How Much Does a Landscaper Make?
How much does a landscaper make? See May 2025 hourly and annual pay, wage percentiles, state salaries, seasonality, and jobs included in the official data.
The national median wage for Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers was $18.82 per hour, or $39,150 per year, in May 2025. That works out to about $753 per week or $3,263 per month when the official annual median is divided by 52 or 12.
These figures come from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program for SOC 37-3011. They cover employees doing landscaping and groundskeeping work. They do not cover self-employed landscapers or owners and partners of unincorporated businesses. If you run the company, use the landscaping business owner earnings guide to model collected revenue, business costs, owner compensation, and retained cash instead of treating an employee wage as owner income.
| Pay period | National median |
|---|---|
| Hourly | $18.82 |
| Weekly | $753 |
| Monthly | $3,263 |
| Annual | $39,150 |
The weekly and monthly figures are simple conversions from the annual median. They are not a promise of 52 paid weeks, steady winter hours, overtime, or benefits.
Landscaper hourly pay and wage percentiles
The median is the middle of the wage distribution, not an average. Half of the workers in the occupation earned less, and half earned more.
| Wage percentile | Hourly wage | Annual wage | How to read it |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th | $14.98 | $31,150 | 10% earned this amount or less |
| 25th | $17.40 | $36,190 | 25% earned this amount or less |
| 50th | $18.82 | $39,150 | National median |
| 75th | $22.52 | $46,830 | 25% earned this amount or more |
| 90th | $27.28 | $56,730 | 10% earned this amount or more |
The middle half of employed landscaper wages ran from $17.40 to $22.52 per hour. Do not read the 10th percentile as an entry-level rate or the 90th percentile as a senior rate. The data show how wages were distributed; they do not show each worker’s experience, certifications, duties, or tenure.
Highest landscaper salaries by state
The District of Columbia had the highest published state or district median at $48,790 per year. The top 10 were:
| Rank | State or district | Median hourly | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $23.46 | $48,790 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $23.40 | $48,670 |
| 3 | Alaska | $22.93 | $47,690 |
| 4 | Washington | $22.57 | $46,950 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $22.41 | $46,610 |
| 6 | Vermont | $22.23 | $46,230 |
| 7 | Maine | $22.10 | $45,970 |
| 8 | Hawaii | $22.08 | $45,920 |
| 9 | Colorado | $22.00 | $45,760 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $21.99 | $45,740 |
This ranking is descriptive. It does not adjust for cost of living, seasonal hours, travel time, or benefits, and it does not prove why one state pays more than another.
Landscaper salary by state
Use the table below to compare a local offer with the May 2025 median for the same occupation. All rows use the same release and the same 50th-percentile measure.
| Rank | State or district | Median annual | Median hourly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $48,790 | $23.46 |
| 2 | Massachusetts | $48,670 | $23.40 |
| 3 | Alaska | $47,690 | $22.93 |
| 4 | Washington | $46,950 | $22.57 |
| 5 | Minnesota | $46,610 | $22.41 |
| 6 | Vermont | $46,230 | $22.23 |
| 7 | Maine | $45,970 | $22.10 |
| 8 | Hawaii | $45,920 | $22.08 |
| 9 | Colorado | $45,760 | $22.00 |
| 10 | Connecticut | $45,740 | $21.99 |
| 11 | California | $45,560 | $21.90 |
| 12 | Montana | $45,350 | $21.80 |
| 13 | Oregon | $45,040 | $21.65 |
| 14 | New Hampshire | $44,890 | $21.58 |
| 15 | New York | $44,840 | $21.56 |
| 16 | Rhode Island | $44,730 | $21.51 |
| 17 | Illinois | $43,790 | $21.05 |
| 18 | Idaho | $41,600 | $20.00 |
| 19 | New Jersey | $41,360 | $19.88 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | $41,230 | $19.82 |
| 21 | North Dakota | $40,790 | $19.61 |
| 22 | Utah | $40,740 | $19.59 |
| 23 | Pennsylvania | $39,500 | $18.99 |
| 24 | Maryland | $39,380 | $18.93 |
| 25 | Kansas | $39,330 | $18.91 |
