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Best states for a regional planner
Quoted expert
Crystal Sehlke
- Rank 1 - 10
- 11 - 20
- 21 - 30
- 31 - 40
- 41 - 51
Not all states present equal opportunity for employees, and when it comes to regional planner jobs, it's no different. We know how hard job search can be, and in order to make your life a little easier, we have the information you need in order to determine where you might want to start your job search. In fact, our research shows that District of Columbia is the best state for regional planners in America. The best city in America for regional planners with the highest pay is Washington, DC.
We figured that the best places for regional planner jobs has three things everyone would agree on. There would be high annual wages, good career prospects (no matter what phase of the career you are in), and a lot of job opportunities.We found that District of Columbia is the best state for regional planner jobs, whereas New Mexico is the worst.
10 best states for regional planners in 2026
1. District of Columbia
Total regional planner jobs: 174 Average annual salary: $88,715 Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $123,000 Location Quotient: 2.19
2. Oregon
Total regional planner jobs: 261 Average annual salary: $74,351 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Location Quotient: 1.33
3. Massachusetts
Total regional planner jobs: 553 Average annual salary: $76,192 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $105,000 Location Quotient: 1.27
4. Nevada
Total regional planner jobs: 143 Average annual salary: $71,412 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $98,000 Location Quotient: 1.44
5. California
Total regional planner jobs: 1,891 Average annual salary: $78,411 Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $109,000 Location Quotient: 1.36
6. Colorado
Total regional planner jobs: 347 Average annual salary: $72,486 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $96,000 Location Quotient: 1.23
7. New York
Total regional planner jobs: 738 Average annual salary: $73,124 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $101,000 Location Quotient: 1.21
8. Rhode Island
Total regional planner jobs: 47 Average annual salary: $71,395 Lowest 10 percent earn: $51,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Location Quotient: 0.82
9. Washington
Total regional planner jobs: 372 Average annual salary: $71,152 Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000 Location Quotient: 1.07
10. Vermont
Total regional planner jobs: 27 Average annual salary: $72,445 Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000 Highest 10 percent earn: $99,000 Location Quotient: 0.74
Regional planner jobsNear Columbus, OH
How Zippia determines the best states to be a regional planner
You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.
Detailed list of the best states for a regional planner
| Rank | State | Average salary | Lowest 10% earn | Population | Job count |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $88,715 | $63,000 | 693,972 | 174 |
| 2 | Oregon | $74,351 | $55,000 | 4,142,776 | 261 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $76,192 | $54,000 | 6,859,819 | 553 |
| 4 | Nevada | $71,412 | $51,000 | 2,998,039 | 143 |
| 5 | California | $78,411 | $55,000 | 39,536,653 | 1,891 |
| 6 | Colorado | $72,486 | $54,000 | 5,607,154 | 347 |
| 7 | New York | $73,124 | $52,000 | 19,849,399 | 738 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $71,395 | $51,000 | 1,059,639 | 47 |
| 9 | Washington | $71,152 | $54,000 | 7,405,743 | 372 |
| 10 | Vermont | $72,445 | $52,000 | 623,657 | 27 |
| 11 | Virginia | $71,191 | $50,000 | 8,470,020 | 460 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $67,959 | $51,000 | 5,576,606 | 298 |
| 13 | Delaware | $71,296 | $51,000 | 961,939 | 43 |
| 14 | Texas | $64,421 | $44,000 | 28,304,596 | 950 |
| 15 | Kansas | $67,937 | $50,000 | 2,913,123 | 104 |
| 16 | Ohio | $63,801 | $46,000 | 11,658,609 | 384 |
| 17 | Maryland | $68,574 | $49,000 | 6,052,177 | 348 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $64,714 | $46,000 | 3,588,184 | 181 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $65,207 | $49,000 | 579,315 | 18 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $65,463 | $44,000 | 4,684,333 | 89 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $59,804 | $43,000 | 12,805,537 | 578 |
| 22 | Illinois | $60,998 | $44,000 | 12,802,023 | 680 |
