Landscaper Named to U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 List of Best Jobs

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Landscaper Named to U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 List of Best Jobs

While national data shows more students are getting high-school diplomas, college enrollment rates continue to decrease.

But some jobs don’t require a college degree. Landscaping is one of them … and it’s trending in 2020.

College Attendance Continues to Drop

Nathan Grawe, a Carleton College economist based in Minnesota, predicts the college-going population will drop by 15% between 2025 and 2029 and continue to decline by another percentage point or two thereafter. He projects demand for elite institutions–the top 50 colleges and 50 universities, as ranked by U.S. News & World Report–will drop from 2025 to 2029. Also, he expects regional four-year institutions that serve local sutdents to lose more than 11% of their students by 2029.

Best Jobs Without a College Degree in 2020

U.S. News & World Report just released their lists of Best Jobs and Best Jobs Without a College Degree for 2020.

Best Jobs Without a College Degree includes careers for those with high school diplomas or associate’s degrees, or even apprenticeship training or certification completion.

landscaper

And landscaper just made it to the list as the No. 4 best job without a college degree. Landscaper also makes an appearance at No. 59 on the magazine’s overall list of 100 best jobs for 2020.

The job “is ideal for green thumbs and outdoorsy folks, and also a good calling for those who have the entrepreneurial spirit to start their own lawn care and landscaping businesses,” the magazine reports. “There is plenty of potential for advancement in this career–landscapers could move up the ranks and become supervisors.”

What’s driving this trend? U.S. News & World Report says aging baby boomers influence job openings within landscaping. “Older homeowners often employ lawn care services when they can no longer tend to their homes themselves,” the magazine reports. “These services are also popular among working professionals who have limited daytime hours available for yard work.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 8.8% employment growth for landscapers between 2018 and 2028. In that period, an estimated 106,400 jobs should open up.

For more information on how U.S. News & World Report ranked their findings, read its Best Jobs Methodology.

EDITOR’S NOTE: To find or post landscape jobs or learn more about work opportunities in the lawn and landscape industry, visit NALP’s landscape careers site.