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2026 Highest Paid Horticulture Grads in the The Plains States Region

[Horticulture](/majors/agriculture-ag-operations/horticulture/) graduates earn very different salaries depending on where they study. A top-earning program sends graduates into careers with strong starting pay.

For its 2026 highest-paid-graduates ranking, College Factual looked at 4 schools to find where horticulture graduates earn the most.

What’s on this page:

• Highest Paid Horticulture Grads in the The Plains States Region

2026 Highest Paid Horticulture Grads in the The Plains States Region

If you want to know which schools send horticulture graduates into the highest-paying careers, see the list below.

Highest Paid Horticulture Graduates

1

University Of Nebraska Lincoln
Lincoln, NE

$56,741 Average Early-Career Salary

University Of Nebraska Lincoln earned the #1 spot for highest-paid horticulture graduates in the The Plains States Region. Set in the city of Lincoln, University Of Nebraska Lincoln is a public institution. After graduating, horticulture degree recipients from University Of Nebraska Lincoln typically earn about $56,741 annually.

2

Southeast Technical Institute
Sioux Falls, SD

$47,472 Average Early-Career Salary

Students chasing top earnings in horticulture will find them at Southeast Technical Institute, which ranked #2. Set in the city of Sioux Falls, Southeast Technical Institute is a public institution. Horticulture graduates of Southeast Technical Institute earn a median of about $47,472 a year early in their careers.

3

South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD

$49,698 Average Early-Career Salary

South Dakota State University came in at #3 on our 2026 list of the highest-paying horticulture schools. Located in the town of Brookings, South Dakota State University is a public institution. After graduating, horticulture degree recipients from South Dakota State University typically earn about $49,698 annually.

4

Kirkwood Community College
Cedar Rapids, IA

$40,840 Average Early-Career Salary

Students chasing top earnings in horticulture will find them at Kirkwood Community College, which ranked #4. Set in the city of Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood Community College is a public institution. Students who complete the horticulture program here go on to a median salary of roughly $40,840.

View All Horticulture Rankings >

Notes and References

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 · 4 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.

• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE), serves as the core of our data about colleges.
• Graduate earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard) field-of-study earnings.

More about our data sources and methodologies.