Arkansas Landscaping Workers Comp Rates (2026)

Arkansas does not publish its landscaping class figures online. Across the 25 states that do, the median typical premium is about $3.30 per $100 of payroll. Ask a carrier or the state's rating bureau for the current Arkansas figure.

No official Arkansas figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.

Arkansas class code for landscaping

0042: Landscape Gardening & Drivers
0106 (Tree Pruning, Spraying & Repairing)
6217 (Excavation NOC)

Landscaping carries equipment, lifting, heat and pesticide exposure risks. Tree pruning and trimming is a separate class (0106).

What comp costs per landscaper in Arkansas

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 6,610 landscaping and groundskeeping workers on payrolls in Arkansas (May 2025), the 37th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $17.20 an hour, 9% below the US median of $18.82.

Landscaping and groundskeeping workers make up about the same share of Arkansas jobs as they do nationally (location quotient 0.83).

At the US median of $3.30 per $100 of payroll (Arkansas does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.57 for every hour worked, or $1,181 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $3,542 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Arkansas pay runs from $12.84 an hour at the 10th percentile to $21.78 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.42 an hour on a new hire and $0.72 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Arkansas

Coverage required: 3+ employees; 2 for construction, 1 if the contractor subcontracts work out
Owners and sole proprietors: Excluded by default; owners file a Certificate of Non-Coverage to stay exempt
State fund: Private market (no state fund)
Waiting period: 7 days; retroactive if disability exceeds 14 days
Penalty for going without: Civil penalties, stop-work orders, and criminal exposure for knowing failure

Arkansas steps the construction threshold down to two employees, or one for any contractor who subcontracts work out.

Arkansas vs neighboring states

Missouri: about $6.40 per $100 of payroll
Texas: about $1.37 per $100 of payroll

Arkansas does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, Texas is the cheapest for landscaping comp at about $1.37 and Missouri the most expensive at about $6.40 per $100 of payroll.

If your crews work across the line, list those states under item 3.A or 3.C of your policy before the job starts. Rates follow the state where the work is done, not where your office is.

What moves a landscaping comp bill

Landscape gardening is a high-claim class because of mowers, trimmers, chainsaws, and lifting. Equipment training and guards that stay on the machines lower claims.
Tree trimming above the ground is usually a separate class with a much higher rate. Keep that payroll apart, or the auditor may rate a whole crew at the tree rate.
Snow plowing, hardscaping, and irrigation installs can each be classed differently. Tell your carrier what share of payroll goes to each.
Landscaping payroll swings by season. Report the full-year figure at renewal so the audit does not bring a large bill in the off season.