The median pay for Landscape Architects is $79,870 a year ($38.40/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 4.4% through 2035, with about 1,700 openings a year (BLS EP, 2025–2035). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 17-1012
- Architecture and Engineering
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Landscape Architect in four numbers
- Median pay
- $79,870a year, or $38.40/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $55KTop 10% $130K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +4.4%About as fast as averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+4.4%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +4.4% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 1,70023,500 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202523.5K
- Projected 203524.5K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 23.5K Projected 2035 24.5K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Bachelor's85%
- Post-bacc certificate10%
- Master's5%
Highest education held by landscape architects Segment Value Bachelor's 85% Post-bacc certificate 10% Master's 5%
Also advertised as: AP BD+C (Accredited Professional in Building Design and Construction), Golf Course Architect, Land Planner, Landscape Architect, Landscape Designer, Landscape Planner.
Pay
How much do Landscape Architects make?
Every landscape architect in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$79,870
Middle half earn $64,170 to $104,090
- 10th
- $54,770
- 25th
- $64,170
- 75th
- $104,090
- 90th
- $130,190
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $54,770 |
| 25th | $64,170 |
| Median | $79,870 |
| 75th | $104,090 |
| 90th | $130,190 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $79,870
- Median hourly wage
- $38.40/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $88,780
- People employed
- 19,600
Versus all US occupations
At $79,870, Landscape Architects earn 57% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $28,890 a year.
Versus architecture and engineering occupations
Inside the Architecture and Engineering group, where the middle occupation pays $104,110, this is 23% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $130,190 or more while the bottom 10% earn $54,770, a gap of 2.4×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 59% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
Alabama pays the most at $101,220, and still leads at $113,957 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Landscape Architects the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1Alabama | $101,220 | $113,957 | 230 |
| 2California | $98,380 | $88,855 | 2,310 |
| 3Tennessee | $95,250 | $103,679 | 260 |
| 4New Jersey | $95,020 | $87,331 | 360 |
| 5Utah | $94,430 | $95,515 | 90 |
| 6Maryland | $92,880 | $88,492 | 870 |
| 7Texas | $89,220 | $91,925 | 1,450 |
| 8Massachusetts | $88,000 | $83,210 | 500 |
| 9New York | $87,360 | $80,948 | 920 |
| 10Iowa | $87,270 | $99,439 | 80 |
Job outlook
Is Landscape Architect a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
About as fast as average. +4.4% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Landscape Architects | +4.4% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Landscape Architects to change 4.4% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 1,000 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 1,700 openings are projected each year, 7.2% of the 23,500 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire.
Landscape architects will be needed to plan and develop landscapes for commercial, industrial, and residential projects. Environmental concerns and efforts to conserve water and prevent waterway pollution also may create some demand for landscape architects.
Getting in
How to become a Landscape Architect
Landscape architects usually need at least a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture and a state-issued license, which typically requires completion of an internship.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Internship/residency
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as landscape architects.
- Bachelor's Degree85%
- Post-Baccalaureate Certificate10%
- Master's Degree5%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 85% |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate | 10% |
| Master's Degree | 5% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Landscape Architect do?
Plan and design land areas for projects such as parks and other recreational facilities, airports, highways, hospitals, schools, land subdivisions, and commercial, industrial, and residential sites.
Landscape architects design parks and the outdoor spaces of campuses, recreational facilities, businesses, private homes, and other open spaces.
Day-to-day tasks
- Confer with clients, engineering personnel, or architects on landscape projects.
- Analyze data on conditions such as site location, drainage, or structure location for environmental reports or landscaping plans.
- Inspect landscape work to ensure compliance with specifications, evaluate quality of materials or work, or advise clients or construction personnel.
- Prepare site plans, specifications, or cost estimates for land development.
- Collaborate with architects or related professionals on whole building design to maximize the aesthetic features of structures or surrounding land and to improve energy efficiency.
- Inspect proposed sites to identify structural elements of land areas or other important site information, such as soil condition, existing landscaping, or the proximity of water management facilities.