| 23 | Alaska | $68,670 | $58,000 | 739,795 | 17 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $64,419 | $51,000 | 1,427,538 | 46 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $59,582 | $43,000 | 1,342,795 | 80 |
| 26 | Michigan | $61,131 | $44,000 | 9,962,311 | 256 |
| 27 | New Jersey | $62,455 | $45,000 | 9,005,644 | 365 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $59,421 | $43,000 | 4,454,189 | 127 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $57,438 | $40,000 | 10,273,419 | 512 |
| 30 | Maine | $61,820 | $45,000 | 1,335,907 | 33 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $59,526 | $46,000 | 755,393 | 30 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $58,057 | $43,000 | 1,920,076 | 81 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $56,935 | $40,000 | 6,715,984 | 232 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $56,841 | $42,000 | 5,795,483 | 238 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $59,375 | $43,000 | 3,930,864 | 53 |
| 36 | Utah | $56,305 | $42,000 | 3,101,833 | 146 |
| 37 | Georgia | $56,348 | $39,000 | 10,429,379 | 463 |
| 38 | Florida | $56,720 | $37,000 | 20,984,400 | 673 |
| 39 | Alabama | $56,143 | $39,000 | 4,874,747 | 149 |
| 40 | Missouri | $57,959 | $42,000 | 6,113,532 | 202 |
| 41 | Idaho | $55,572 | $42,000 | 1,716,943 | 63 |
| 42 | Indiana | $54,676 | $39,000 | 6,666,818 | 249 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $56,093 | $39,000 | 2,984,100 | 51 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $53,940 | $37,000 | 5,024,369 | 170 |
| 45 | Arizona | $50,070 | $35,000 | 7,016,270 | 317 |
| 46 | Iowa | $53,173 | $39,000 | 3,145,711 | 126 |
| 47 | Montana | $54,026 | $42,000 | 1,050,493 | 32 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $53,231 | $40,000 | 869,666 | 18 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $48,208 | $35,000 | 3,004,279 | 74 |
| 50 | West Virginia | $49,707 | $35,000 | 1,815,857 | 19 |
| 51 | New Mexico | $44,279 | $31,000 | 2,088,070 | 41 |
Highest paying states for regional planners
| Rank | State | Avg. Regional Planner Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | $88,715 |
| 2 | Oregon | $74,351 |
| 3 | Massachusetts | $76,192 |
| 4 | Nevada | $71,412 |
| 5 | California | $78,411 |
| 6 | Colorado | $72,486 |
| 7 | New York | $73,124 |
| 8 | Rhode Island | $71,395 |
| 9 | Washington | $71,152 |
| 10 | Vermont | $72,445 |
| 11 | Virginia | $71,191 |
| 12 | Minnesota | $67,959 |
| 13 | Delaware | $71,296 |
| 14 | Texas | $64,421 |
| 15 | Kansas | $67,937 |
| 16 | Ohio | $63,801 |
| 17 | Maryland | $68,574 |
| 18 | Connecticut | $64,714 |
| 19 | Wyoming | $65,207 |
| 20 | Louisiana | $65,463 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | $59,804 |
| 22 | Illinois | $60,998 |
| 23 | Alaska | $68,670 |
| 24 | Hawaii | $64,419 |
| 25 | New Hampshire | $59,582 |
| 26 | Michigan | $61,131 |
| 27 | New Jersey | $62,455 |
| 28 | Kentucky | $59,421 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $57,438 |
| 30 | Maine | $61,820 |
| 31 | North Dakota | $59,526 |
| 32 | Nebraska | $58,057 |
| 33 | Tennessee | $56,935 |
| 34 | Wisconsin | $56,841 |
| 35 | Oklahoma | $59,375 |
| 36 | Utah | $56,305 |
| 37 | Georgia | $56,348 |
| 38 | Florida | $56,720 |
| 39 | Alabama | $56,143 |
| 40 | Missouri | $57,959 |
| 41 | Idaho | $55,572 |
| 42 | Indiana | $54,676 |
| 43 | Mississippi | $56,093 |
| 44 | South Carolina | $53,940 |
| 45 | Arizona | $50,070 |
| 46 | Iowa | $53,173 |
| 47 | Montana | $54,026 |
| 48 | South Dakota | $53,231 |
| 49 | Arkansas | $48,208 |
| 50 | West Virginia | $49,707 |
| 51 | New Mexico | $44,279 |
Expert opinions on the best states for regional planners
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for regional planners to find work opportunities?
Crystal Sehlke
Program Director,, University of Maryland
Some sectors are growing: E-commerce, online services, almost anything related to the delivery of goods. Technology skills will remain in demand, and there is an expanding need for data analytics and people who can extract key messages from masses of data. Another area of rapid expansion is human-focused services that can be delivered remotely, such as telehealth and tele-counseling. The popularity of "remote work" in the job and internship market has exploded out of necessity, and some of our current students have benefited from it by applying for remote internships at jobs at organizations that might have posed a geographic challenge prior to COVID-19.
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Updated January 8, 2025