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.
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker Salary (2026): Data, Outlook & How to Become One
The median pay for Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers is $39,150 a year ($18.82/hr), according to BLS OEWS, May 2025. Employment is projected to grow 3.6% through 2034, with about 158,200 openings a year (BLS EP, 2024–2034). Typical entry-level education: No formal educational credential.
SOC 37-3011Building and Grounds Cleaning and MaintenanceLast updated August 15, 2026
- Median pay
- $39,150
- Projected growth
- +3.6%
- Openings a year
- 158,200
- Typical education
- No formal credential
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Also advertised as: Gardener, Greenskeeper, Grounds Maintenance Worker, Grounds Person, Grounds Specialist, Grounds Worker.
How much do Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers make?
10th percentile$31,150
Entry / lowest-paid tenth
25th percentile$36,190
Lower quartile
Median (50th)$39,150
Half earn more, half earn less
75th percentile$46,830
Upper quartile
90th percentile$56,730
Top-paid tenth
| Median annual wage | $39,150 |
|---|---|
| Median hourly wage | $18.82/hr |
| Mean annual wage | $42,290 |
| People employed | 952,640 |
Versus all US occupations
At $39,150, Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers earn 23% below the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $11,830 a year.
Versus building and grounds cleaning and maintenance occupations
Inside the Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance group, where the middle occupation pays $45,795, this is 15% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $56,730 or more while the bottom 10% earn $31,150, a gap of 1.8×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 9% of the 923 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
District of Columbia posts the highest raw median ($48,790), but once local prices are taken into account Montana leads at $47,916 in national-average dollars.
Which states pay Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers the most?
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $48,790 | $44,395 | 800 |
| Massachusetts | $48,670 | $46,021 | 22,880 |
| Alaska | $47,690 | $46,591 | 1,080 |
| Washington | $46,950 | $43,873 | 22,550 |
| Minnesota | $46,610 | $47,262 | 17,610 |
| Vermont | $46,230 | $47,194 | 2,700 |
| Maine | $45,970 | $47,367 | 6,410 |
| Hawaii | $45,920 | $41,764 | 7,040 |
| Colorado | $45,760 | $44,405 | 21,990 |
| Connecticut | $45,740 | $44,146 | 13,490 |
Is Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker a growing career?
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers3.6%
All US occupations3.1%
+3.6% projected growth vs 3.1% for all occupations.
About as fast as average
BLS projects employment of Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers to change 3.6% over 2024–2034, against 3.1% projected for all occupations. That is 42,400 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 158,200 openings are projected each year, 13.3% of the 1,192,500 jobs that existed in 2024. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Overall employment of grounds maintenance workers is projected to grow 4 percent from 2024 to 2034, about as fast as the average for all occupations.
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.
Landscaping and groundskeeping workers are expected to be needed to keep up with increasing demand for lawn care and landscaping services from homeowners and from large institutions, such as universities and corporate campuses. As communities invest resources in creating more green spaces in urban areas, the demand for ground maintenance workers to plant and maintain these landscapes is projected to increase.
How to become a Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker
Grounds maintenance workers typically do not need a formal educational credential and are trained on the job. States may require licensing for workers who apply pesticides or fertilizers.
| Typical entry-level education | No formal educational credential |
|---|---|
| Preparation needed (O*NET job zone) | Little or no preparation |
| Work experience in a related occupation | None |
| Typical on-the-job training | Short-term on-the-job training |
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as landscaping and groundskeeping workers.
- Less than a High School Diploma39.2%
- Post-Secondary Certificate31.2%
- Bachelor's Degree18.3%
- High School Diploma8.2%
- Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)3.1%
What does a Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker do?
Landscape or maintain grounds of property using hand or power tools or equipment. Workers typically perform a variety of tasks, which may include any combination of the following: sod laying, mowing, trimming, planting, watering, fertilizing, digging, raking, sprinkler installation, and installation of mortarless segmental concrete masonry wall units.
Grounds maintenance workers install and maintain landscapes, prune trees or shrubs, and do other tasks to ensure that vegetation is attractive, orderly, and safe.
Day-to-day tasks
- Use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers, or axes.
- Prune or trim trees, shrubs, or hedges, using shears, pruners, or chain saws.
- Trim or pick flowers and clean flower beds.
- Operate vehicles or powered equipment, such as mowers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers, chainsaws, electric clippers, sod cutters, or pruning saws.
- Gather and remove litter.
- Follow planned landscaping designs to determine where to lay sod, sow grass, or plant flowers or foliage.
- Plant seeds, bulbs, foliage, flowering plants, grass, ground covers, trees, or shrubs, and apply mulch for protection, using gardening tools.
- Attach wires from planted trees to support stakes.
O*NET core tasks, ordered by reported importance.
Core skills
- Speaking2.9/5
- Critical Thinking2.9/5
- Active Listening2.8/5
- Monitoring2.5/5
- Reading Comprehension2.3/5
- Active Learning2.3/5
- Learning Strategies2.1/5
- Writing1.8/5
Transferable skills
- Operation and Control3.1/5
- Coordination2.8/5
- Operations Monitoring2.8/5
- Time Management2.6/5
- Social Perceptiveness2.5/5
- Service Orientation2.5/5
- Judgment and Decision Making2.5/5
- Complex Problem Solving2.3/5
Tools and software
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Web page creation and editing software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Electronic mail software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
What personality type suits a Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker?
Interest profile: O*NET Occupational Interests, scored 1–7
Realisticprimary7.0
Investigative1.6
Artistic1.9
Social1.4
Enterprising1.8
Conventionalprimary3.4
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
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.
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker: frequently asked questions
How much do Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers make?
Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers earn a median of $39,150 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 23% below the $50,980 median for all US occupations. That works out at $18.82/hr. The middle half earn between $36,190 and $46,830. The top 10% earn $56,730 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker?
No. BLS lists no formal educational credential as the typical entry requirement for Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as little or no preparation. BLS also lists short-term on-the-job training as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 39.2% hold less than a high school diploma.
Is Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker a growing career?
It is stable rather than fast-growing: employment is projected to change 3.6% over 2024–2034, about the same as the 3.1% projected across all occupations (BLS EP, 2024–2034). BLS still projects about 158,200 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker do?
Grounds maintenance workers install and maintain landscapes, prune trees or shrubs, and do other tasks to ensure that vegetation is attractive, orderly, and safe. A core O*NET task: use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers, or axes. Employers most often ask for Office suite software, Operating system software, Spreadsheet software.
Which states pay Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers the most?
The highest state medians for Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers are District of Columbia ($48,790), Massachusetts ($48,670), Alaska ($47,690) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Montana moves to the top at $47,916.
What personality type suits a Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker?
O*NET scores Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers highest on the Realistic and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 923 occupations in the bank.