The typical construction laborer earns about $3.84 an hour more than the typical landscaper, and laborers earn more in every state.
The typical construction laborer in the U.S. earned $22.66 an hour in May 2025. The typical landscaping and groundskeeping worker earned $18.82. That’s a gap of $3.84 an hour, or roughly $7,987 a year for a full-time worker, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Construction laborers earned more than landscapers in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The widest gaps:
- Hawaii: $14.99 an hour ($37.07 vs. $22.08)
- New Jersey: $10.92 ($30.80 vs. $19.88)
- Missouri: $8.76 ($27.28 vs. $18.52)
The gap was smallest in Maine, at just $0.22 an hour, followed by New Mexico ($0.40) and Georgia ($0.49).
Why landscaping owners are watching this
Landscaping and construction pull from the same pool of outdoor workers, so a crew member can often switch with little retraining. A recent Pro Landscaper article describes maintenance crew members leaving for construction jobs and puts the maintenance-versus-construction pay difference at about $4 to $5 an hour. Builders are short on landscapers too: in a September 2026 builder survey, 39% reported a shortage of landscaping workers, up 7 points from April 2025, Hardware Retailing reported.
What this means if you run a landscaping business
If you’re competing with construction for the same workers, pay is only part of the offer. Steady year-round hours, a clear path to crew lead and reliable equipment all matter. So does keeping your own costs in check. In Pennsylvania, where the gap is $4.76 an hour, see what landscaping insurance in Pennsylvania typically costs. In the two states with the widest gaps, see our guides to landscaping insurance in Hawaii and landscaping insurance in New Jersey.
How we got these numbers
All wages are median hourly wages from the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey for May 2025, the newest release, pulled through the BLS public data API. The median is the midpoint: half of workers in the job earn more and half earn less. OEWS covers employees on payrolls; it does not include self-employed business owners. Occupation codes: 37-3011 (landscaping and groundskeeping workers) and 47-2061 (construction laborers). Figures cover all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Data pulled October 18, 2026.