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Landscape Architect

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What Do Landscape Architect Do?

Career Description Plan and design land areas for projects such as parks and other recreational facilities, airports, highways, hospitals, schools, land subdivisions, and commercial, industrial, and residential sites.

A Day in the Life of a Landscape Architect

  • Manage the work of subcontractors to ensure quality control.
  • Prepare graphic representations or drawings of proposed plans or designs.
  • Collaborate with estimators to cost projects, create project plans, or coordinate bids from landscaping contractors.
  • Design and integrate rainwater harvesting or gray and reclaimed water systems to conserve water into building or land designs.
  • Inspect landscape work to ensure compliance with specifications, evaluate quality of materials or work, or advise clients or construction personnel.
  • Provide follow-up consultations for clients to ensure landscape designs are maturing or developing as planned.

What Skills Do You Need to Work as a Landscape Architect?

When polled, Landscape Architects say the following skills are most frequently used in their jobs:

Active Listening: Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Reading Comprehension: Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Speaking: Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Coordination: Adjusting actions in relation to others’ actions.

Writing: Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Time Management: Managing one’s own time and the time of others.

Other Landscape Architect Job Titles

  • Exterior Designer
  • Landscape Architect
  • Environment Friendly Landscape Designer
  • Director of Landscape Architecture and Planning
  • Golf Course Designer

What Kind of Landscape Architect Job Opportunities Are There?

In 2016, there was an estimated number of 24,700 jobs in the United States for Landscape Architect. New jobs are being produced at a rate of 6.5% which is above the national average. The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts 1,600 new jobs for Landscape Architect by 2026. There will be an estimated 1,900 positions for Landscape Architect per year.

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The states with the most job growth for Landscape Architect are Alaska, Idaho, and Utah. Watch out if you plan on working in Nevada, Montana, or District of Columbia. These states have the worst job growth for this type of profession.

Salary for a Landscape Architect

The typical yearly salary for Landscape Architects is somewhere between $40,710 and $113,340.

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Landscape Architects who work in District of Columbia, California, or Connecticut, make the highest salaries.

Below is a list of the median annual salaries for Landscape Architects in different U.S. states.

State Annual Mean Salary
Alabama $66,030
Arizona $68,520
Arkansas $65,200
California $89,570
Colorado $70,640
Connecticut $87,660
District of Columbia $100,690
Florida $66,830
Georgia $68,250
Hawaii $75,300
Idaho $61,430
Illinois $71,760
Indiana $56,830
Iowa $58,600
Kansas $65,340
Kentucky $60,710
Louisiana $49,270
Maine $75,240
Maryland $73,880
Massachusetts $75,360
Minnesota $76,210
Mississippi $75,120
Missouri $76,740
Montana $60,220
Nebraska $58,450
Nevada $74,430
New Jersey $76,460
New Mexico $53,910
New York $82,510
North Carolina $78,610
North Dakota $62,830
Ohio $63,970
Oklahoma $52,790
Oregon $59,200
Pennsylvania $66,470
South Carolina $58,970
South Dakota $69,280
Tennessee $70,560
Texas $69,630
Utah $70,990
Vermont $60,910
Virginia $85,880
Washington $68,400
West Virginia $55,370
Wisconsin $58,380
Wyoming $79,650

What Tools do Landscape Architects Use?

Although they’re not necessarily needed for all jobs, the following technologies are used by many Landscape Architects:

  • Microsoft Excel
  • Microsoft Word
  • Microsoft Office
  • Microsoft PowerPoint
  • Microsoft Outlook
  • Web browser software
  • Microsoft Access
  • Microsoft Project
  • Autodesk AutoCAD
  • Adobe Systems Adobe Acrobat
  • Adobe Systems Adobe Photoshop
  • Adobe Systems Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe Systems Adobe InDesign
  • Bentley Microstation
  • Autodesk Revit
  • Adobe Systems Adobe Creative Cloud
  • Trimble SketchUp Pro
  • Autodesk AutoCAD Civil 3D
  • Desktop publishing software
  • Corel CorelDraw Graphics Suite

How to Become a Landscape Architect

Learn what Landscape Architect education requirements there are.

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How Long Does it Take to Become a Landscape Architect?

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Where do Landscape Architects Work?

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Below are examples of industries where Landscape Architects work:

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References:

Image Credit: La Citta Vita via Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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