The Office of Research Analytics and the Center for Turfgrass Science announced today the results of a new economic impact study. The study measured economic impacts of the New Jersey turfgrass industry during CY2019 to update prior years’ studies and concluded that the State turfgrass industry generated $4.9 billion in economic output in 2019.
Much information has been gleaned from this study including quantitative information such as the number of acres of turf maintained, number of workers employed by the turfgrass industry, turf-related expenses, and contribution to the State economy, as well as qualitative information such as species of turfgrass used, product sales, market distribution channels, and maintenance practices. To accomplish this objective, survey information from each of seven sectors of the New Jersey turfgrass industry were obtained and analyzed. The turfgrass sectors covered in the study included sod producers, manufacturers, service providers, golf courses, cemeteries, homeowners, commercial institutions, and non-profit institutions. Moreover, it was estimated that the value-added to the State economy from the turfgrass industry was $3.2 billion and that the turfgrass industry generated $271.8 million in State tax revenue in 2019. Previous estimates of New Jersey’s turfgrass economic impact were reported in two studies using data collected in 1983 and 2001, respectively. The current study shows that turfgrass acreage increased by 8% and the total turfgrass economic output impact increased by 51%, compared to data collected in 2001. The New Jersey turfgrass industry has grown significantly over the past two decades and continues to play a very important role in the State’s economy.