Jobs in the green industry

The business of growing flowers, greenery, trees, and vegetables and of planting them in the landscape is commonly called the green industry. Earnings in wage-and-salary jobs in this industry varied widely in May 2004, from $20,420 for landscaping workers to $114,680 for chief executives.

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Landscaping and groundskeeping workers had median annual earnings of $20,420 in May 2004. Pesticide handlers, sprayers, and applicators made more, with median annual earnings of $25,590. The grounds maintenance workers with the highest pay were tree trimmers and pruners—their median annual earnings were $26,150.

The median annual earnings of first-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers were $35,340 in May 2004. Landscape architects who worked for a wage or salary had median annual earnings of $53,120.

General and operations managers in the landscaping services industry had median annual earnings of $73,550 in May 2004 and chief executives had median annual earnings of $114,680.

These data are from the Occupational Employment Statistics program. For more information, see "Careers in the green industry" by Kevin M. McCarron, Occupational Outlook Quarterly, Spring 2005.