Hawaii Landscaping Workers Comp Rates (2026)

Hawaii 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 Hawaii figure.

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

Hawaii 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 Hawaii

The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 7,040 landscaping and groundskeeping workers on payrolls in Hawaii (May 2025), the 36th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $22.08 an hour, 17% above the US median of $18.82.

This trade is a bigger part of the Hawaii job market than it is nationally: landscaping and groundskeeping workers hold 1.8 times their national share of jobs there.

At the US median of $3.30 per $100 of payroll (Hawaii does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.73 for every hour worked, or $1,516 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $4,547 a year in premium before any experience mod.

Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Hawaii pay runs from $16.45 an hour at the 10th percentile to $27.01 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.54 an hour on a new hire and $0.89 on a senior hand.

Workers comp requirements in Hawaii

Coverage required: 1 employee
Owners and sole proprietors: Owners with 50%+ ownership may opt out of covering themselves
State fund: Private market (no state fund)
Waiting period: 3 days
Penalty for going without: $100 per employee per day ($500 minimum)

Hawaii pairs mandatory workers comp with two other required coverages, Temporary Disability Insurance and the Prepaid Health Care Act, under one division.

Hawaii vs neighboring states

California: about $5.58 per $100 of payroll

Hawaii has no land border, so this compares it with the nearest mainland markets.

Hawaii does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, California is the cheapest for landscaping comp at about $5.58 and California the most expensive at about $5.58 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.