Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Stores Revenue Benchmarks
The average nursery, garden center, and farm supply stores business in the United States generates $3.8M in annual revenue, according to the U.S. Census Bureau Statistics of U.S. Businesses (SUSB 2021). There are 9,373 nursery, garden center, and farm supply stores businesses in the U.S., employing 140,484 workers with an average profit margin of 4.0%.
What Does a Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Stores Business Actually Do?
Garden centers selling plants, trees, soil, garden hardgoods, and farm supplies. Highly seasonal.
Who buys: Homeowners gardening, landscape contractors, small farmers.
Average Revenue
$3.8M
per year
Profit Margin
4.0%
industry average
Revenue / Employee
$250K
per year
Total Businesses
9,373
in the US
Est. Owner Income
$150K
small business avg
Labor Cost
14.0%
of revenue
Avg Employee Wage
N/A
per year (BLS)
Market Saturation
2.8
firms per 100K people
How Much Do Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Stores Charge?
Garden centers earn 40–100% on plants and higher on hardgoods, with strong Q2 seasonality.
| Service | Typical range |
|---|---|
Live plant markup | 80–200% |
Trees/shrubs markup | 50–100% |
Hardgoods (pots, tools) markup | 40–80% |
Landscape design service | $50–200/hour or flat |
Q2 (Apr–Jun) % of annual sales | 40–55% |
Ranges based on industry rate surveys and typical published pricing. Actual quotes vary by city, business size, and job complexity.
Complete nursery, garden center, and farm supply stores business plan
A 12-section data-backed business plan for a nursery, garden center, and farm supply stores business — executive summary, market analysis, competitive landscape, revenue model, 3-year financial projections, operations, marketing, staffing, funding request. Pre-populated with real Census, IRS, and BLS data on this industry. Free to view.
Cost Structure — Where Every $100 in Revenue Goes
Approximate P&L breakdown for the nursery, garden center, and farm supply stores industry. Labor share and net profit are grounded in Census SUSB and IRS SOI data. Other lines are split using sector-typical ratios.
| Category | Per $100 revenue | Per typical business | What's in it |
|---|---|---|---|
Cost of goods sold | $61 | $2.3M | Wholesale cost of merchandise purchased for resale. Retail's biggest expense. |
Wages & benefits | $14 | $525K | Payroll for all employees at the business (owner comp not included for small owner-operators). |
Rent & facilities | $8 | $308K | Rent or mortgage on business location plus utilities tied to the space. |
Marketing & advertising | $4 | $154K | Google/Meta ads, SEO, print, referral fees, event sponsorships. |
Other operating costs | $8 | $308K | Utilities, POS fees, shrinkage, insurance, store maintenance. |
Net profit | $4 | $150K | What remains for the owner or shareholders after all business expenses. |
Directionally accurate for a typical business in the industry. Individual businesses vary widely — a franchise may run a very different cost mix from an independent, and older established businesses often have lower labor share than newer ones.
Average Revenue by Business Size
Industry Dynamics (Census BDS 2023)
New Business Rate
6.97%
openings/year
Closure Rate
7.61%
closings/year
Net Job Growth
+0.08%
annual
Businesses Closed
985
in 2023
Firm Count Trend
Should You Start a Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Stores Business?
Startup Cost
$75K – $400K
Break-Even
19 months
5-Year Survival Rate
48.0%
Related Industries
Frequently Asked Questions
- What does a nursery, garden center, and farm supply stores business do?
- Garden centers selling plants, trees, soil, garden hardgoods, and farm supplies. Highly seasonal. Homeowners gardening, landscape contractors, small farmers.
- How much do nursery, garden center, and farm supply stores charge?
- Garden centers earn 40–100% on plants and higher on hardgoods, with strong Q2 seasonality. See the pricing table above for typical rates by service type.
- How much does the average nursery, garden center, and farm supply stores make per year?
- The average nursery, garden center, and farm supply stores business generates $3.8M in annual revenue, based on U.S. Census Bureau data (SUSB 2021). After expenses, the estimated owner profit is $150K per year at a 4.0% profit margin.
- How many nursery, garden center, and farm supply stores businesses are there in the US?
- There are 9,373 nursery, garden center, and farm supply stores businesses operating in the United States, employing a total of 140,484 workers.
- How much does it cost to start a nursery, garden center, and farm supply stores business?
- Startup costs for a nursery, garden center, and farm supply stores business typically range from $75K to $400K, with a 5-year survival rate of 48.0%.
Industry Growth & Survival
The nursery, garden center, and farm supply stores industry is relatively stable — with a net job growth rate of 0.1%. Entry and exit rates are balanced at 7.0% and 7.6% respectively.
Approximately 67% of nursery, garden center, and farm supply stores businesses survive their first 5 years. This is above the national average (~50%), making it a relatively safe industry to enter. In 2023, 985 firms in this industry closed permanently.
Industry Trend (2000–2023)
The nursery, garden center, and farm supply stores industry has declined 31% since 2000 (from 16,480 to 11,332 firms).
See full historical statistics →Compare Nursery, Garden Center, and Farm Supply Stores revenue with other industries: