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The differences between planners and media planners can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a planner, becoming a media planner takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a planner has an average salary of $63,161, which is higher than the $58,044 average annual salary of a media planner.
The top three skills for a planner include customer service, exceptional client and logistics. The most important skills for a media planner are media planning, powerpoint, and campaign performance.
| Planner | Media Planner | |
| Yearly salary | $63,161 | $58,044 |
| Hourly rate | $30.37 | $27.91 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 15,269 | 24,126 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 89% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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.
A media planner is responsible for managing market campaigns and promotions for clients' advertising needs through various social media platforms and other mediums of communications. Media planners handle the brand's media presence, strategizing its maximum appeal to the target audience. They coordinate closely with the clients for the progress updates, as well as informing them of any adjustments, especially on meeting the public's interests and concerns. A media planner develops innovative techniques, analyzes market data, and manage campaign results, ensuring to meet the clients' objectives and goals.
Planners and media planners have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Planner | Media Planner | |
| Average salary | $63,161 | $58,044 |
| Salary range | Between $45,000 And $88,000 | Between $48,000 And $69,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Washington |
| Best paying company | Meta | RPA |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Professional |
There are a few differences between a planner and a media planner in terms of educational background:
| Planner | Media Planner | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 89% |
| Most common major | Business | Communication |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between planners' and media planners' demographics:
| Planner | Media Planner | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 54.4% Female, 45.6% | Male, 39.2% Female, 60.8% |
| Race ratio | 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% | Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 5.1% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 5.4% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 12% |