Landscape architect is ranked No. 34 on MONEY magazine and Salary.com's top 50 "Best Jobs in America" report. The report estimates the profession's average pay (salary and bonus) to be $50,383 and forecasts 19.43 percent growth for the field over a 10-year period.
Various "grades" were factored into the rankings. The landscape architect's report card reads: "B" for stress, "C" for flexibility, "B" for creativity and "B" for difficulty.
To find the best jobs in America, the magazine and Web site assembled a list of positions that the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects will grow at an above-average rate over 10 years and that require at least a bachelor's degree.
Using Salary.com compensation data, they eliminated jobs with average pay below $50,000; total employment of less than 15,000; dangerous work environments; or fewer than 800 annual job openings, including both new and replacement positions. Also, were rated by stress levels, flexibility in hours and working environment, creativity, and how easy it is to enter and advance in the field. During the ranking, double weight was given to compensation and percentage growth.