by our College Data Analytics Team
[Horticulture](/majors/agriculture-ag-operations/horticulture/) is a field where your choice of school can shape what you earn after graduation. The schools below stand out for the salaries their horticulture graduates go on to command.
To produce this 2026 ranking, College Factual evaluated 20 schools on the early-career earnings of their horticulture graduates.
What’s on this page:
Where you study horticulture affects what graduates go on to earn. That is why we built our Highest Paid Horticulture Graduates ranking. We rank each school on the early-career earnings of its horticulture graduates to surface the highest-paying programs.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we offer several rankings, including this Highest Paid Horticulture Graduates list, to help you choose. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.
To further help you make the college decision, we have developed a unique tool called College Combat that lets you compare schools on the factors that matter most to you.
Learn more about our methodology
If you want to know which schools send horticulture graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.
For graduate earnings in horticulture, no school beat Colorado State University Fort Collins this year. Located in the city of Fort Collins, Colorado State University Fort Collins is a public institution. Students who complete the horticulture program here go on to a median salary of roughly $58,189.
University Of Massachusetts Amherst produces some of the highest-paid graduates in horticulture, landing the #2 spot this year. Located in the city of Amherst, University Of Massachusetts Amherst is a public institution. Early-career horticulture graduates from University Of Massachusetts Amherst make a median of around $56,726 per year.
Strong graduate earnings at Cincinnati State Technical And Community College earned it the #3 place for horticulture. Located in the city of Cincinnati, Cincinnati State Technical And Community College is a public institution. Horticulture graduates of Cincinnati State Technical And Community College earn a median of about $49,941 a year early in their careers.
Students chasing top earnings in horticulture will find them at University Of Nebraska Lincoln, which ranked #4. University Of Nebraska Lincoln is a public school located in the city of Lincoln. Horticulture graduates of University Of Nebraska Lincoln earn a median of about $56,741 a year early in their careers.
Southeast Technical Institute produces some of the highest-paid graduates in horticulture, landing the #5 spot this year. Set in the city of Sioux Falls, Southeast Technical Institute is a public institution. Students who complete the horticulture program here go on to a median salary of roughly $47,472.
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Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College earned the #6 position for horticulture graduate earnings this year. Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College is a public school located in the town of Tifton. After graduating, horticulture degree recipients from Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College typically earn about $57,957 annually.
South Dakota State University earned the #7 position for horticulture graduate earnings this year. Located in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State University is a public institution. Students who complete the horticulture program here go on to a median salary of roughly $49,698.
North Carolina State University At Raleigh came in at #8 for horticulture graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Raleigh, North Carolina State University At Raleigh is a public institution. Students who complete the horticulture program here go on to a median salary of roughly $38,339.
Texas A And M University College Station landed the #9 spot for horticulture salaries this year. Set in the city of College Station, Texas A And M University College Station is a public institution. After graduating, horticulture degree recipients from Texas A And M University College Station typically earn about $59,586 annually.
Kirkwood Community College ranked #10 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying horticulture schools. Located in the city of Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood Community College is a public institution. After graduating, horticulture degree recipients from Kirkwood Community College typically earn about $40,840 annually.
University Of Rhode Island placed #11 among the highest-paying schools for horticulture. Located in the suburb of Kingston, University Of Rhode Island is a public institution. Students who complete the horticulture program here go on to a median salary of roughly $48,601.
Delaware Valley College came in at #12 for horticulture graduate earnings this year. Set in the suburb of Doylestown, Delaware Valley College is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career horticulture graduates from Delaware Valley College make a median of around $47,375 per year.
Brigham Young University Provo came in at #13 for horticulture graduate earnings this year. Located in the city of Provo, Brigham Young University Provo is a private not-for-profit institution. Early-career horticulture graduates from Brigham Young University Provo make a median of around $46,439 per year.
Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute earned the #14 position for horticulture graduate earnings this year. Set in the town of Wooster, Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute is a public institution. After graduating, horticulture degree recipients from Ohio State University Agricultural Technical Institute typically earn about $42,621 annually.
Southern Illinois University Carbondale earned the #15 position for horticulture graduate earnings this year. Located in the town of Carbondale, Southern Illinois University Carbondale is a public institution. Early-career horticulture graduates from Southern Illinois University Carbondale make a median of around $38,736 per year.
Front Range Community College placed #16 among the highest-paying schools for horticulture. Front Range Community College is a public school located in the suburb of Westminster. Early-career horticulture graduates from Front Range Community College make a median of around $37,218 per year.
Pennsylvania College Of Technology came in at #17 for horticulture graduate earnings this year. Set in the city of Williamsport, Pennsylvania College Of Technology is a public institution. After graduating, horticulture degree recipients from Pennsylvania College Of Technology typically earn about $30,185 annually.
Brigham Young University Idaho landed the #18 spot for horticulture salaries this year. Set in the town of Rexburg, Brigham Young University Idaho is a private not-for-profit institution. After graduating, horticulture degree recipients from Brigham Young University Idaho typically earn about $43,287 annually.
Spartanburg Community College came in at #19 for horticulture graduate earnings this year. Spartanburg Community College is a public school located in the suburb of Spartanburg. Early-career horticulture graduates from Spartanburg Community College make a median of around $29,260 per year.
University Of Arkansas came in at #20 for horticulture graduate earnings this year. University Of Arkansas is a public school located in the city of Fayetteville. Students who complete the horticulture program here go on to a median salary of roughly $29,241.
This ranking is produced by College Factual, 2026 edition. The methodology measures the salaries horticulture graduates go on to earn early in their careers, drawn primarily from the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard field-of-study earnings and IPEDS).
Ranking method: College Major Earnings · 20 schools evaluated.
*Salary figures reflect median early-career earnings (about 5 years after graduation) and may vary by how long a person takes to complete their degree.
More about our data sources and methodologies.