Landscape Architects Salary
Landscape Architects in Madison, WI make a median of $82,870 a year, or about $39.84 an hour. The range runs from $58K at the entry level to $126K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 97.29), that's roughly $85,178 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,168/month, or 22.3% of estimated take-home pay.
So what does $83K get you in Madison?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Madison’s Regional Price Parity (97.29). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About landscape architects
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What this looks like in Madison
Landscape architects pay in Madison tracks closely to the national median, $83K locally vs. $80K nationwide, a 4% difference. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,168/month, 22.1% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 97.29) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for landscape architects in metros near Madison, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Milwaukee-Waukesha | $64K | $66K |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin | $67K | $65K |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | $61K | $58K |
| Detroit-Warren-Dearborn | $82K | $81K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Madison, WI
Entry-level landscape architects (10th percentile) start around $58K. Mid-career wages sit at $83K. Top earners bring in $126K or more, a $68K spread from bottom to top.
Landscape Architects pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Landscape Architects salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $101K | +27% | 230 |
| California | $98K | +23% | 2,310 |
| Tennessee | $95K | +19% | 260 |
| New Jersey | $95K | +19% | 360 |
| Utah | $94K | +18% | 90 |
| Maryland | $93K | +16% | 870 |
| Texas | $89K | +12% | 1,450 |
| Massachusetts | $88K | +10% | 500 |
| New York | $87K | +9% | 920 |
| Iowa | $87K | +9% | 80 |
| Rhode Island | $85K | +7% | 90 |
| Nevada | $85K | +7% | 180 |
| District of Columbia | $85K | +7% | 170 |
| North Carolina | $83K | +4% | 1,080 |
| Maine | $82K | +3% | 110 |
| Virginia | $81K | +2% | 570 |
| Montana | $81K | +2% | 80 |
| Florida | $80K | -0% | 1,210 |
| Colorado | $78K | -2% | 690 |
| Michigan | $78K | -3% | 650 |
| Pennsylvania | $77K | -3% | 910 |
| Washington | $77K | -4% | 760 |
| Connecticut | $77K | -4% | 270 |
| Missouri | $77K | -4% | 110 |
| Arizona | $75K | -6% | 390 |
| Idaho | $74K | -7% | 160 |
| Kansas | $74K | -8% | 150 |
| Oregon | $74K | -8% | 350 |
| Georgia | $74K | -8% | 410 |
| New Mexico | $72K | -10% | 50 |
| New Hampshire | $72K | -10% | 50 |
| South Dakota | $71K | -12% | 80 |
| Vermont | $70K | -13% | N/A |
| Wisconsin | $70K | -13% | 450 |
| Kentucky | $68K | -14% | 140 |
| Illinois | $67K | -16% | 810 |
| Indiana | $65K | -19% | 460 |
| Oklahoma | $64K | -19% | 170 |
| Ohio | $64K | -20% | 480 |
| Nebraska | $62K | -22% | 190 |
| Arkansas | $61K | -24% | 100 |
Showing 1–10 of 41 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track landscape architects salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Madison numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a landscape architect afford a 2BR apartment alone in Madison?
Yes — at the median salary of $83K, rent takes 22.1% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,168/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for landscape architects in Madison?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new landscape architects typically earn — is $58K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,494/month. At HUD’s $1,168/month FMR, rent would take 33% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is landscape architect a high-paying job in Madison?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $83K locally vs. $80K nationally, a 4% difference.
How does Madison compare to the national average for landscape architects?
Madison pays $83K median vs. the U.S. average of $80K — that’s +4%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 97.29), the purchasing-power equivalent is $85K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do landscape architects make in Madison, WI?
The median is $82,870 a year, that works out to about $40 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $58,240, and experienced landscape architects can clear $125,790. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $83K enough to live in Madison?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,278/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,168/month, which eats 22.1% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a landscape architects salary go in Madison?
Madison has a Regional Price Parity of 97.29 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median landscape architects salary is worth about $85,178 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do landscape architects get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.