Alaska Landscaping Workers Comp Rates (2026)
The published Alaska loss cost for landscaping workers comp, class 0042 (Landscape Gardening & Drivers), is $3.290 per $100 of payroll (effective January 1, 2026). Carriers multiply it by their own filed multiplier, so a typical premium is about $4.94.
A loss cost covers expected claims only. Each carrier files its own multiplier for expenses; in the states that publish the full list, the median is about 1.5, which is what the typical premium here uses. Your quote can be lower or higher. Source.
Alaska class code for landscaping
- 0042: Landscape Gardening & Drivers
- 0106 (Tree Pruning, Spraying & Repairing)
- 6217 (Excavation NOC)
Landscaping carries equipment, lifting, heat and pesticide exposure risks. Tree pruning and trimming is a separate class (0106).
What comp costs per landscaper in Alaska
The Bureau of Labor Statistics counts 1,080 landscaping and groundskeeping workers on payrolls in Alaska (May 2025), the 50th largest workforce among the 50 states and DC. The median wage is $22.93 an hour, 22% above the US median of $18.82.
This trade is a smaller part of the Alaska job market than it is nationally: landscaping and groundskeeping workers hold 0.54 times their national share of jobs there.
At a typical Alaska premium of about $4.94 per $100 of payroll (the published loss cost of $3.29 for class 0042 times a 1.5 carrier multiplier), comp on one worker at that wage costs about $1.13 for every hour worked, or $2,356 a year full time. A 3-person crew comes to roughly $7,068 a year in premium before any experience mod.
Because premium is charged on payroll, who you hire moves the bill. Alaska pay runs from $16.13 an hour at the 10th percentile to $30.19 at the 90th, so the same rate costs $0.80 an hour on a new hire and $1.49 on a senior hand.
Workers comp requirements in Alaska
- Coverage required: 1 employee
- Owners and sole proprietors: Owners with 10%+ ownership are excluded; employees must still be covered
- State fund: Private market (no state fund)
- Waiting period: 3 days; retroactive if disability lasts more than 28 days
- Penalty for going without: Up to $1,000 per employee per day, stop-work orders, and a 3-year bar on public contracts
A hiring contractor in Alaska becomes liable for a subcontractor's employees if that sub lacks its own coverage.
Alaska vs neighboring states
- Washington: about $9.66 per $100 of payroll
- Oregon: about $3.30 per $100 of payroll
Alaska has no land border, so this compares it with the nearest mainland markets.
Among its neighbors, Oregon is the cheapest for landscaping comp at $3.30 and Washington the most expensive at $9.66 per $100 of payroll.
Working across the line into Washington needs separate coverage from that state's fund. A private policy's other-states coverage (item 3.C) does not reach monopolistic states.
What moves a landscaping comp bill
- Landscape gardening is a high-claim class because of mowers, trimmers, chainsaws, and lifting. Equipment training and guards that stay on the machines lower claims.
- Tree trimming above the ground is usually a separate class with a much higher rate. Keep that payroll apart, or the auditor may rate a whole crew at the tree rate.
- Snow plowing, hardscaping, and irrigation installs can each be classed differently. Tell your carrier what share of payroll goes to each.
- Landscaping payroll swings by season. Report the full-year figure at renewal so the audit does not bring a large bill in the off season.