.

Growing season length sets visit counts

Season length decides how many times a year you can bill a customer. It is the largest single difference between a Texas and an Ohio route.

In much of Texas, grass grows from March through October, and in south Texas nearly year round. A weekly schedule runs 30 to 40 visits.

Ohio grass typically grows from April through October, slower in midsummer. A weekly schedule runs 24 to 30 visits.

Visit count changes the math. More visits spread the year's fixed costs over more bills; fewer visits load the same overhead onto each one.

Season length also drives labor. A long Texas season means more weeks of work and more chances to cross 40 hours. A short Ohio season means fewer weeks to earn the year.

Compare cost per season using your own visit count. Route density and contract terms move it.

Cost per visit and cost per season compared

The table below is an illustration, not a quote for your market.

Texas costs less per visit and more per season. Ohio costs more per visit and less per season. That is the trade.

Margin is the only line that decides whether the route works. A 35 percent margin holds in either state if your inputs are real. Check your break-even for a lawn care business before you sign a season contract.

Worked example: building a price sheet for either state

Follow these steps with your own figures.

First-year owners can follow how to price lawn care step by step.

Ohio requires a pesticide applicator license from the Ohio Department of Agriculture for firms that apply chemicals. The Industrial Compliance division of the Department of Commerce regulates other trades; confirm your own requirements with the state board and local counsel.

Where overtime bites in a long Texas season

A long Texas season means more weeks and more hours, and more hours means overtime becomes a real cost line.

The Fair Labor Standards Act requires one and a half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. The Fact Sheet #23: Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA from the U.S. Department of Labor sets out the rule.

A Texas crew working 50 hours a week for 35 weeks crosses 40 often. That lifts the loaded labor rate on every visit, and a route priced at 40 hours loses money.

Ohio crosses 40 less often, but spring and fall cleanup weeks can still push a crew over.

Schedule inside 40 hours where you can. Add a second crew, stagger start times, or move work to a Saturday with a different crew. If overtime is unavoidable, price it into the visit.

Overtime also shapes expanding a lawn care business plans. A route that needs overtime to finish is a route ready to split.

Common questions

How much should I charge per visit in Texas versus Ohio?

Texas cost per visit usually runs lower because the season is longer and fuel spreads over more visits. Ohio runs higher because the season is shorter and wages are higher. Use your own numbers, not a national average.

What is the biggest cost driver in each state?

In Texas, fuel and overtime drive the sheet, because routes are spread out and the season is long. In Ohio, labor drives it, because wages are higher and the season is shorter.

How many visits belong in a season contract?

Count your growing season weeks. Texas routes often run 35 visits and Ohio routes about 26. Adjust for biweekly schedules and cleanup visits.

Do I need a separate price sheet for each state?

Yes. Fuel, wages and season length differ enough that one rate card either overcharges in Texas or undercharges in Ohio. Build one sheet per state and update it when fuel or wages move.