City planner vs urban design consultant

The differences between city planners and urban design consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a city planner and an urban design consultant. Additionally, a city planner has an average salary of $64,562, which is higher than the $63,960 average annual salary of an urban design consultant.

The top three skills for a city planner include planning commission, GIS and regional planning. The most important skills for an urban design consultant are GIS, urban design, and sketch.

City planner vs urban design consultant overview

	City Planner	Urban Design Consultant
Yearly salary	$64,562	$63,960
Hourly rate	$31.04	$30.75
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	18,747	41,918
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Average age	42	42
Years of experience	2	2

City planner vs urban design consultant salary

City planners and urban design consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

	City Planner	Urban Design Consultant
Average salary	$64,562	$63,960
Salary range	Between $47,000 And $88,000	Between $51,000 And $79,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Washington, DC
Highest paying state	California	Massachusetts
Best paying company	Citi	Perkins&Will
Best paying industry	Government	Telecommunication

Differences between city planner and urban design consultant education

There are a few differences between a city planner and an urban design consultant in terms of educational background:

	City Planner	Urban Design Consultant
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 62%	Bachelor's Degree, 56%
Most common major	Urban Planning	Urban Planning
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	University of Pennsylvania

City planner vs urban design consultant demographics

Here are the differences between city planners' and urban design consultants' demographics:

	City Planner	Urban Design Consultant
Average age	42	42
Gender ratio	Male, 64.7% Female, 35.3%	Male, 56.1% Female, 43.9%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.8% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.5% White, 67.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%	Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 9.3% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9%
LGBT Percentage	13%	13%

Differences between city planner and urban design consultant duties and responsibilities

City planner example responsibilities.

Guide production planning activities ranging from developing and revising production schedules, forecasting trends and customer demand, and managing logistics.
Utilize planning relate software and GIS applications; and basic statistics and mathematical calculations.
Direct inbound or outbound logistics operations, such as transportation or warehouse activities, safety performance, or logistics quality management.
Construct engaging PowerPoint presentations for clients.

Urban design consultant example responsibilities.

Manage the website and twitter page, write the blog posts and attend numerous fashion shows and sample sale rooms.
Research previous transportation studies and offer recommendations to improve roadway and corridor design as well as ways to mitigate regulatory delays.
Research previous transportation studies and offer recommendations to improve roadway and corridor design as well as ways to mitigate regulatory delays.

City planner vs urban design consultant skills

Common city planner skills

Planning Commission, 9%
GIS, 7%
Regional Planning, 6%
City Planning, 6%
Community Development, 5%
City Ordinances, 5%

Common urban design consultant skills

GIS, 20%
Urban Design, 18%
Sketch, 10%
Landscape Architecture, 10%
CAD, 7%
Adobe Photoshop, 5%

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City Planner vs Urban Design Consultant

Updated January 8, 2025

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