The 2004 American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) National Salary Survey indicates the average salary for landscape architecture positions is $74,644, an increase of 23.4 percent in real terms as compared with the 1998 salary survey, the most recent one produced by ASLA. The growth is particularly dramatic when compared to historical data showing that between 1981 and 1987, the average salary for landscape architects rose by only 6 percent and that the 1994 survey showed a real loss in income when compared with the base year of 1981.
Of the 2,499 firms and organizations responding to the survey, 80 percent are in the private sector, 16 percent are in the public sector, and 4 percent represent academic institutions, almost identical to the market breakdown of the 1998 survey.
“The results reflect the significant growth in demand for landscape architecture services across the board,” says Nancy Somerville, executive vice president of ASLA. “The traditional market sectors – residential, parks and recreation, planning and commercial – have remained extremely strong. In addition, landscape architects are looked to as leaders in security design, stormwater management, environmental mitigation, and green roofs. The profession is gaining visibility and the increased salaries are an indication of that.”
By comparison, the average compensation increase for architects has outpaced inflation by only 15 percent since 1990, according to the latest report by The American Institute of Architects.
In the ASLA survey, most respondents have 21 to 25 years of experience with an average salary of $80,273. The average salary for those with 5 years of experience or less is $41,803. Those with 36 to 40 years of experience earn the highest average salary at $97,564.
Gender demographic comparisons between the 1998 and 2004 ASLA surveys indicate there has been no change in the private sector (24 percent women, 76 percent men). However, women now make up 34 percent of public practitioners and 24 percent of professionals in academia, increases of 4 percent in both sectors since 1998. Of the private practitioners surveyed making $60,000 or more annually, 15 percent were women and 85 percent were men. For public practitioners making $60,000 or more, 32 percent are women and 68 percent are men. And for professionals in academia making $60,000 or more, 13 percent are women and 87 percent are men.
While ethnicity demographic comparisons between 1998 and 2004 indicate virtually no change in the number of African American practitioners (0.3 percent). However, the number of Hispanic practitioners continued to rise to 2 percent in 2004, up from 1.1 percent in 1998 and 0.7 percent in 1988. Over the same period, the number of respondents who identified themselves as Asian-American continued to decline from 2.2 percent in 1988, to 1.9 percent in 1998, and 1.6 percent in 2004.
The 2004 ASLA National Salary Survey is offered online and allows subscribers to create their own interactive charts and tables from over 350 unique data combinations. In addition to information on annual salaries, it includes data on bonus programs, profit sharing, employer retirement contributions, and services offered outside primary employment. These fields are searchable by census data, metropolitan region, market sector, years of experience, gender, age, ethnic background, level of education, and total gross revenues.
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