Statewide pay Government data
Landscapers in Missouri earn a statewide median of $38,520 a year, 3% above the typical U.S. metro, ranking #30 of 50 states and DC. About 18,310 people work in the trade statewide.
Statewide pay range
States ranked near Missouri
See all states on the landscaper overview.
Pay by city Government data
BLS publishes landscaper pay for 8 Missouri metros. The highest-paying is Kansas City at $41,450, followed by St. Louis and Jefferson City.
| Metro | Median pay | Real pay | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas CityMISSOURI · MO | $41,450 | $44,790 | 6,660 |
| St. LouisMISSOURI · MO | $39,040 | $41,057 | 9,600 |
| Jefferson CityMISSOURI · MO | $37,070 | $42,137 | 530 |
| ColumbiaMISSOURI · MO | $37,060 | $41,437 | 830 |
| St. JosephMISSOURI · MO | $36,460 | $42,208 | 220 |
| SpringfieldMISSOURI · MO | $36,410 | $41,102 | 1,250 |
| JoplinMISSOURI · MO | $36,210 | $42,243 | 270 |
| Cape GirardeauMISSOURI · MO | $36,130 | $41,974 | 200 |
Pay: BLS OEWS, May 2025 (metro-level). Real pay: BEA price parities, 2024. How we calculate
Pay outside the cities Government data
BLS also reports pay for Missouri's rural (nonmetropolitan) regions.
BLS OEWS nonmetropolitan areas, May 2025.
The job (national)
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.
Nationally, jobs are projected to grow 4.7% from 2025 to 2035, with about 149,500 openings a year. Typical training: short-term on-the-job training.
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.
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.
Registered apprenticeships Government data
Of landscaper apprentices in Missouri who finished or left a registered program in fiscal years 2020–2024, 77% completed (U.S.: 52%), about 50 graduates a year. The typical program runs 2,000 hours, about 1 years of full-time work. Search open registered programs near you on the official Apprenticeship Finder.
U.S. Department of Labor, RAPIDS apprentice records (Completion Rate Analysis), FY2020–2024 exits.
Serious injuries & deaths reported to OSHA Government data
From 2015 to 2024, landscaping companies in Missouri filed 35 severe injury reports (a hospital stay, amputation or loss of an eye), 4 of them involving an amputation. The most common cause was contact with objects and equipment (40% of reports). These cover everyone at those employers, not only landscapers. OSHA also opened 13 fatality investigations at landscaping companies in Missouri over the same years (federal and state programs).
OSHA Severe Injury Reports, January 2015–December 2024 (states under federal OSHA only).
Fatality investigations: OSHA Fatality Inspection Data, events 2015–2024, all states.
Where to train in Missouri Government data
5 schools in Missouri offer horticulture and landscaping programs below the bachelor's level. Many people in this trade learn through an apprenticeship instead; a program can shorten it or get you hired as a helper.
| School | Credential | Yearly cost | Recent grads | First-year pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saint Louis Community College Bridgeton, MO · Public | Certificate | $9,525 | 30 | — |
| Saint Louis Community College Bridgeton, MO · Public | Associate degree | $9,525 | 25 | — |
| University of Missouri-Columbia Columbia, MO · Public | Certificate | $32,790 | 24 | — |
| State Technical College of Missouri Linn, MO · Public | Associate degree | $20,731 | 21 | — |
| Ozarks Technical Community College Springfield, MO · Public | Certificate | $21,074 | 2 | — |
| Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center Cape Girardeau, MO · Public | Certificate | $23,285 | 0 | — |
| Ozarks Technical Community College Springfield, MO · Public | Associate degree | $21,074 | 0 | — |
| State Technical College of Missouri Linn, MO · Public | Certificate | $20,731 | 0 | — |
U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (data updated October 2026). Cost is the school's average yearly cost of attendance before financial aid; earnings are the median for graduates one year after finishing, shown only where the school has enough graduates to publish. “—” means not published.
Licensing in Missouri Official source
Missouri licenses most trades at the city or county level. Check with the building or licensing office where you plan to work.
Requirements for landscapers vary by state and sometimes by city; always confirm with the official agency.
Union membership
In 2025, 9.8% of wage and salary workers in Missouri were union members, close to the U.S. rate of about 10% (#22 of 51 states and D.C.), and 11.2% were covered by a union contract. These figures cover all jobs in the state, not only landscapers.
BLS Union Members, 2025 (Current Population Survey), table 5.
Cities in Missouri
All trades in Missouri.