Rhode Island Landscaping Workers Comp Rates (2026)
Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island figure.
No official Rhode Island figure is available online, so the numbers below use the US median of the states that publish one.
Rhode Island 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 Rhode Island
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 4,040 landscaping and groundskeeping workers on payrolls in Rhode Island (May 2025), the 44th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $21.51 an hour, 14% above the US median of $18.82.
This trade is a bigger part of the Rhode Island job market than it is nationally: landscaping and groundskeeping workers hold 1.3 times their national share of jobs there.
At the US median of $3.30 per $100 of payroll (Rhode Island does not publish its figure online), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $0.71 for every hour worked, or $1,476 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $4,429 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Rhode Island pay runs from $17.59 an hour at the 10th percentile to $27.83 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.58 an hour on a new hire and $0.92 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Rhode Island
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Sole proprietors and partners exempt; officers may waive via a state filing
- State fund: Private market (Beacon Mutual is the dominant carrier)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive only if disability exceeds 21 days
- Penalty for going without: Fines up to $1,000 per day; chargeable as a felony; stop-work orders
Rhode Island requires construction independent contractors to file a designation notice annually and separately for each hiring entity.
Rhode Island vs neighboring states
- Connecticut: about $5.85 per $100 of payroll
- Massachusetts: about $2.29 per $100 of payroll
Rhode Island does not publish its figure, so the first row is the US median. Among neighbors that publish, Massachusetts is the cheapest for landscaping comp at about $2.29 and Connecticut the most expensive at about $5.85 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.