- Wages
- Landscaping
- Illinois
How much does a landscaper make in Illinois?
In Illinois, landscaping and groundskeeping workers earned an average of $21.54 an hour in May 2025, and the median was $21.05 an hour, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
$21.54
$21.05
$20.33
$1.21 more an hour
$44,803
By the hour, the week and the year in Illinois
At 40 hours a week, the average of $21.54 an hour comes to $861.60 a week. Over the 2,080-hour year the BLS uses for its annual figures, it comes to $44,803 a year, and the median of $21.05 to $43,784 a year.
In Illinois, the average is $0.49 above the median (2.3%): a smaller group of higher wages pulls the average up, and half of landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn $21.05 an hour or less.
How does Illinois compare?
The average in Illinois is $1.21 above the national average of $20.33 (6.0% more), about $2,517 more a year at 2,080 hours.
By average wage, Illinois ranks 17 of 51 states and DC with data for this trade (1 pays the most). The national median is $18.82 an hour.
Illinois and its Census division, East North Central
Of the 5 states of the division with data for this trade, Illinois pays the highest average, $21.54; next comes Wisconsin with $20.55.
| State | Average per hour | Median per hour | Against Illinois |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | $21.54 | $21.05 | |
| Wisconsin | $20.55 | $19.82 | -$0.99 |
| Michigan | $19.49 | $18.33 | -$2.05 |
| Indiana | $19.24 | $18.30 | -$2.30 |
| Ohio | $19.18 | $18.38 | -$2.36 |
This trade and the others in Illinois
Of the 5 trades this site prices, landscaping and groundskeeping workers rank 4 of the 5 by average wage in Illinois. Among them, the average runs from $18.73 (Cleaning) to $37.40 (Concrete).
| Trade | Average per hour | Median per hour | Against landscaping |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete | $37.40 | $37.58 | +$15.86 |
| Drywall | $34.95 | $30.38 | +$13.41 |
| Painting | $33.48 | $29.45 | +$11.94 |
| Landscaping | $21.54 | $21.05 | |
| Cleaning | $18.73 | $17.49 | -$2.81 |
Against the minimum wage in Illinois
The minimum wage in Illinois is $15.00 an hour for most employers. The median of landscaping and groundskeeping workers, $21.05, is $6.05 above it, 40.3% more than the minimum. Over 2,080 hours the minimum comes to $31,200 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 Illinois, $21.05 an hour, the 8 hours of the starting job of the landscaping calculator cost $168.40 in wages. With its $55.00 of materials, 10% overhead and 15% profit, the quote comes to $282.60; 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.