Best cities for a planning engineer
The best cities for planning engineers are Oklahoma City, OK, Stockton, CA, and Tulsa, OK, based on factors like average salary and job availability per capita. Jobs and pay for planning engineers vary across the country, but we've determined the ten best cities for planning engineers in the U.S.
Whether you're starting your career as a planning engineer or considering a move, this list of the best cities for planning engineers to live in will help you decide. These aren't just the best-paying cities for planning engineers. We also consider how easy it is to find work as a planning engineer. While the absolute best city for planning engineers is Oklahoma City, OK, there are plenty of other great places to consider.
Keep reading to learn more about the best cities for planning engineers in 2024.
If you're looking for a planning engineer job, here are five companies hiring now:
10 best cities for planning engineers in 2026
1. Oklahoma City, OK
Total planning engineer jobs: 13 Average annual salary: $88,451 Lowest 10 percent warn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location quotient: 1.47 2. Stockton, CA
Total planning engineer jobs: 3 Average annual salary: $109,828 Lowest 10 percent warn: $79,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location quotient: 1.96 3. Tulsa, OK
Total planning engineer jobs: 4 Average annual salary: $87,763 Lowest 10 percent warn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $117,000 Location quotient: 0.97 4. Sacramento, CA
Total planning engineer jobs: 14 Average annual salary: $109,760 Lowest 10 percent warn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $150,000 Location quotient: 1.56 5. Bakersfield, CA
Total planning engineer jobs: 14 Average annual salary: $105,657 Lowest 10 percent warn: $77,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $144,000 Location quotient: 7.17 6. Fresno, CA
Total planning engineer jobs: 4 Average annual salary: $108,512 Lowest 10 percent warn: $78,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $149,000 Location quotient: 1.66 7. Tucson, AZ
Total planning engineer jobs: 6 Average annual salary: $88,137 Lowest 10 percent warn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $119,000 Location quotient: 1.23 8. Oakland, CA
Total planning engineer jobs: 4 Average annual salary: $110,555 Lowest 10 percent warn: $80,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $152,000 Location quotient: 0.97 9. Phoenix, AZ
Total planning engineer jobs: 26 Average annual salary: $88,943 Lowest 10 percent warn: $65,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $120,000 Location quotient: 0.97 10. Long Beach, CA
Total planning engineer jobs: 7 Average annual salary: $102,250 Lowest 10 percent warn: $75,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $139,000 Location quotient: 2.65
Choose from 10+ customizable planning engineer resume templates
Choose from a variety of easy-to-use planning engineer resume templates and get expert advice from Zippia’s AI resume writer along the way. Using pre-approved templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your planning engineer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.
Best cities for planning engineers
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Stockton, CA
- Tulsa, OK
- Sacramento, CA
- Bakersfield, CA
- Fresno, CA
- Tucson, AZ
- Oakland, CA
- Phoenix, AZ
- Long Beach, CA
- (13 planning engineer jobs)
- (3 planning engineer jobs)
- (4 planning engineer jobs)
- (14 planning engineer jobs)
- (14 planning engineer jobs)
- (4 planning engineer jobs)
- (6 planning engineer jobs)
- (4 planning engineer jobs)
- (26 planning engineer jobs)
- (7 planning engineer jobs)
Detailed list of the best cities for a planning engineer
