Landscape Architects
Also called: Golf Course Architect, Landscape Architect, Landscape Planner, Park PlannerPlan 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.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 13 of its 19 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 4.4% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 1.0% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.9 hires for every 10 job openings in professional and business services, which employs about 88% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.9 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $101,220 | $74,930 to $109,010 | 230 |
| Arizona | $75,310 | $65,260 to $99,510 | 390 |
| Arkansas | $60,840 | $50,770 to $79,450 | 100 |
| California | $98,380 | $74,960 to $132,220 | 2,310 |
| Colorado | $78,290 | $66,150 to $100,870 | 690 |
| Connecticut | $76,680 | $66,910 to $103,260 | 270 |
| Delaware | not published | not published | 30 |
| District of Columbia | $85,100 | $62,980 to $128,820 | 170 |
| Florida | $79,650 | $63,590 to $98,600 | 1,210 |
| Georgia | $73,570 | $62,160 to $91,710 | 410 |
| Idaho | $73,950 | $62,040 to $103,450 | 160 |
| Illinois | $67,460 | $54,770 to $77,510 | 810 |
| Indiana | $64,980 | $56,320 to $78,170 | 460 |
| Iowa | $87,270 | $79,330 to $102,720 | 80 |
| Kansas | $73,760 | $53,410 to $86,900 | 150 |
| Kentucky | $68,460 | $50,860 to $91,980 | 140 |
| Louisiana | not published | not published | 110 |
| Maine | $82,440 | $66,420 to $102,460 | 110 |
| Maryland | $92,880 | $72,800 to $111,500 | 870 |
| Massachusetts | $88,000 | $79,310 to $91,700 | 500 |
| Michigan | $77,670 | $60,780 to $95,780 | 650 |
| Minnesota | not published | not published | 400 |
| Missouri | $76,670 | $61,730 to $99,600 | 110 |
| Montana | $81,330 | $64,320 to $93,170 | 80 |
| Nebraska | $62,170 | $44,230 to $72,010 | 190 |
| Nevada | $85,140 | $69,990 to $102,960 | 180 |
| New Hampshire | $71,500 | $59,570 to $90,290 | 50 |
| New Jersey | $95,020 | $81,680 to $107,790 | 360 |
| New Mexico | $71,990 | $61,400 to $75,840 | 50 |
| New York | $87,360 | $68,020 to $108,700 | 920 |
| North Carolina | $83,420 | $63,410 to $98,740 | 1,080 |
| Ohio | $63,790 | $54,290 to $86,320 | 480 |
| Oklahoma | $64,370 | $50,620 to $64,380 | 170 |
| Oregon | $73,600 | $63,180 to $88,710 | 350 |
| Pennsylvania | $77,130 | $65,520 to $100,930 | 910 |
| Puerto Rico | $50,960 | $45,800 to $83,180 | 30 |
| Rhode Island | $85,420 | $53,490 to $112,320 | 90 |
| South Dakota | $70,620 | $68,980 to $108,640 | 80 |
| Tennessee | $95,250 | $62,160 to $131,830 | 260 |
| Texas | $89,220 | $76,840 to $110,360 | 1,450 |
| Utah | $94,430 | $77,120 to $99,860 | 90 |
| Vermont | $69,740 | $67,720 to $79,670 | not published |
| Virginia | $81,380 | $67,900 to $100,270 | 570 |
| Washington | $76,720 | $65,150 to $100,520 | 760 |
| Wisconsin | $69,520 | $55,170 to $95,680 | 450 |
Nationally: $79,870. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 13 of its 19 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Confer with clients, engineering personnel, or architects on landscape projects. | Not published |
| AI + software | Analyze data on conditions such as site location, drainage, or structure location for environmental reports or landscaping plans. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Inspect landscape work to ensure compliance with specifications, evaluate quality of materials or work, or advise clients or construction personnel. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare site plans, specifications, or cost estimates for land development. | Not published |
| AI + software | 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. | Not published |
| AI + software | Integrate existing land features or landscaping into designs. | Not published |
See all 19 tasks
| Not much | Inspect proposed sites to identify structural elements of land areas or other important site information, such as soil condition, existing landscaping, or the proximity of water management facilities. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare graphic representations or drawings of proposed plans or designs. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Collaborate with estimators to cost projects, create project plans, or coordinate bids from landscaping contractors. | Not published |
| AI + software | Create landscapes that minimize water consumption such as by incorporating drought-resistant grasses or indigenous plants. | Not published |
| AI + software | Develop planting plans to help clients garden productively or to achieve particular aesthetic effects. | Not published |
| Not much | Develop marketing materials, proposals, or presentations to generate new work opportunities. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Manage the work of subcontractors to ensure quality control. | Not published |
| Not much | Present project plans or designs to public stakeholders, such as government agencies or community groups. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare conceptual drawings, graphics, or other visual representations of land areas to show predicted growth or development of land areas over time. | Not published |
| AI + software | Identify and select appropriate sustainable materials for use in landscape designs, such as recycled wood or recycled concrete boards for structural elements or recycled tires for playground bedding. | Not published |
| AI + software | Research latest products, technology, or design trends to stay current in the field. | Not published |
| AI + software | Design and integrate rainwater harvesting or gray and reclaimed water systems to conserve water into building or land designs. | Not published |
| AI alone | Provide follow-up consultations for clients to ensure landscape designs are maturing or developing as planned. | under 0.01% |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 4 of the 19 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 19 tasks fall under 14 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #5 Provide information or assistance to the public
- #14 Create visual designs or displays
- and 3 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Create visual designs or displays | |||
| Design structures or facilities | |||
| Communicate with others about specifications or project details | |||
| Inspect facilities or equipment | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Provide information or assistance to the public | |||
| Advise others on products or services | |||
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects |
Show all 14 activities
| Plan work activities | |||
| Confer with clients to determine needs or order specifications | |||
| Promote products, services, or programs | |||
| Analyze environmental or geospatial data | |||
| Develop systems or practices to mitigate or resolve environmental problems | |||
| Supervise personnel activities |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A chart or visualization31%
- A design mockup13%
- A document or report11%
- A presentation or slides7%
- Advice or a recommendation6%
How they worked with Claude
40% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for landscape architects specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 3,206 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 9%
- 2 Management Analysts Very high +10.1% 4%
- 3 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 4%
- 4 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 4%
- 5 Designers, All Other High +1.2% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 3,636 moves in
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 7%
- 2 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 5%
- 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 5%
- 4 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 5 Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers Low +5.5% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 85% bachelor's
- 10% post-bachelor's certificate
- 5% master's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 20 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 2% less than high school
- 5% high school
- 6% some college
- 3% associate's
- 55% bachelor's
- 27% master's
- 3% professional degree
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 414 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
2 programs: Environmental Design/Architecture and Landscape Architecture.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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