| 26 | Nebraska | $39,140 | $18.82 |
| 27 | Iowa | $38,920 | $18.71 |
| 28 | Arizona | $38,910 | $18.71 |
| 29 | Nevada | $38,820 | $18.66 |
| 30 | Missouri | $38,520 | $18.52 |
| 31 | Virginia | $38,410 | $18.46 |
| 32 | Wyoming | $38,310 | $18.42 |
| 33 | Ohio | $38,220 | $18.38 |
| 34 | Michigan | $38,120 | $18.33 |
| 35 | Indiana | $38,070 | $18.30 |
| 36 | Georgia | $37,970 | $18.25 |
| 37 | North Carolina | $37,910 | $18.22 |
| 38 | New Mexico | $37,560 | $18.06 |
| 39 | Delaware | $37,350 | $17.96 |
| 40 | Florida | $37,100 | $17.84 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $37,020 | $17.80 |
| 42 | Texas | $36,740 | $17.66 |
| 43 | South Carolina | $36,710 | $17.65 |
| 44 | Kentucky | $36,670 | $17.63 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $35,770 | $17.20 |
| 46 | Oklahoma | $35,770 | $17.20 |
| 47 | Alabama | $35,630 | $17.13 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $35,370 | $17.01 |
| 49 | Louisiana | $34,870 | $16.76 |
| 50 | West Virginia | $32,240 | $15.50 |
| 51 | Mississippi | $31,630 | $15.21 |
Which jobs are included in landscaper salary data?
SOC 37-3011 covers workers who landscape or maintain grounds using hand and power equipment. The work can include mowing, trimming, planting, watering, fertilizing, digging, raking, laying sod, installing sprinklers, and building some mortarless landscape walls.
The wage figures should not be used for landscape architects, first-line grounds supervisors, or tree trimmers and pruners. Those jobs have separate occupation codes. The figures also exclude self-employed workers and owners or partners of unincorporated businesses.
OEWS wages are straight-time gross pay. They do not include items such as overtime premiums, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, severance, employer benefit costs, or tuition reimbursement. Compare those parts of an offer separately.
How to compare a landscaper job offer
- Check the work, not just the title. Make sure the duties match Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers rather than supervision, tree work, landscape design, or self-employment.
- Compare the base hourly rate. Put the offer beside both the $18.82 national median and the median for your state.
- Check how many paid weeks and hours are realistic. Seasonal layoffs, weather, guaranteed hours, and paid travel time can change annual earnings even when the hourly rate looks good.
- Price the rest of the offer separately. Overtime policy, bonuses, health coverage, retirement contributions, paid time off, and other benefits are not all captured by the wage median.
Some grounds maintenance work is seasonal. The BLS notes that some workers move into winter services such as snow removal, but that is not guaranteed. Ask what happens to hours when the growing season ends.
Certification rules also depend on the work. Federal law requires certification for people who apply or supervise the use of restricted-use pesticides, and states, territories, and tribes may impose stricter requirements. That does not mean every landscaper needs the same pesticide credential.
Frequently asked questions
Are lawn care workers included in landscaper salary data?
They can be when the job matches SOC 37-3011, Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers. Mowing, trimming, planting, sod, irrigation, and similar grounds work fit; supervisors, landscape architects, and tree trimmers use different occupations.
Are self-employed landscapers included in the salary figures?
No. OEWS salary data cover wage-and-salary employees and exclude self-employed workers and owners or partners of unincorporated businesses. Owner earnings have to be calculated from collected revenue, costs, owner compensation, and retained cash.
Sources
- BLS May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
- My Next Move national wage table for Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers
- O*NET occupation profile for Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook for Grounds Maintenance Workers
- BLS OEWS technical notes
- EPA pesticide applicator certification
- landscaping
- landscaper-salary
- hourly-pay
- salary-by-state
- employee-wages
