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The differences between planning assistants and planning technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a planning assistant and a planning technician. Additionally, a planning technician has an average salary of $45,502, which is higher than the $43,826 average annual salary of a planning assistant.
The top three skills for a planning assistant include patients, social work and financial reports. The most important skills for a planning technician are GIS, data collection, and planning commission.
| Planning Assistant | Planning Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $43,826 | $45,502 |
| Hourly rate | $21.07 | $21.88 |
| Growth rate | -3% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 10,787 | 19,118 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Planning assistants are paid around $38K per year. Individuals need knowledge of drafting, preparing preliminary design layouts, and analyzing information. Those who choose this career will be expected to initiate, prepare, and/or conduct surveys. They must also prepare analytical reports, preliminary designs, development plans, subdivision plans, recreational layouts, or special studies.
Planning technicians must have a wide skill set, including knowledge of planning principles and practices, data collection, effective writing techniques, and knowledge of statistics. It also demands an associate degree in urban planning, architecture, construction management, or social sciences, in addition to 2 years' experience in zoning administration. Those who choose this career path will need to respond to questions about planning permission application processes. They also collect, analyze, and record data on planning permission applications.
Planning assistants and planning technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Planning Assistant | Planning Technician | |
| Average salary | $43,826 | $45,502 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $59,000 | Between $28,000 And $72,000 |
| Highest paying City | Silver Spring, MD | Menlo Park, CA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | California |
| Best paying company | Earthjustice | Meta |
| Best paying industry | Finance | Construction |
There are a few differences between a planning assistant and a planning technician in terms of educational background:
| Planning Assistant | Planning Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 63% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Stanford University | Stanford University |
Here are the differences between planning assistants' and planning technicians' demographics:
| Planning Assistant | Planning Technician | |
| Average age | 38 | 38 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 31.8% Female, 68.2% | Male, 54.6% Female, 45.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.6% Unknown, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 16.9% Asian, 10.4% White, 56.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 9.4% Unknown, 6.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 10.5% White, 56.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% |
| LGBT Percentage | 8% | 8% |