- Wages
- Landscaping
- North Carolina
How much does a landscaper make in North Carolina?
In North Carolina, landscaping and groundskeeping workers earned an average of $19.04 an hour in May 2025, and the median was $18.22 an hour, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
$19.04
$18.22
$20.33
$1.29 less an hour
$39,603
By the hour, the week and the year in North Carolina
At 40 hours a week, the average of $19.04 an hour comes to $761.60 a week. Over the 2,080-hour year the BLS uses for its annual figures, it comes to $39,603 a year, and the median of $18.22 to $37,898 a year.
In North Carolina, the average is $0.82 above the median (4.5%): a smaller group of higher wages pulls the average up, and half of landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn $18.22 an hour or less.
How does North Carolina compare?
The average in North Carolina is $1.29 below the national average of $20.33 (6.3% less), about $2,683 less a year at 2,080 hours.
By average wage, North Carolina ranks 37 of 51 states and DC with data for this trade (1 pays the most). The national median is $18.82 an hour.
North Carolina and its Census division, South Atlantic
By average wage, North Carolina ranks 5 of the 9 states of the division with data for this trade: the highest is District of Columbia, $24.62, and the lowest West Virginia, $16.29.
| State | Average per hour | Median per hour | Against North Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $24.62 | $23.46 | +$5.58 |
| Maryland | $20.86 | $18.93 | +$1.82 |
| Virginia | $19.60 | $18.46 | +$0.56 |
| Delaware | $19.08 | $17.96 | +$0.04 |
| North Carolina | $19.04 | $18.22 | |
| Florida | $18.80 | $17.84 | -$0.24 |
| Georgia | $18.51 | $18.25 | -$0.53 |
| South Carolina | $18.04 | $17.65 | -$1.00 |
| West Virginia | $16.29 | $15.50 | -$2.75 |
This trade and the others in North Carolina
Of the 5 trades this site prices, landscaping and groundskeeping workers rank 4 of the 5 by average wage in North Carolina. Among them, the average runs from $16.07 (Cleaning) to $22.70 (Concrete).
| Trade | Average per hour | Median per hour | Against landscaping |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete | $22.70 | $22.49 | +$3.66 |
| Drywall | $21.66 | $21.67 | +$2.62 |
| Painting | $21.59 | $21.21 | +$2.55 |
| Landscaping | $19.04 | $18.22 | |
| Cleaning | $16.07 | $15.05 | -$2.97 |
Against the minimum wage in North Carolina
In North Carolina most employers pay the federal minimum wage, $7.25 an hour. The median of landscaping and groundskeeping workers, $18.22, is $10.97 above it, 2.5 times the minimum. Over 2,080 hours the minimum comes to $15,080 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 North Carolina, $18.22 an hour, the 8 hours of the starting job of the landscaping calculator cost $145.76 in wages. With its $55.00 of materials, 10% overhead and 15% profit, the quote comes to $253.97; 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.