Gary Y. Gao, Ohio State University Extension, Clermont County; John J. Smith, Ohio State University Extension, Clermont County; James A. Chatfield, Ohio State University Extension, Northeast District and Department of Horticulture and Crop Science; Joseph F. Boggs, Ohio State University Extension, Hamilton County and Southwest District; Erik A. Draper, Ohio State University Extension, Geauga County; and Hannah Mathers, Ohio State University Extension, Department of Horticulture and Crop Science.
A sales survey entitled 2001 Ohio Green Industry Survey was conducted from December 2001 to May 2002 as one documentation of the economic importance of the nursery and landscape industry in Ohio in 2001. The survey was designed to measure changes in the industry from previous studies conducted by Tim Rhodus and Jim Hoskins in 1988, 1992, and 1996 (Rhodus and Hoskins, 1997). This project was undertaken with the financial support of the Ohio Nursery and Landscape Association (ONLA). The list of licensed nursery dealers and nursery producers was provided by the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA).
Based on our survey results, the estimated value of overall sales by certified nursery stock dealers and producers in Ohio was $2.79 billion for 2001 (Table 1). The annual growth rate was 8.5% between 1996 and 2001. Of this total, approximately $2.19 billion was from licensed nursery dealers and $599.4 million from licensed nursery producers. As indicated, this survey is a significant underestimate of the overall green industry in Ohio since it measures only licensed nursery dealers and producers.
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| Table 1. Estimated value of overall sales by certified nursery stock dealers and producers in Ohio for 2001. |
During 2001, the sales in Landscape Services in Ohio totaled $1.16 billion (combined total for Landscape Construction/Installation and Landscape Maintenance), which was $209.6 million more than the figure of $945.6 million in 1996. This figure represents a total increase of 22.2% during the last five years, or an annual growth rate of 4.4%.
Retail Garden Center sales totaled $534.9 million, and Wholesale sales totaled $834.2 million, more than twice the figure of $316.0 million in 1996. Sales for the category Other totaled $263.2 million, more than twice the figure of $129.8 million in 1996.
The total number of employees in the nursery industry was estimated at 96,576 for 2001 (Table 2). This was up approximately 6.6% from 1996 at an annual rate of 1.3%. The number of full-time employees was 32,670. The number of part-time employees was 19,124, while the seasonal employees number was estimated at 44,782.
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| Table 2. Total number of employees in the nursery industry was estimated at 96,576 for 2001. |
Overall, the number of positions in the nursery and landscape industry is at an all-time high of 96,576.
The statewide estimate of the 2001 payroll for the nursery and landscape industry was $882.9 million. This figure represents an increase over 1996 of 33.8% or an annual growth rate of 6.8%. The nursery and landscape industry contributed an estimated $274.9 million in taxes (property, sales, FICA, and income) in 2001, an increase of 40.2% from 1996 (Table 3).
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| Figure 3. The nursery and landscape industry paid an estimated $274.9 million in taxes (property, sales, FICA, and income) in 2001, an increase of 40.2% from 1996. |
Note: This survey is a significant underestimate of the total green industry in Ohio since it measures only the licensed nursery stock dealers and producers. Businesses such as sod producers, arborists, grounds management companies and divisions, lawn-care companies, etc., are not included in the survey relative to their revenues and numbers of employees in Ohio. In addition, due to survey methodology, large discount chain stores are under-represented in survey responses, thus further underestimating the size of the green industry in Ohio.