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The differences between environmental planners and planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 6-12 months to become an environmental planner, becoming a planner takes usually requires 1-2 years. Additionally, an environmental planner has an average salary of $71,174, which is higher than the $63,161 average annual salary of a planner.
The top three skills for an environmental planner include federal regulations, water quality and wetland delineations. The most important skills for a planner are customer service, exceptional client, and logistics.
| Environmental Planner | Planner | |
| Yearly salary | $71,174 | $63,161 |
| Hourly rate | $34.22 | $30.37 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 30,227 | 15,269 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 12 | 2 |
Environmental planners are in charge of performing research and analysis to reduce the environmental impact of a company's business procedures and operations. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to attain environmentally friendly operations, optimizing processes for sustainability, liaising with clients to gain perspective, and coordinating with different departments to ensure that all processes adhere to the company's environmental policies and regulations. Furthermore, as an environmental planner, it is essential to produce progress reports and presentations, all while addressing and resolving any issues or concerns with the subject.
As the name entails, planners assist in creating a broad vision for a community. They conduct research, design, and advanced programs. Some of them focus on a few roles, such as planning transportation, while some will most likely work at different planning types throughout their profession. They develop a plan through data analysis, determine the project's goals or the community, and form a specific vision. They also identify the strategies to help the city realized its goals and vision.
Environmental planners and planners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Environmental Planner | Planner | |
| Average salary | $71,174 | $63,161 |
| Salary range | Between $52,000 And $95,000 | Between $45,000 And $88,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | West Virginia | California |
| Best paying company | Santa Clara Valley Water District | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Retail | Technology |
There are a few differences between an environmental planner and a planner in terms of educational background:
| Environmental Planner | Planner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 70% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Environmental Science | Business |
| Most common college | University of California, Berkeley | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between environmental planners' and planners' demographics:
| Environmental Planner | Planner | |
| Average age | 43 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 52.7% Female, 47.3% | Male, 54.4% Female, 45.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.5% Asian, 13.1% White, 68.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 4.9% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.7% Asian, 9.6% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 13% |