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Landscaper / Groundskeeper

$38,090
median pay per year
full range coming in the next data update

What the job actually is

Plant, mow, trim, and maintain lawns and gardens, and operate mowers and other grounds equipment.

Where you work

Yards, parks, and commercial grounds

The hours

Daytime, seasonal, weather-dependent

By the numbers

May 2024–25 BLS wage data · 2024–34 BLS employment projections.

Median pay
$38,090
per year
What most earn
range coming soon
Openings a year
~158,200
projected, 2024–34
Outlook to 2034
+4%
About average
Working in the U.S.
1,192,500
people, nationwide

Openings a year counts new jobs plus the ones that open when people retire or move on — a truer picture of your odds than growth alone.

“Median” means half earn more and half earn less. Your city, employer, and years on the job move it a lot — that is what the 10th-to-90th range shows.

How you get in

Typical starting education

No formal credential

Training path: On-the-job training, paid from day one.

License or certification

Workers who apply pesticides usually need a state pesticide applicator license or certification.

You can earn while you train. This field has a genuinely paid pathway in — an apprenticeship, a paid academy, or employer-funded training — so you draw a paycheck instead of taking on debt to learn it.

What it takes

Physical staminaEquipment usePlant careReliability

The honest take

Outdoor work that is easy to enter, though hours and pay often rise and fall with the seasons.

Standard Occupational Classification 37-3011. Pay, employment, and outlook from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wage survey and 2024–34 employment projections). See something off? Tell us.