Landscapers in the Riverside area earn a median of $43,650 a year, 16% above the typical U.S. metro. That ranks #85 of 390 metros for landscapers nationwide.
Within driving distance, the same work pays more in San Diego and El Centro, but less in Las Vegas.
It's one of 25 California metros with published pay for this trade; see landscaper pay in California.
Landscaper pay in Riverside at a glance
- Landscapers in the Riverside, CA metro earn a median $43,650 a year ($20.99 an hour), #85 of 390 U.S. metros (BLS, May 2025).
- The middle 80% earn between $36,370 and $58,230.
- After local prices, that median buys what $41,008 would in a typical U.S. place (BEA, 2024).
- A typical 1-bedroom rents for $1,705 a month, 47% of the median pay (HUD, FY2027).
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Enter a rate to see where it falls among landscapers in Riverside.
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What this means Our calculation
Pay for landscapers here is above average compared with other U.S. metros, and about average once local prices are factored in. For the wider job market, unemployment is higher than in most metros (5.5%) and the population is growing at a typical pace (+3.5% since 2020). On your own, you'd join about 7,143 one-person landscaping businesses averaging $38,210 in revenue, and you'd need to bill roughly $60/hour to match the median salary (at our default assumptions).
Riverside scorecard for landscapers Our calculation
Grades compare Riverside with every other U.S. metro for this trade (A = top 20%).
Pay Government data
Pay range
Shaded: the middle half of workers. Grey line: typical U.S. metro ($37,540).
Pay over time
The median pay for landscapers in the Riverside area went from $31,340 in 2020 to $43,650 in 2025, up 39.3%. Prices rose 25% over the same period, so after inflation that's +11.1% — a real raise.
BLS OEWS, May 2020–May 2025; inflation: CPI-U (May to May). Year-to-year changes can include survey noise.
Compared with nearby metros
What the pay is really worth in Riverside Our calculation
Prices in the Riverside area run 6% above the U.S. average. Adjusted for that, a median paycheck here buys what $41,008 would in a typical place, ranking #163 of 385 on real pay.
Real pay or rent burden?
Real pay already accounts for housing, because the price index includes rent. Rent burden shows what share of pay a typical 1-bedroom takes. Use either one, not both together.
Want the full picture? Build a cost-of-living budget for Riverside from this pay, local rent and prices.
What landscapers do
Landscape or maintain grounds of property using hand or power tools or equipment. Workers typically perform a variety of tasks, which may include any combination of the following: sod laying, mowing, trimming, planting, watering, fertilizing, digging, raking, sprinkler installation, and installation of mortarless segmental concrete masonry wall units.
Most important day-to-day tasks
- Mow or edge lawns, using power mowers or edgers.
- Operate vehicles or powered equipment, such as mowers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers, chainsaws, electric clippers, sod cutters, or pruning saws.
- Use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers, or axes.
- Prune or trim trees, shrubs, or hedges, using shears, pruners, or chain saws.
- Gather and remove litter.
Outlook & getting started
Nationally, landscaper jobs are projected to grow 4.7% from 2025 to 2035 (all jobs: 3.5%), with about 149,500 openings a year. About 20% are self-employed.
What the work is like Government data
How often landscapers deal with each condition, from surveys of workers in the job.
Getting started usually takes some preparation (high school plus months of training).
O*NET 31.0 Work Context and Job Zones (U.S. Department of Labor), national.
Licensing in California Official source
The main state licensing office in California is the Contractors State License Board. Licenses all trades by classification (e.g. C-10 electrical; C-36 plumbing). It can point you to the right license for landscapers.
Official California licensing site ↗
Requirements for landscapers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
On-the-job safety Government data
Nationally, landscapers have 165 injuries or illnesses serious enough to miss work per 10,000 full-time workers, 1.9× the rate for all jobs (87). The most common cause is being struck by or caught in objects and equipment.
BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses, 2023–2024 (national, cases with days away from work).
