Landscape Architects Salary: $114,469 Median Pay (2026 stats)
TL;DR
About 19,580 landscape architects nationally earn a mean of $114,469. Projections imply about 0.8% annual decline; CA accounts for about 2,620 jobs in our geographic extract.
Key Statistics
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 percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $62,493 |
| 25th percentile | $79,596 |
| Median (50th) | $101,567 |
| 75th percentile | $134,499 |
| 90th percentile | $196,900 |
What education do you need?
For Landscape Architects, O*NET incumbent surveys in our extract most often report: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).
These are education levels of current workers, not minimum legal requirements.
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 Workforce in 2023
The Landscape Architects workforce has been growing over time.
Historical employment trends for Landscape Architects.
Yearly Wage Ranking
$114,469 Average Wage
In 2023, Landscape Architects earned an average of $114,469.
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.
Metropolitan employment on this page is from the California OEWS extract. Area names omit state codes; all listed metros are in California, so the state chart shows California totals (not a multi-state ranking).
Top States by Employment
Top States by Employment:
- CA: 2,620 employees, $115,343 avg wage
Top 10 states by employment for Landscape Architects.
Top Metropolitan Areas
Top Metropolitan Areas:
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD: 440 employees, $109,115 avg wage
- Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD: 360 employees, $100,812 avg wage
- San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD: 350 employees, $146,525 avg wage
- Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD: 290 employees, $127,974 avg wage
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA: 260 employees, $107,515 avg wage
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA: 230 employees, $101,619 avg wage
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA: 190 employees, $114,140 avg wage
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA: 120 employees, $128,942 avg wage
- San Rafael MD: 80 employees, $117,426 avg wage
- Fresno MSA: 60 employees, $93,987 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 workforce of Landscape Architects in 2023 was 19,580 people, with 62.0% women and 38.0% men.
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
The average yearly wage for Landscape Architects was $114,469 in 2023.
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.