How to Become a Landscaper: Certification, Licensing & Pay
Landscapers install and maintain the plantings, lawns, and hardscaping around homes, businesses, and public spaces — mowing, planting, pruning, irrigation, and grading. The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks landscaping and groundskeeping work as its own occupation for pay purposes, but groups it with related outdoor-maintenance jobs under the broader "grounds maintenance workers" category for job-outlook data. It's one of the more accessible trades to enter: most landscapers learn on the job rather than through a lengthy apprenticeship or degree program.
Apprenticeship Path
Most landscapers train informally, picking up mowing, planting, irrigation, and hardscaping skills from experienced crews on the job — a high school diploma isn't typically required to start. Landscapers who want a structured, earn-while-you-learn path can pursue a registered apprenticeship or industry credentials such as those offered through the National Association of Landscape Professionals, though these are far less common than the union apprenticeships found in trades like electrical or plumbing.
Certification & Licensing
Landscaping generally isn't a state-licensed trade for individual workers. The concrete licensing trigger is applying pesticides or fertilizers commercially — most states require a pesticide applicator license or certification for that specific work, separate from any general landscaping credential. Some states and cities also require a contractor's license to run a landscaping business.
Whether a pesticide applicator license or contractor's license applies to a specific job, and what it takes to get one, varies by state and locality — verify current requirements with your state's pesticide regulatory agency or contractor licensing board before you rely on them.
Landscaper Pay
The median landscaper in the US earned $39,150 per year as of May 2025 — the middle 80% earned between $31,150 and $56,730.
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (SOC 37-3011), May 2025.
OEWS is published once a year, not continuously — "May 2025" is BLS's label for that annual release, not a live figure. See methodology.
Job Outlook
The BLS projects employment of landscapers to grow 4% from 2024–34, about as fast as the average for all occupations, with about 171,600 openings projected each year on average (most from workers transferring to other occupations or retiring, not net-new growth alone).
Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Grounds Maintenance Workers, 2024–34 projections.
Keep Exploring
Sources & Last Updated
Pay: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers (SOC 37-3011), May 2025.
Job outlook: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, Grounds Maintenance Workers, 2024–34 projections.
Licensing and apprenticeship requirements vary by state — start with the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational license finder or apprenticeship.gov.
Full source list: methodology.
Last updated: May 2025.