Landscape Architects Salary: $79,660 Median Pay (2026 stats)
Executive Summary
About 19,580 landscape architects work nationally, and $79,660 is the BLS national median annual wage. Projections imply about 0.8% annual decline; much hiring sits in professional, scientific, and technical services.
Landscape Architects: what the data shows
Common questions about landscape architects careers, answered from BLS OEWS and O*NET in this repository.
What is a landscape architects?
Landscape Architects is tracked by the Bureau of Labor Statistics under SOC 17-1012.
U.S. employment in our OEWS extract is about 19,580 workers.
What does a landscape architects do?
O*NET work activities rated highest for this occupation include Thinking Creatively, Getting Information, Working with Computers, Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with People Outside the Organization, and related tasks. See Work Activities for the full list.
How much does a landscape architects make?
BLS national median annual wage: $79,660 (May 2024 in our extract).
Mean annual wage in our occupational extract: $114,469 — higher than the median, which often reflects top earners in the distribution.
Wage percentiles below are from the California OEWS extract (not national unless noted).
| Wage percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $62,493 |
| 25th percentile | $79,596 |
| Median (50th) | $101,567 |
| 75th percentile | $134,499 |
| 90th percentile | $196,900 |
What skills do you need?
O*NET ratings for this occupation emphasize skills such as Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Complex Problem Solving, Coordination, Critical Thinking, Speaking, and knowledge areas including Design, Building and Construction, Public Safety and Security, English Language. See Education & Skills for detail.
Is landscape architects in demand?
Historical employment trend in our series implies about 0.8% annual decline (compound rate in the extract).
Five-year projected employment change: -3.8%.
Ten-year projected employment change: -7.4%.
Current U.S. headcount: 19,580.
We report federal series only—compare wages, growth, and openings against your target market.
Where do landscape architectss work?
Top industries by employment share in our OEWS industry extract:
| Industry | Employment | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Cross-industry | 19,580 | 18.3% |
| Cross-industry, Private Ownership only | 17,790 | 16.6% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 11,790 | 11.0% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 11,790 | 11.0% |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 11,400 | 10.6% |
| Administrative and Support Services | 4,940 | 4.6% |
See Industry for charts.
What degrees lead to this career?
Common majors for Landscape Architects in O*NET:
See Related degrees.
What careers are related?
Other occupations linked through shared degree pathways in our mapping:
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median wage |
|---|---|---|
| Database Architects | 64,770 | $135,980 |
| Architects, Except Landscape and Naval | 111,140 | $96,690 |
| Marine Engineers and Naval Architects | 8,440 | $105,670 |
| Computer Network Architects | 177,010 | $130,390 |
| Architecture Teachers, Postsecondary | 9,120 | $101,480 |
Employment
Employment and salary information for the Landscape Architects workforce.
Employment Over Time
19,580 U.S. workforce (OEWS)
California employment for Landscape Architects shrank from 12,380 in 2009 to 10,940 in 2025 (11.6%).
Historical employment for Landscape Architects from the California OEWS series, 2009–2025. The U.S. workforce figure is national and is not the endpoint of this line.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$79,660 Median pay (BLS national)
Landscape Architects earn $79,660 as the BLS national median annual wage.
Wage ranking compared to other occupations.
Wage Distribution
This chart shows the distribution of average salaries by income buckets for Landscape Architects.
Salary distribution for Landscape Architects.
Employment Growth Projections
-0.8% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR)
10,525 Projected Employment (5 years)
Projected growth: -3.8%
10,126 Projected Employment (10 years)
Projected growth: -7.4%
This occupation is experiencing a decline. Consider related fields with better growth prospects.
Historical employment trends and future projections for Landscape Architects.
Industry
Information on the industries that employ Landscape Architects and on wages for those in the field.
Occupations by Industries
This graphic shows the share of Landscape Architects employed by various industries.
Industry distribution for Landscape Architects.
Wage Trends by Industry
7.1% Average Annual Wage Growth Rate
Historical wage growth trends by industry for Landscape Architects.
Geographic Distribution
Employment and wage information by geographic location for Landscape Architects.
State employment and wages are from the U.S. BLS OEWS May 2024 state extract. Metropolitan areas use the national MSA file when available.
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 2,820 employees, $111,440 avg wage
- FL: 1,490 employees, $96,030 avg wage
- TX: 1,170 employees, $81,340 avg wage
- PA: 1,110 employees, $91,210 avg wage
- NC: 990 employees, $80,830 avg wage
- CO: 820 employees, $79,000 avg wage
- WA: 770 employees, $80,480 avg wage
- IL: 630 employees, $79,630 avg wage
- VA: 610 employees, $81,480 avg wage
- MD: 530 employees, $89,330 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Landscape Architects.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: 800 employees, $102,600 avg wage
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA: 720 employees, $132,340 avg wage
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 680 employees, $89,350 avg wage
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN: 620 employees, $78,960 avg wage
- Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD: 580 employees, $89,540 avg wage
- Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 450 employees, $86,160 avg wage
- Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 370 employees, $88,580 avg wage
- Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC: 350 employees, $85,360 avg wage
- Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 340 employees, $91,270 avg wage
- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 320 employees, $81,590 avg wage
Top 10 metropolitan statistical areas by employment for Landscape Architects.
Diversity
Demographic information on Landscape Architects in the US.
Gender and Age
The U.S. workforce for Landscape Architects is about 19,580 people in our OEWS extract.
Gender and age distribution for Landscape Architects.
Races
Racial and ethnic shares when present in the career dataset. If the chart area shows a notice instead, occupational race/ethnicity fields are not yet populated for this extract.
Race and ethnicity distribution for Landscape Architects.
Education & Skills
Data on higher education choices and required skills for Landscape Architects.
Majors
The most common majors achieved by Landscape Architects in 2023 were Business Administration, Architecture, Engineering.
Common majors for Landscape Architects.
Education Levels
The main educational levels achieved by Landscape Architects workers.
Education level distribution for Landscape Architects.
Skills
Landscape Architects need many skills, but most especially Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Complex Problem Solving, Coordination, Critical Thinking.
Required skills for Landscape Architects.
Knowledge & Abilities
Knowledge areas and abilities required for Landscape Architects.
Knowledge Areas
The most important knowledge areas for Landscape Architects include Design, Building and Construction, Public Safety and Security, English Language, Engineering and Technology.
Knowledge areas required for Landscape Architects.
Abilities
Key abilities needed for Landscape Architects include Written Comprehension, Visualization, Oral Comprehension, Oral Expression, Category Flexibility.
Required abilities for Landscape Architects.
Work Activities
Common work activities performed by Landscape Architects.
Daily Activities
Landscape Architects spend their time on activities such as Thinking Creatively, Getting Information, Working with Computers, Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment, Making Decisions and Solving Problems.
Most important work activities for Landscape Architects.
About
Landscape Architects
Landscape Architects earn $79,660 as the BLS national median annual wage.
SOC Code
17-1012 - Landscape Architects
Insights and Analysis
High earnings profile: Landscape Architects reports an average salary of $114,469, placing it among stronger-paying occupations.
Labor market presence: The current workforce is approximately 19,580 workers, indicating sustained demand.
Forward outlook: Projected annual decline is -0.8%, which should inform long-term career planning.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS), and O*NET Online.
All wage figures represent annual averages and may vary by location, industry, and experience level.