- Wages
- Landscaping
- South Carolina
How much does a landscaper make in South Carolina?
In South Carolina, landscaping and groundskeeping workers earned an average of $18.04 an hour in May 2025, and the median was $17.65 an hour, per the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).
$18.04
$17.65
$20.33
$2.29 less an hour
$37,523
By the hour, the week and the year in South Carolina
At 40 hours a week, the average of $18.04 an hour comes to $721.60 a week. Over the 2,080-hour year the BLS uses for its annual figures, it comes to $37,523 a year, and the median of $17.65 to $36,712 a year.
In South Carolina, the average is $0.39 above the median (2.2%): a smaller group of higher wages pulls the average up, and half of landscaping and groundskeeping workers earn $17.65 an hour or less.
How does South Carolina compare?
The average in South Carolina is $2.29 below the national average of $20.33 (11.3% less), about $4,763 less a year at 2,080 hours.
By average wage, South Carolina ranks 44 of 51 states and DC with data for this trade (1 pays the most). The national median is $18.82 an hour.
South Carolina and its Census division, South Atlantic
By average wage, South Carolina ranks 8 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 South Carolina |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $24.62 | $23.46 | +$6.58 |
| Maryland | $20.86 | $18.93 | +$2.82 |
| Virginia | $19.60 | $18.46 | +$1.56 |
| Delaware | $19.08 | $17.96 | +$1.04 |
| North Carolina | $19.04 | $18.22 | +$1.00 |
| Florida | $18.80 | $17.84 | +$0.76 |
| Georgia | $18.51 | $18.25 | +$0.47 |
| South Carolina | $18.04 | $17.65 | |
| West Virginia | $16.29 | $15.50 | -$1.75 |
This trade and the others in South Carolina
Of the 5 trades this site prices, landscaping and groundskeeping workers rank 4 of the 5 by average wage in South Carolina. Among them, the average runs from $14.88 (Cleaning) to $26.03 (Concrete).
| Trade | Average per hour | Median per hour | Against landscaping |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concrete | $26.03 | $23.73 | +$7.99 |
| Drywall | $23.28 | $21.80 | +$5.24 |
| Painting | $20.22 | $19.64 | +$2.18 |
| Landscaping | $18.04 | $17.65 | |
| Cleaning | $14.88 | $14.55 | -$3.16 |
Against the minimum wage in South Carolina
In South Carolina most employers pay the federal minimum wage, $7.25 an hour. The median of landscaping and groundskeeping workers, $17.65, is $10.40 above it, 2.4 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 South Carolina, $17.65 an hour, the 8 hours of the starting job of the landscaping calculator cost $141.20 in wages. With its $55.00 of materials, 10% overhead and 15% profit, the quote comes to $248.19; 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.