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Role hub · Urban and Regional Planners

Urban Planner: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Nov 2, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of urban planners earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$89,320
Hourly
$42.94
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Urban Planners develop comprehensive plans and programs for use of land and physical facilities of jurisdictions, such as towns, cities, counties, and metropolitan areas. The median pay is $89,320 a year ($42.94 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a master's degree (56% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$89,320
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
44,230
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 5 of 5
extensive preparation
Most common education
Master's Degree
56% of workers

Data Government data groups this job as Urban and Regional Planners (O*NET-SOC 19-3051.00). Figures on this page are for that occupation.

Key facts

Urban Planners at a glance

  • Urban and regional planners in the United States earned a median annual wage of $89,320 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

  • In its 2025–35 employment projections, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a master's degree as the typical entry-level education for urban and regional planners in the United States.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS projects employment of urban and regional planners in the United States to grow 3.9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 3,200 openings a year on average, including replacement openings.

    Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35

  • BLS estimated that 44,230 people were employed as urban and regional planners in the United States in May 2025, not counting the self-employed.

    Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the role

Every page for Urban Planners

SalaryUrban Planner salary

Pay by percentile, state and metro, with a negotiation script.

Open →How to becomeUrban Planner how to become

Education, training and the skills to build first.

Open →Interview questionsUrban Planner interview questions

Questions with what they test, plus practice mode.

Open →Free toolCheck your resume

Parsed text, evidence per bullet, fixes first.

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The work

What urban planners do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Design, promote, or administer government plans or policies affecting land use, zoning, public utilities, community facilities, housing, or transportation.
  2. Advise planning officials on project feasibility, cost-effectiveness, regulatory conformance, or possible alternatives.
  3. Create, prepare, or requisition graphic or narrative reports on land use data, including land area maps overlaid with geographic variables, such as population density.
  4. Mediate community disputes or assist in developing alternative plans or recommendations for programs or projects.
  5. Recommend approval, denial, or conditional approval of proposals.
  6. Conduct field investigations, surveys, impact studies, or other research to compile and analyze data on economic, social, regulatory, or physical factors affecting land use.
  7. Evaluate proposals for infrastructure projects or other development for environmental impact or sustainability.
  8. Discuss with planning officials the purpose of land use projects, such as transportation, conservation, residential, commercial, industrial, or community use.
Where this career works

Industries that employ it

Data Share of all urban planner jobs in each industry, 2025 (BLS Employment Matrix).

  1. Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals86.1% of all jobs in this occupation · +3.5% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $93,340
  2. Professional, scientific, and technical services11.0% of all jobs in this occupation · +7.8% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $105,350
  3. Utilities0.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +11.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $126,530
  4. Educational services; state, local, and private0.4% of all jobs in this occupation · +3.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $92,660
  5. Religious, grantmaking, civic, professional, and similar organizations0.3% of all jobs in this occupation · +8.4% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $85,310
  6. Construction of buildings0.2% of all jobs in this occupation · +4.8% projected change here 2025–35 · mean wage $109,330

Sources: BLS 2025–35 National Employment Matrix (share of the occupation's jobs, projected change) and BLS OEWS May 2025 industry estimates (mean wage). Different industry estimates are not a pay forecast for any person.

Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

Judgment and Decision MakingcoreActive ListeningcoreSpeakingcoreSystems AnalysisReading ComprehensionCritical ThinkingWritingComplex Problem SolvingSystems Evaluation

Knowledge areas: Law and Government, English Language, Geography, Transportation, Communications and Media, Administration and Management.

Tools and technology

Software urban planners use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Autodesk AutoCADComputer aided design CAD softwareIn demand
  • ESRI ArcGIS softwareGeographic information systemIn demand
  • Geographic information system GIS systemsGeographic information systemIn demand
  • Adobe Creative Cloud softwareGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • Adobe IllustratorGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • Adobe InDesignDesktop publishing softwareHot technology
  • Adobe PhotoshopGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • Bentley MicroStationComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • Dassault Systemes SolidWorksComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • Extensible markup language XMLEnterprise application integration softwareHot technology
  • Trimble SketchUp ProComputer aided design CAD softwareHot technology
  • 3D urban simulation modeling softwareComputer aided design CAD software

Also called: City Planner, Community Development Planner, Community Planner, Development Technician, Housing Development Specialist, Neighborhood Planner.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the cosine similarity of the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level and subtract the average across all occupations, then compare the direction of the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 means unrelated or opposite (negative values are shown as 0). Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).

How TryHired builds this data: sources, methods and downloads. Spotted an error? Report a correction.