Agriculture & EnvironmentCompare

Landscaper

O*NET: Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers·37-3011.00

The Verdict:Landscaping demands hands-on work across unique outdoor sites — digging beds, pruning plants, installing features amid slopes, roots, and weather shifts no robot navigates fully. Basic automation aids mowing or planning, but core physical adaptation keeps the role secure. Demand stays strong with housing growth.

Resilience Score

/100

Resilient

Score tiers

Highly Resilient81–100

Resilient61–80

Moderate Risk41–60

High Risk21–40

Critical Risk0–20

How is this scored?

Task Resilience

How much of this role's daily work remains beyond AI and robotic automation.

30% of score

Physical Presence

The degree to which this job needs a human present — hands-on, in the field, or in the room.

20% of score

Human Necessity

How important the unique human edge is — for trust, accountability, or judgment.

15% of score

Regulatory Shield

How strong the legal requirement is for a human in this job (by law, licensing, or credentials).

13% of score

Technological Maturity

How far AI remains from performing this role's core functions.

10% of score

Displacement Evidence

The volume of jobs in this field being eliminated by AI or automation right now.

12% of score

Score last updated: February 2026Full methodology

Avg Salary

Median annual wage from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2024 release.

$38k

Job Growth (10yr)

Projected change in total number of jobs (not salary) from 2024–2034. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections.

+3.6%

AI Exposure

Percentage of this role's analyzed tasks that AI can handle autonomously or nearly so. 0 of 27 tasks are classified as AI-exposed.

Low exposure

Task Analysis

This role's core work is hard to automate.
23 of 27 tasks require human judgment, presence, or trust. The 15% that are AI-leverage offer an edge — professionals who learn these tools will outperform those who don't.

0exposed

4AI leverage

23human-essential

View all 27 tasks

AI Can Handle This0 tasks

Tasks AI can do autonomously or nearly so

No exposed tasks identified

AI Leverage4 tasks

Master these tools — humans who do outperform those who don't

Follow planned landscaping designs to determine where to lay sod, sow grass, or plant flowers or foliage.

Use irrigation methods to adjust the amount of water consumption and to prevent waste.

Plan or cultivate lawns or gardens.

Advise customers on plant selection or care.

Human Advantage23 tasks

Tasks requiring trust, presence, or novel judgment

Gather and remove litter.

Use hand tools, such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge or brush trimmers, or axes.

Operate vehicles or powered equipment, such as mowers, tractors, twin-axle vehicles, snow blowers, chainsaws, electric clippers, sod cutters, or pruning saws.

Water lawns, trees, or plants, using portable sprinkler systems, hoses, or watering cans.

Prune or trim trees, shrubs, or hedges, using shears, pruners, or chain saws.

Mix and spray or spread fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides onto grass, shrubs, or trees, using hand or automatic sprayers or spreaders.

Care for established lawns by mulching, aerating, weeding, grubbing, removing thatch, or trimming or edging around flower beds, walks, or walls.

Trim or pick flowers and clean flower beds.

Attach wires from planted trees to support stakes.

Plant seeds, bulbs, foliage, flowering plants, grass, ground covers, trees, or shrubs, and apply mulch for protection, using gardening tools.

Mow or edge lawns, using power mowers or edgers.

Rake, mulch, and compost leaves.

Decorate gardens with stones or plants.

Provide proper upkeep of sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, fountains, planters, burial sites, or other grounds features.

Shovel snow from walks, driveways, or parking lots, and spread salt in those areas.

Maintain irrigation systems, including winterizing the systems and starting them up in spring.

Maintain or repair tools, equipment, or structures, such as buildings, greenhouses, fences, or benches, using hand or power tools.

Care for artificial turf fields, periodically removing the turf and replacing cushioning pads or vacuuming and disinfecting the turf after use to prevent the growth of harmful bacteria.

Install rock gardens, ponds, decks, drainage systems, irrigation systems, retaining walls, fences, planters, or playground equipment.

Care for natural turf fields, making sure the underlying soil has the required composition to allow proper drainage and to support the grasses.

Haul or spread topsoil, or spread straw over seeded soil to hold soil in place.

Build forms and mix and pour cement to form garden borders.

Drive trucks or other vehicles to or at work sites.

Resilience Landscape

Landscaper lands in Stable, Lower Pay

Higher Resilience Paths in Agriculture & Environment

Agriculture & Environment

Landscaper

Task Analysis

Resilience Landscape

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