How much do horticulturists make in 2026?
Horticulturists are placed in the BLS soil and plant scientists series: OEWS May 2025 gives SOC 19-1013 a national median of $78,850 a year ($37.91 an hour), with the bottom 10% near $48,680 and the top 10% at $138,120 across 15,730 workers. That code is dominated by agricultural science — agronomists, crop scientists, seed and agrochemical company researchers — and those employers pay considerably more than public gardens do. A horticulturist at a botanical garden, arboretum or public park is doing skilled plant science work: collection curation and plant records, propagation and seed banking, integrated pest management, soil and irrigation management, and interpretation for visitors. But the pay generally sits between the 10th percentile and the lower quartile of this band, because the employer is a non-profit or municipal institution with a fixed budget rather than a commercial business with a return on the science. Commercial horticulture is where the median actually lives: greenhouse and nursery production management, controlled environment agriculture, breeding and variety development, and technical roles at input suppliers. Horticulturists who want both the plants and the pay generally end up in the commercial side, and the two career paths diverge early. Employment is projected to grow 5.4% through 2034 with roughly 1,700 openings a year. → Full horticulturist career guide, career path, credentials & placement →
Note: $78,850 blends every experience level and every setting in this occupation. For pay by level alone, see Pay by Level below.
- Horticulturists earn a national median $78,850/yr ($37.91/hr) (BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 19-1013); the P10 to P90 range is $48,680 to $138,120.
- The published median is set by agricultural science employers, not by gardens — public garden horticulturists typically sit between the 10th percentile and the lower quartile of this band.
- Commercial horticulture — greenhouse and nursery production, controlled environment agriculture, breeding, technical supplier roles — is where the median actually lives.
- The two career paths diverge early, and horticulturists who want both the plants and the pay generally end up on the commercial side.
US Horticulturist Pay Distribution · BLS OEWS May 2025
Pay by Level · BLS OEWS May 2025
How much do horticulturists earn at each level?
BLS OEWS publishes one blended wage for the whole occupation and does not break pay out by credential or practice level. The levels below distribute the published percentile range across the credential tiers this role actually hires at.
Level medians are aligned to the BLS OEWS May 2025 percentile distribution for SOC 19-1013; GlobalCybers does not yet publish a verified placement sample for this role, so no verified median is shown.
Methodology & Sources
How the numbers on this page are built
Published (BLS): BLS OEWS May 2025, SOC 19-1013, United States national estimate. Public, methodologically rigorous, but sampled on a rolling 3-year basis and published ~10 months after collection — so it reflects wages that are already 1–2 years old by the time you read them.
Level and certification medians: distributed across the published BLS percentile range for this SOC code (P10 through P90) according to the credential tiers this occupation actually hires at. They are modeled reference points, not separately surveyed wages.
State and metro figures: modeled — the BLS national median multiplied by the GlobalCybers state wage index, and for metros by the published metro index for that state. They are estimates of local pay, not BLS state or metropolitan-area observations, and are labelled as modeled in the tables below.
No verified placement sample:GlobalCybers does not yet publish a placement median for this role, so no "verified" figure appears anywhere on this page.
Pay by Career Level
How much does a horticulturist earn at each career stage?
Horticulture pay follows the commercial value of the plants you are responsible for. Each median is anchored to the BLS OEWS distribution for SOC 19-1013.
By State
Which states pay horticulturists the most in 2026?
These are modeled state estimates — the national soil and plant scientist median scaled by the GlobalCybers state wage index — not BLS state observations. For public garden roles they overstate typical pay in every state, because the underlying code is dominated by commercial agricultural science employers.
6 of 51 state guides shown, ranked by median. Bar is relative to California ($90,680), the highest-paying state shown. See all role salary guides →
By Metro
Which cities pay horticulturists the most?
Modeled metro estimates: the national median scaled by the state wage index and then by that state's published metro index. They estimate local wage levels and are not BLS metropolitan-area observations. Major botanical gardens sit in a small number of metros, while commercial horticulture concentrates in production regions outside them.
BLS OEWS MSA estimates, May 2025. Nominal pay — weigh each metro against its cost of living before relocating.
Certification Impact
Which certifications raise a horticulturist’s pay the most?
Median annual pay before and after each credential, based on GlobalCybers placement data cross-referenced with BLS. License upgrades move the needle most; stackable certs add on top.
Impacts are not additive, the licensing rows share the same career ladder. Browse all 167 certifications →
Trade Comparison
How does horticulturist pay compare to related roles?
BLS OEWS national median across the closest trades. Horticulturists sit mid-pack on median but carry one of the widest P10–P90 spreads, licensing and specialization drive the upside.
BLS OEWS May 2025. Verify horticulturist wages on BLS.gov →
Take-Home Pay
What does a horticulturist actually take home after taxes?
The medians above are gross base wage.
Estimates use 2026 federal brackets, standard deduction, and 7.65% FICA. Actual take-home varies with filing status, deductions, and local tax.
FAQ
Horticulturist Salary, Frequently Asked Questions
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