- Wages
- Landscaping
- California
How much does a landscaper make in California?
In California, landscaping and groundskeeping workers earned an average of $22.80 an hour in May 2025, and the median was $21.90 an hour, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
$22.80
$21.90
$20.33
$2.47 more an hour
$47,424
By the hour, the week and the year in California
At 40 hours a week, the average of $22.80 an hour comes to $912.00 a week. Over the 2,080-hour year the BLS uses for its annual figures, it comes to $47,424 a year, and the median of $21.90 to $45,552 a year.
In California, the average is $0.90 above the median (4.1%): a smaller group of higher wages pulls the average up, and half of landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn $21.90 an hour or less.
How does California compare?
The average in California is $2.47 above the national average of $20.33 (12.1% more), about $5,138 more a year at 2,080 hours.
By average wage, California ranks 4 of 51 states and DC with data for this trade (1 pays the most). The national median is $18.82 an hour.
California and its Census division, Pacific
By average wage, California ranks 2 of the 5 states of the division with data for this trade: the highest is Washington, $23.62, and the lowest Hawaii, $21.60.
| State | Average per hour | Median per hour | Against California |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washington | $23.62 | $22.57 | +$0.82 |
| California | $22.80 | $21.90 | |
| Alaska | $22.73 | $22.93 | -$0.07 |
| Oregon | $22.04 | $21.65 | -$0.76 |
| Hawaii | $21.60 | $22.08 | -$1.20 |
This trade and the others in California
Of the 5 trades this site prices, landscaping and groundskeeping workers rank 4 of the 5 by average wage in California. Among them, the average runs from $22.08 (Cleaning) to $35.91 (Drywall).
| Trade | Average per hour | Median per hour | Against landscaping |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drywall | $35.91 | $31.67 | +$13.11 |
| Concrete | $34.09 | $30.15 | +$11.29 |
| Painting | $30.03 | $28.38 | +$7.23 |
| Landscaping | $22.80 | $21.90 | |
| Cleaning | $22.08 | $20.51 | -$0.72 |
Against the minimum wage in California
The minimum wage in California is $16.90 an hour for most employers. The median of landscaping and groundskeeping workers, $21.90, is $5.00 above it, 29.6% more than the minimum. Over 2,080 hours the minimum comes to $35,152 a year.
From wage to rate
This is what an employer pays an employee, not what a contractor bills. Your rate also has to cover your overhead (vehicle, insurance, tools), your profit, and the hours you cannot bill.
If you pay a helper the median wage in California, $21.90 an hour, the 8 hours of the starting job of the landscaping calculator cost $175.20 in wages. With its $55.00 of materials, 10% overhead and 15% profit, the quote comes to $291.20; at the national median, $18.82, the same job comes to $260.04. A wage is only the floor: your own rate also pays your taxes, your unbilled hours and your business.