- Collaborate with estimators to cost projects, create project plans, or coordinate bids from landscaping contractors.
- Create landscapes that minimize water consumption such as by incorporating drought-resistant grasses or indigenous plants.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Working conditions and hours
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery day
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayDealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayConflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Where landscape architects work
Share of jobs by employer type
- Architectural, engineering, and related services50%
- Landscaping services20%
- Self-employed workers17%
- Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals8%
- Construction1%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Architectural, engineering, and related services | 50% |
| Landscaping services | 20% |
| Self-employed workers | 17% |
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | 8% |
| Construction | 1% |
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025–2035 edition
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Reading Comprehension4.1
- Active Listening4.1
- Speaking4.1
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Writing3.6
- Active Learning3.5
- Mathematics3.1
- Monitoring3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.1 |
| Active Listening | 4.1 |
| Speaking | 4.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.6 |
| Active Learning | 3.5 |
| Mathematics | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Complex Problem Solving3.9
- Coordination3.8
- Operations Analysis3.8
- Judgment and Decision Making3.8
- Social Perceptiveness3.6
- Time Management3.5
- Service Orientation3.3
- Persuasion3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.9 |
| Coordination | 3.8 |
| Operations Analysis | 3.8 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.8 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.6 |
| Time Management | 3.5 |
| Service Orientation | 3.3 |
| Persuasion | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Desktop publishing software · in demand
- Document management software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Geographic information system · in demand
- Graphics or photo imaging software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Project management software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Landscape Architect?
O*NET Occupational Interests (RIASEC), scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Landscape Architect |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 5 |
| Artistic | 5 |
| Social | 3 |
| Enterprising | 4 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
- Realistic5.4
- Investigative4.7
- Artistic4.7
- Conventional3.7
- Enterprising3.6
- Social2.7
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Landscape Architect
O*NET related occupations
- Architecture and Engineering
- Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Architecture and Engineering
- Architecture and Engineering
- Business and Financial Operations
- Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
First-Line Supervisor of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers
$58,430median a year
Most earn $41K to $86K
+4.0%High school
More architecture and engineering careers
Median annual pay, with landscape architects highlighted
- Aerospace Engineer$134,960
- Electrical Engineer$120,630
- Environmental Engineer$107,110
- Mechanical Engineer$104,110
- Automotive Engineer$104,110
- Industrial Engineer$102,440
- Civil Engineer$100,840
- Architect$99,280
- Landscape Architect$79,870
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineer | $134,960 |
| Electrical Engineer | $120,630 |
| Environmental Engineer | $107,110 |
| Mechanical Engineer | $104,110 |
| Automotive Engineer | $104,110 |
| Industrial Engineer | $102,440 |
| Civil Engineer | $100,840 |
| Architect | $99,280 |
| Landscape Architect | $79,870 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Landscape Architect appears on
Questions
Landscape Architect: frequently asked questions
How much do Landscape Architects make?
Landscape Architects earn a median of $79,870 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). That is 57% above the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $38.40/hr. The middle half earn between $64,170 and $104,090. The top 10% earn $130,190 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Landscape Architect?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Landscape Architects, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. BLS also lists internship/residency as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 85.0% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Landscape Architect a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 4.4% over 2025–2035, about the same as the 3.5% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 1,700 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Landscape Architect do?
Landscape architects design parks and the outdoor spaces of campuses, recreational facilities, businesses, private homes, and other open spaces. A core O*NET task: confer with clients, engineering personnel, or architects on landscape projects. Employers most often ask for Computer aided design CAD software, Data base user interface and query software, Desktop publishing software.
Which states pay Landscape Architects the most?
The highest state medians for Landscape Architects are Alabama ($101,220), California ($98,380), Tennessee ($95,250) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Landscape Architect?
O*NET scores Landscape Architects highest on the Realistic, Investigative and Artistic interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping the closest types are INTJ, ISTP, INTP. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.