Data guide
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Pay and Job Outlook
Real BLS pay data by role and industry, job growth and openings, and how the no-degree and degree routes compare, with links to check pay where you live.
1. Pay by role
The median is the middle wage: half of workers earn more and half earn less. BLS reports a median of $19.27 an hour ($40,080 a year) for all grounds maintenance workers in May 2025. The lowest 10% earned less than $15.01 an hour and the highest 10% more than $28.10.
| Role | Median per hour |
|---|---|
| Tree trimmers and pruners | $24.50 |
| Grounds maintenance workers, all other | $22.53 |
| Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation | $22.28 |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers | $18.82 |
| All grounds maintenance workers | $19.27 |
| Total, all occupations (for comparison) | $24.51 |
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor career database, lists the landscaping and groundskeeping median as $18.82 an hour or $39,150 a year (2025). Source: O*NET OnLine, Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers 37-3011.00.
Source for figures in this guide unless noted: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Grounds Maintenance Workers (last modified September 14, 2026).
2. Pay by industry
| Industry | Median per hour |
|---|---|
| Educational services; state, local, and private | $21.39 |
| Services to buildings and dwellings | $20.90 |
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | $19.33 |
| Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries | $17.45 |
Important: BLS wage figures come from the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey, which does not include pay for self-employed workers. That matters here, because BLS reports that 20% of grounds maintenance workers are self-employed.
3. Jobs and growth
BLS projects employment of grounds maintenance workers to grow 5% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3% average for all occupations, with about 162,500 openings a year. Many of those openings come from replacing workers who retire or change occupations. BLS expects demand for lawn care and landscaping from homeowners and from large institutions such as universities and corporate campuses.
| Role | Jobs, 2025 | Change |
|---|---|---|
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers | 1,188,600 | +5% (55,600) |
| Tree trimmers and pruners | 70,600 | +4% (3,000) |
| Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators, vegetation | 25,700 | +4% (1,000) |
| Grounds maintenance workers, all other | 14,200 | +4% (500) |
| All grounds maintenance workers | 1,299,200 | +5% (60,100) |
Some of the largest employers of grounds maintenance workers, as BLS lists them:
- Services to buildings and dwellings: 48%
- Self-employed workers: 20%
- Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals: 8%
- Amusement, gambling, and recreation industries: 8%
- Educational services; state, local, and private: 3%
4. Degree vs no-degree routes
- Grounds maintenance (no degree): BLS says workers typically do not need a formal educational credential and usually need 1 month or less of on-the-job training. Most states license pesticide applicators.
- Landscape architect (degree and license): BLS reports a median of $79,870 a year (May 2025), with the lowest 10% under $54,770 and the highest 10% over $130,190. The typical entry-level education is a bachelor’s degree, and “all states require landscape architects to be licensed.” Employment is projected to grow 4% (2025 to 2035), with about 1,700 openings a year. For people with a degree in another field, BLS says a Master of Landscape Architecture typically takes 3 years of full-time study. Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Landscape Architects.
Many career changers start in grounds work to learn the trade, then decide whether a specialism, their own business or the degree route suits them. Our guide on how to become a landscaper covers the first steps.
5. Check pay where you live
National medians can be far from local pay. BLS points to CareerOneStop, which has a salary finder that searches wages by ZIP code, and to its state and metro wage data. Our guide to the Occupational Outlook Handbook shows how to read these BLS pages for any job.
6. Using this in your career change
Compare the local figures with what you earn now and plan for seasonal months. Estimating jobs is part of the work: our deck board, concrete and gravel calculators cover common hardscape sums.
For your resume, see Career Switch Tips, 10 Resume Summary Examples and our guide to the Occupational Outlook Handbook. When you are ready to apply, tailor each resume to the job post and use its words only for things you have really done. Next guide: Office to Outdoors: A Career-Change Plan.
FAQ
How much do landscapers make an hour?
BLS reports a median of $18.82 an hour for landscaping and groundskeeping workers in May 2025. The lowest 10% of all grounds maintenance workers earned less than $15.01 and the highest 10% more than $28.10.
Do tree trimmers earn more than landscapers?
On average, yes: BLS reports a median of $24.50 an hour for tree trimmers and pruners, compared with $18.82 for landscaping and groundskeeping workers (May 2025).
Is landscaping a growing field?
BLS projects 5% growth for grounds maintenance workers from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3% average, with about 162,500 openings a year.
Do these numbers include self-employed landscapers?
No. BLS wage data does not include pay for self-employed workers, and 20% of grounds maintenance workers are self-employed.
Why does pay vary so much?
Role, industry, experience and location all matter. Check local pay with the CareerOneStop salary finder.
Keep going
- Career guideHow to become a landscaperTraining, licenses and a first 90 days plan.
- Career-change guideOffice to outdoors: a career-change planReality check, skills and how to try it first.
Last checked: September 27, 2026. Figures are from the sources linked above; we will update them when BLS publishes new data.