Urban and Regional Planners: salary, outlook & degrees
Develop comprehensive plans and programs for use of land and physical facilities of jurisdictions, such as towns, cities, counties, and metropolitan areas.
Middle half $72,020–$110,030. 44,230 jobs.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
100% hold a bachelor's or higher. Those with one: $72,618.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers with at least a high school diploma; EducationGuide calculation
About 3,200 openings a year, including replacements.
BLS Employment Projections 2025-35
Extensive preparation (usually a graduate degree).
BLS; O*NET 31.0 job zone
Degrees that lead to this career
What workers ages 25-34 in this job studied, among those with a bachelor's or higher. This is what people actually did, not a requirement.
| Field of bachelor's degree | Share | Degree pages |
|---|---|---|
| Architecture | 22% | Architecture · Architectural Sciences and Technology |
| Political Science And Government | 7% | Political Science |
| Geography | 5% | Geography |
| Environmental Science | 5% | Environmental Science / Conservation |
| History | 5% | History |
| Economics | 4% | Economics |
| Biology | 3% | Biology |
| Business Management And Administration | 3% | Business Administration |
| Natural Resources Management | 3% | Environmental / Natural Resources Management and Policy · Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management |
| Psychology | 3% | Psychology |
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, employed, bachelor's or higher; top 10 fields); EducationGuide calculation.
Education workers say the job requires
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers (“required level of education”); small samples, so treat shares as approximate.
Pay by state and metro
| State | Median wage |
|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $137,000 |
| California | $109,610 |
| Oregon | $103,070 |
| Arizona | $102,400 |
| Colorado | $101,340 |
| Washington | $100,990 |
| Nevada | $100,040 |
| Connecticut | $99,880 |
| Massachusetts | $99,780 |
| Minnesota | $97,060 |
| Alaska | $93,860 |
| Illinois | $91,360 |
| Rhode Island | $90,210 |
| New York | $89,630 |
| GU | $88,610 |
| Maryland | $88,570 |
| New Jersey | $86,280 |
| Virginia | $86,030 |
| Hawaii | $85,590 |
| Vermont | $84,750 |
| Utah | $84,360 |
| Wisconsin | $84,290 |
| Texas | $82,830 |
| Kansas | $82,330 |
| Oklahoma | $81,520 |
| North Carolina | $81,230 |
| Pennsylvania | $80,810 |
| Montana | $80,770 |
| Florida | $80,720 |
| Missouri | $80,720 |
| Georgia | $80,030 |
| Ohio | $79,950 |
| Maine | $79,120 |
| Iowa | $79,100 |
| Tennessee | $78,970 |
| Michigan | $78,510 |
| North Dakota | $78,500 |
| New Mexico | $77,710 |
| Idaho | $76,500 |
| South Carolina | $75,810 |
| Nebraska | $74,830 |
| Louisiana | $74,500 |
| New Hampshire | $73,860 |
| South Dakota | $71,180 |
| Indiana | $70,760 |
| Alabama | $70,710 |
| Wyoming | $70,190 |
| Delaware | $67,110 |
| Kentucky | $65,000 |
| Arkansas | $63,530 |
| West Virginia | $61,390 |
| Mississippi | $60,300 |
| PR | $51,600 |
Florida metro areas
- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach$97,160
- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater$82,330
- Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford$78,900
- Jacksonville$74,020
- North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota$76,910
- Tallahassee$56,810
- Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach$72,360
- Cape Coral-Fort Myers$89,770
Virginia metro areas
- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria$104,770
- Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk$82,760
- Richmond$77,340
- Charlottesville$78,780
- Roanoke$64,440
California metro areas
- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim$111,380
- San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont$136,250
- Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom$96,580
- San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad$107,710
- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario$108,760
- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara$139,360
- Fresno$105,330
- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara$105,500
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: median annual wage, all workers in the job. Metro areas: the largest by employment.
What the work takes
Top skills
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
Knowledge used
- Law and Government
- English Language
- Geography
- Transportation
- Communications and Media
Work styles
- Dependability
- Cooperation
- Integrity
- Attention to Detail
- Intellectual Curiosity
People in this job tend to have Investigative (analytical), Enterprising (leading), Conventional (organizing) interests.
O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0): skills and knowledge by importance; work styles; interest high points.
Urban and Regional Planners: questions
How much do urban and Regional Planners make?
Urban and Regional Planners earn a U.S. median $89,320 a year; the middle half earn $72,020 to $110,030 (BLS, May 2025). Workers ages 25-34 in this job earn a median $72,618 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is urban and Regional Planners a growing field?
BLS projects growth of 3.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,200 openings a year, including replacements.
What degree do you need to be an urban and Regional Planner?
BLS lists the typical entry education as master's degree. In O*NET's survey, 100% of workers say a bachelor's or higher is required. Among workers ages 25-34 with a bachelor's, the most common field of degree is architecture (22%).
How much do urban and Regional Planners make in Florida?
The median in Florida is $80,720 a year (BLS, May 2025), compared with $89,320 nationally.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35); O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0); U.S. Census Bureau ACS microdata. SOC 19-3051. Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all careers
Cite this: “Urban and Regional Planners: salary, outlook and degrees,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/careers/urban-and-regional-planners.