ROI Major

Landscape Architecture at Arizona State University

AZ · Bachelor's Degree · CIP 04.06

Data: 2026 release

Executive Summary

Graduates with a Landscape Architecture degree from Arizona State University earn a median salary of $67,174 within five years of graduation. Adjusted for the cost of living in AZ, this represents a national purchasing power equivalent of $63,074. The degree typically pays for itself in 6.7 years.

Quick Insights

Solid Investment

How this degree looks at a glance

A fast read on salary range, break-even speed, living-cost impact, and where bachelor's graduates from this school usually land.

Salary Ranges

Starting Range

$54,965

Typical Career

$67,174

Top Performers

$80,852

Estimated break-even: 6.7 years.

Debt-to-Income Check

$448

Estimated comfortable monthly loan payment

Typical monthly pay is approximately $5,598. Most students can comfortably afford about a $448 monthly loan payment with this degree.

Comparison Bench

This degree earns 1.7x more than the average US high school graduate and 0.9x more than the average college graduate.

Purchasing Power Context

A dollar in Arizona buys what costs $1.07 nationally.

Industry Breadcrumbs

Top industries for bachelor's graduates from this school: Educational Services, Health Care & Social Assistance, Professional, Scientific & Technical Services.

Where Bachelor's Graduates from This School Work

Educational Services 14.8%
Health Care & Social Assistance 14.0%
Professional, Scientific & Technical Services 12.7%

Institution-wide industry mix for bachelor's graduates, 5 years after graduation. This is not major-specific. Source: Census PSEO Flows.

5-Year Median Salary — National Purchasing Power Equivalent

$63,074

Nominal: $67,174 in Arizona (COL 106.5% of national avg) · 6.1% lower purchasing power

10-Year Earnings Curve

Break-Even Timeline

How long until cumulative earnings advantage exceeds total college investment (tuition + opportunity cost vs. entering workforce directly after high school).

6.7 years to break even
Graduation 15 years

Total Investment

$155,168

4yr tuition + 4yr opportunity cost

HS Graduate Baseline

$38,792/yr

BLS 2023 median, HS diploma

View Raw Data: Median Earnings by Year
Timeframe 25th Pct. Median (50th) 75th Pct.
1 Year After Graduation $39,491 $50,170 $60,233
5 Years After Graduation $54,965 $67,174 $80,852
10 Years After Graduation $66,850 $82,300 $100,633

Source: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO), 2025 release. Earnings shown for Bachelor's degree graduates (all cohorts combined).

How We Calculate Purchasing Power

The median salary of $67,174 is reported by the US Census Bureau's Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO) dataset for graduates working in AZ, which has a cost-of-living index of 106.5% of the national average.

Formula: Adjusted Salary = Nominal × (1.0 ÷ COL Index)
= $67,174 × (1.0 ÷ 1.0650) = $63,074 National Average equivalent.

COL index source: BLS Regional Consumer Price Index & MIT Living Wage Project, 2023. Full methodology →

Career Verdict

Graduates in Landscape Architecture from Arizona State University can expect a positive earnings trajectory, with median earnings of $50,170 one year post-graduation, rising to $67,174 after five years and reaching $82,300 after a decade. When adjusted for purchasing power, the five-year salary aligns with a national equivalent of $63,074.18, indicating that while the cost of living in Arizona is slightly higher than the national average, the long-term financial outlook remains promising.

The top industries for graduates include Educational Services (14.8%), Health Care & Social Assistance (14.0%), and Professional, Scientific & Technical Services (12.7%). With an estimated break-even point of approximately 6.7 years compared to a high-school-only path, the return on investment for pursuing a degree in Landscape Architecture appears favorable. This suggests that graduates can expect to recoup their educational expenses relatively quickly while entering diverse and growing sectors.

AI-assisted editorial analysis based on Census PSEO data. Fact-checked against source data.

Compare with Another School

See how the Landscape Architecture degree at Arizona State University stacks up against another institution side-by-side.

Data sources: US Census Bureau Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes (PSEO). Cost-of-living index: BLS Regional CPI & MIT Living Wage Project. Cost of attendance: IPEDS. For informational use only; data may be suppressed for small cohort sizes.

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