| Rank | City | Average salary | Lowest 10% Earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma City, OK | $88,451 | $65,000 | 638,367 | 13 |
| 2 | Stockton, CA | $109,828 | $79,000 | 307,072 | 3 |
| 3 | Tulsa, OK | $87,763 | $65,000 | 403,090 | 4 |
| 4 | Sacramento, CA | $109,760 | $80,000 | 495,234 | 14 |
| 5 | Bakersfield, CA | $105,657 | $77,000 | 376,380 | 14 |
| 6 | Fresno, CA | $108,512 | $78,000 | 522,053 | 4 |
| 7 | Tucson, AZ | $88,137 | $65,000 | 530,706 | 6 |
| 8 | Oakland, CA | $110,555 | $80,000 | 420,005 | 4 |
| 9 | Phoenix, AZ | $88,943 | $65,000 | 1,615,017 | 26 |
| 10 | Long Beach, CA | $102,250 | $75,000 | 470,130 | 7 |
| 11 | Arlington, TX | $83,709 | $61,000 | 392,772 | 2 |
| 12 | Anaheim, CA | $102,220 | $75,000 | 351,043 | 4 |
| 13 | Riverside, CA | $102,139 | $75,000 | 324,722 | 5 |
| 14 | Detroit, MI | $84,125 | $62,000 | 672,795 | 6 |
| 15 | San Francisco, CA | $110,713 | $80,000 | 870,887 | 25 |
| 16 | El Paso, TX | $84,871 | $62,000 | 683,080 | 2 |
| 17 | Corpus Christi, TX | $82,348 | $59,000 | 325,733 | 2 |
| 18 | San Jose, CA | $110,197 | $79,000 | 1,025,350 | 18 |
| 19 | Houston, TX | $82,951 | $60,000 | 2,303,482 | 54 |
| 20 | Santa Ana, CA | $102,059 | $75,000 | 334,217 | 3 |
| 21 | Dallas, TX | $83,642 | $61,000 | 1,317,929 | 17 |
| 22 | Saint Paul, MN | $82,792 | $62,000 | 302,398 | 15 |
| 23 | Denver, CO | $89,996 | $67,000 | 693,060 | 54 |
| 24 | Irving, TX | $83,669 | $61,000 | 238,289 | 9 |
| 25 | Kansas City, MO | $79,603 | $59,000 | 481,420 | 23 |
| 26 | Fremont, CA | $110,343 | $80,000 | 233,136 | 2 |
| 27 | Aurora, CO | $89,994 | $67,000 | 361,710 | 7 |
| 28 | Fort Worth, TX | $83,755 | $61,000 | 854,113 | 3 |
| 29 | Austin, TX | $83,348 | $61,000 | 947,890 | 16 |
| 30 | Columbus, OH | $77,332 | $57,000 | 860,090 | 14 |
| 31 | Seattle, WA | $95,151 | $71,000 | 704,352 | 17 |
| 32 | Glendale, AZ | $88,951 | $65,000 | 245,895 | - |
| 33 | Colorado Springs, CO | $90,537 | $67,000 | 465,101 | 9 |
| 34 | Minneapolis, MN | $82,787 | $63,000 | 413,651 | 18 |
| 35 | Scottsdale, AZ | $88,942 | $65,000 | 246,645 | - |
| 36 | Mesa, AZ | $88,761 | $65,000 | 484,587 | - |
| 37 | Boston, MA | $93,575 | $69,000 | 673,184 | 14 |
| 38 | Chandler, AZ | $88,745 | $65,000 | 247,477 | - |
| 39 | Gilbert, AZ | $88,724 | $65,000 | 237,133 | - |
| 40 | Los Angeles, CA | $102,793 | $75,000 | 3,976,322 | 18 |
| 41 | Toledo, OH | $77,409 | $57,000 | 278,508 | 1 |
| 42 | Plano, TX | $83,589 | $61,000 | 286,057 | 3 |
| 43 | Lincoln, NE | $71,474 | $54,000 | 280,364 | 12 |
| 44 | Irvine, CA | $101,922 | $74,000 | 266,122 | 7 |
| 45 | Portland, OR | $83,417 | $62,000 | 639,863 | 15 |
| 46 | Lubbock, TX | $84,613 | $62,000 | 252,506 | - |
| 47 | Garland, TX | $83,589 | $61,000 | 234,943 | - |
| 48 | Nashville, TN | $72,199 | $53,000 | 660,388 | 9 |
| 49 | Albuquerque, NM | $81,569 | $60,000 | 559,277 | 3 |
| 50 | Saint Louis, MO | $79,514 | $59,000 | 311,404 | 11 |
Highest paying cities for planning engineers
| Rank | City | Avg. planning engineer salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco, CA | $110,713 |
| 2 | Boston, MA | $93,575 |
| 3 | Colorado Springs, CO | $90,537 |
| 4 | Phoenix, AZ | $88,943 |
| 5 | Hartford, CT | $88,513 |
| 6 | Oklahoma City, OK | $88,451 |
| 7 | Reston, VA | $85,947 |
| 8 | Lehi, UT | $85,383 |
| 9 | Amarillo, TX | $84,304 |
| 10 | Troy, MI | $84,138 |
| 11 | Baltimore, MD | $83,892 |
| 12 | Minneapolis, MN | $82,787 |
| 13 | New York, NY | $82,363 |
| 14 | Little Rock, AR | $81,534 |
| 15 | Kansas City, MO | $79,603 |
| 16 | Atlanta, GA | $76,598 |
| 17 | Carmel, IN | $73,147 |
| 18 | High Point, NC | $72,716 |
| 19 | Hendersonville, TN | $72,185 |
| 20 | Tallahassee, FL | $70,481 |
Planning engineer best cities FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.
Search for planning engineer jobs
Updated January 8, 2025