Highest-paying CA metros for landscapers
| Metro | Median | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| NapaCALIFORNIA · CA | $48,540 | $43,126 | 940 |
| San JoseCALIFORNIA · CA | $48,330 | $43,768 | 6,000 |
| San FranciscoCALIFORNIA · CA | $48,040 | $41,552 | 12,270 |
| Yuba CityCALIFORNIA · CA | $47,420 | $45,494 | 340 |
| Santa RosaCALIFORNIA · CA | $46,740 | $43,365 | 2,740 |
| SalinasCALIFORNIA · CA | $46,550 | $42,690 | 1,590 |
| Santa CruzCALIFORNIA · CA | $46,210 | $42,049 | 1,030 |
| ModestoCALIFORNIA · CA | $45,740 | $43,935 | 1,080 |
| San DiegoCALIFORNIA · CA | $45,560 | $40,720 | 10,870 |
| San Luis ObispoCALIFORNIA · CA | $45,500 | $41,898 | 1,170 |
See every metro in California.
How much work is there? Government data
Local job market
The Riverside area's unemployment rate was 5.5% in 2025 (all workers, not just landscapers), above the typical U.S. metro's 4.1%. It was 7.4% in 2021.
BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics, annual averages 2021–2025 (2025 preliminary).
Getting to work
The average commute in the Riverside area is 34 minutes each way, longer than the typical metro (24 min). 27% of commuters spend 45 minutes or more. 74% drive alone, 1% take transit and 11% work from home (all workers, not just trades).
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table S0801).
Population
The Riverside area's population grew 3.5% from 2020 to 2025 (4,607,646 → 4,769,007), ranking #145 of 387 metros for growth (typical metro +2.5%). People moving in (net +91,151) account for most of the change.
Census Bureau population estimates, July 1 of each year, 2020–2025.
Homes in Riverside
The Riverside area has about 1,643,386 homes. 35% were built before 1980 (typical metro 45%), so its housing is newer than most; 12% were built in 2010 or later. 66% of households own their home, and the median home value is $579,500.
Census American Community Survey, 2024 1-year estimates (table DP04).
New construction
New-home permits in Riverside are roughly flat from 2021 to 2025 (15,606 → 15,937).
In 2025 the Riverside area approved permits for 15,937 new homes (9,977 single-family), or 3.4 per 1,000 residents, ranking #198 of 393 metros.
Competition
In 2024 the area had 7,143 one-person businesses (no employees) in landscaping, averaging $38,210 a year in revenue before expenses. See how Riverside compares among the best cities to start a landscaper business.
They compete with 1,010 landscaping companies that have employees (about 14,098 workers in total). 63% of those companies have fewer than 5 employees.
Licensed contractors
The Riverside area has 1,470 active C-27 Landscaping contractor licenses, about 3.1 per 10,000 residents (#14 of 25 California metros, where #1 is the most crowded). That's the competition you'd face bidding your own jobs.
California Contractors State License Board, License Master file, October 2026. Counted by the county in each license's address.
Working outdoors in Riverside Government data
In an average year, Riverside has 100 days at 90°F or hotter (more than most metros; typical metro 33), including 22 at 100°F or more, 4 nights below freezing (typical 90) and 17 days with a tenth of an inch of rain or more. Summer afternoons average 92°F and winter nights 44°F. That matters for landscapers: heat and freezes shape the working season and the hours.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020 averages, Riverside Muni Airport, CA station. Compare cities on outdoor work weather.
Employee vs. working for yourself Your scenario
A model, not a market rate. It shows the break-even rate to match a $43,650 employee salary once you cover what an employer normally pays for (including the employer half of Social Security and Medicare, 7.65%), then adds your profit margin. Change any number.
Break-even rate
With your profit margin
How this calculator works. Weighing a contractor job against a W-2 one? Try the 1099 vs. W-2 comparison. Billable hours are hours you can charge a customer. Driving, quoting, paperwork and slow weeks aren't billable, which is why 1,400 is a common starting point versus 2,080 paid hours as an employee.
Get landscaper pricing & estimate templates →Compare Riverside with another city →
Keep exploring
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ToolBest cities for landscapersRank every metro on pay, buying power, rent and jobs.Is a job offer here any good?
ToolCheck an offer in RiversideSee where it falls among local landscapers, after the commute.Could you afford to live here?
ToolRiverside budgetMonthly take-home, HUD rent and local prices on this pay.About this data
Local to the Riverside metro: pay (BLS, May 2025) and pay over time (2020–2025, CPI-adjusted), prices (BEA, 2024), rent (HUD, FY2027), new construction, housing, population and commuting (Census), unemployment (BLS) and business counts (Census, by industry). National: job outlook and training (BLS projections), injury rates (BLS) and duties (O*NET). Jobs are employment estimates, not open positions; grades rank Riverside against every other metro for landscapers. Every source, year and formula is on our data page.