Government spending for power lawn and garden equipment: the trend is up

Demand for power lawn and garden equipment in government and related markets is forecast to increase 1.4 percent annually to $590 million in 2015, according to a just-issued analysis from Cleveland-based The Freedonia Group. Equipment spending in the government marketplace stood at $550 million in 2010. By 2020, spending should reach $640 million in the government marketplace.

According to the Freedonia report, government agencies are expected to make some expenditures on large, higher-value equipment, such as wide-area mowers and boom mowers, that were delayed during the recession.

Trends such as slowing federal government spending and the outsourcing of landscaping services to professional firms will have a negative impact on overall government spending in this equipment category.

According to Freedonia analysts: “The government properties that utilize power lawn and garden equipment are diverse, including capitol buildings, courthouses, and city halls; schools; parks; prisons; roadside areas; and military bases. Government agencies generally purchase a wide range of equipment, including specialized, higher-value products such as hydraulically powered riding mowers and tractors.

“Boom-mounted mowers and zero-turn-radius mowers are utilized in maintaining many government properties such as highway median areas. Other equipment types widely used in this segment include chippers/shredders and leaf blowers. Due to the intensity of use in many government applications such

as maintaining roadsides, airports, and parks and other recreational public areas, this segment also generates significant demand for replacement parts and attachments.”

Freedonia’s recent study No. 2756, “Power Lawn & Garden Equipment,” offers data on total U.S. demand for power lawn and garden equipment, including residential and commercial markets, as well as government and institutional markets. The report notes that “the residential market dominates power lawn and garden equipment demand, typically accounting for nearly three quarters of industry sales.”

A description of the report and ordering information for the study is available from Freedonia.