Landscape architects
Plan and design land areas for projects such as parks and other recreational facilities, airports, highways, hospitals, schools, land subdivisions, and commercial, industrial, and residential sites.
Landscape architects plan and design land areas for projects such as parks and other recreational facilities, airports, highways, hospitals, schools, land subdivisions, and commercial, industrial, and residential sites. The role reports a median annual salary of $79,660 in the US and is projected to grow 4% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.42 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include landscape architecture, green space strategies, landscape design, aesthetics, zoning codes.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £47,143 a year for Architects (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £37,342 to £55,262 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2451). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Landscape architects, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
Entrance exams on this route — Dates, eligibility and cut-offs for the exams on the way to this career:
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Design
- Building and Construction
- Geography
- Engineering and Technology
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Computers and Electronics
- Public Safety and Security
A day in the life
You start the morning walking a sloping plot where a new housing development will go, noting the drainage, the old trees worth saving, the soil and where the sun falls. Back in the studio you look over survey data and environmental notes, then begin a site plan that works the existing trees and a small stream into paths, play areas and gardens. Mid-morning you meet the building architects and a civil engineer to agree how the landscape meets the buildings and how rainwater will be handled. After lunch you work in design software on drawings and visual impressions for next week's client presentation. Later you put together specifications and a rough cost estimate for planting and paving, which is detailed, careful and fairly tedious. On the way home you stop at a park you designed that has just opened, check the finished paving and planting against the specification, and see families already using the space the way you imagined.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Confer with clients, engineering personnel, or architects on landscape projects.
- Analyze data on conditions such as site location, drainage, or structure location for environmental reports or landscaping plans.
- Inspect landscape work to ensure compliance with specifications, evaluate quality of materials or work, or advise clients or construction personnel.
- Prepare site plans, specifications, or cost estimates for land development.
- Integrate existing land features or landscaping into designs.
- Collaborate with architects or related professionals on whole building design to maximize the aesthetic features of structures or surrounding land and to improve energy efficiency.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Landscape architects do?
Plan and design land areas for projects such as parks and other recreational facilities, airports, highways, hospitals, schools, land subdivisions, and commercial, industrial, and residential sites.
What does a typical day look like in Landscape architects?
You start the morning walking a sloping plot where a new housing development will go, noting the drainage, the old trees worth saving, the soil and where the sun falls. Back in the studio you look over survey data and environmental notes, then begin a site plan that works the existing trees and a small stream into paths, play areas and gardens. Mid-morning you meet the building architects and a civil engineer to agree how the landscape meets the buildings and how rainwater will be handled.
How much does Landscape architects earn?
The median annual salary for Landscape architects in the US is $79,660.
What is the job outlook for Landscape architects?
The role is projected to grow 4% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 21,800 workers.
How do I become landscape architects?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Landscape architects need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include landscape architecture, green space strategies, landscape design, aesthetics, zoning codes, urban planning. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Landscape architects?
Our AI-durability model gives Landscape architects a score of 0.42 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Landscape architects has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.