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Regional planner salary

Quoted expert
Connie Ozawa Ph.D.

Average regional planner salary

$65,450

$31.47 hourly rate

Entry-level regional planner salary
$47,000 yearly salary
Updated December 15, 2025

Average Regional Planner Salary

The average salary for a Regional Planner in the United States is approximately $65,450 per year, or around $31 per hour. However, this figure can vary based on several factors including location, years of experience, and industry specialization. For instance, planners working in urban areas or in sectors like environmental planning may earn higher salaries due to increased demand and complexity of projects.

Highest Paying States for Regional Planners

Some of the highest-paying states for Regional Planners include California, New York, and Washington. In these regions, salaries can exceed the national average significantly, with top professionals earning upwards of $90,000 annually. This disparity highlights the importance of location in salary negotiations and career planning.

Career Advancement Opportunities

Moreover, gaining experience in related fields such as urban design or transportation planning can enhance your earning potential. Employers may also look favorably on advanced degrees or certifications, which can open doors to higher-level positions and increased responsibility. By staying informed about salary trends and industry demands, you can better prepare for a successful career as a Regional Planner.

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Where can a Regional Planner earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
105k
85k
65k
45k
25k
Columbus, OH$88,700
West Lafayette, IN$54,539
Compare salary by company
Vs
116k
96k
76k
56k
36k
City of Detroit$88,366
BCC Engineering$66,101

Regional planner salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Ziprecruiter, Comparably and Payscale, the average salary for a regional planner typically falls between $25,340 and $86,250.
zippia
$65,450yearly
comparably[1]
$25,340yearly
Salary.com[2]
$54,082yearly
ZipRecruiter[3]
$86,250yearly
payscale[4]
$45,120yearly

Average regional planner salary by state

The average regional planner salary in California, Massachusetts, and Oregon are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average regional planner salary states are South Dakota, Iowa, and Arizona.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for regional planners

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1District of Columbia$88,715$42.65
2Oregon$74,351$35.75
3Massachusetts$76,192$36.63
4Nevada$71,412$34.33
5California$78,411$37.70
6Colorado$72,486$34.85
7New York$73,124$35.16
8Rhode Island$71,395$34.32
9Washington$71,152$34.21
10Vermont$72,445$34.83
11Virginia$71,191$34.23
12Minnesota$67,959$32.67
13Delaware$71,296$34.28
14Texas$64,421$30.97
15Kansas$67,937$32.66
16Ohio$63,801$30.67
17Maryland$68,574$32.97
18Connecticut$64,714$31.11
19Wyoming$65,207$31.35
20Louisiana$65,463$31.47
21Pennsylvania$59,804$28.75
22Illinois$60,998$29.33
23Alaska$68,670$33.01
24Hawaii$64,419$30.97
25New Hampshire$59,582$28.65
26Michigan$61,131$29.39
27New Jersey$62,455$30.03
28Kentucky$59,421$28.57
29North Carolina$57,438$27.61
30Maine$61,820$29.72
31North Dakota$59,526$28.62
32Nebraska$58,057$27.91
33Tennessee$56,935$27.37
34Wisconsin$56,841$27.33
35Oklahoma$59,375$28.55
36Utah$56,305$27.07
37Georgia$56,348$27.09
38Florida$56,720$27.27
39Alabama$56,143$26.99
40Missouri$57,959$27.86
41Idaho$55,572$26.72
42Indiana$54,676$26.29
43Mississippi$56,093$26.97
44South Carolina$53,940$25.93
45Arizona$50,070$24.07
46Iowa$53,173$25.56
47Montana$54,026$25.97
48South Dakota$53,231$25.59
49Arkansas$48,208$23.18
50West Virginia$49,707$23.90
51New Mexico$44,279$21.29

Highest paying cities for regional planners

The highest-paying cities for regional planners are Washington, DC, San Francisco, CA, and Boston, MA.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1Washington, DC$88,700$42.64
2San Francisco, CA$83,068$39.94
3Boston, MA$76,231$36.65
4New York, NY$73,288$35.23
5Denver, CO$72,482$34.85
6Arlington, VA$71,817$34.53
7Baltimore, MD$68,637$33.00
8Saint Paul, MN$67,976$32.68
9Irving, TX$64,845$31.18
10New Haven, CT$64,765$31.14
11Urban Honolulu, HI$64,379$30.95
12Cincinnati, OH$62,979$30.28
13Detroit, MI$61,299$29.47
14Chicago, IL$61,144$29.40
15Pensacola, FL$58,031$27.90
16Charlotte, NC$56,945$27.38
17Memphis, TN$56,695$27.26
18Atlanta, GA$56,553$27.19
19Jackson, MS$56,008$26.93
20West Lafayette, IN$54,539$26.22

Regional planner salary details

A regional planner's salary ranges from $47,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $89,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average regional planner salary graph
Average regional planner salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a regional planner's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$89,000$7,417$43
75th Percentile$77,000$6,417$37
Average$65,450$5,454$31
25th Percentile$55,000$4,583$26
10th Percentile$47,000$3,917$23

Highest paying regional planner jobs

The highest paying types of regional planners are business planner, urban renewal manager, and senior planner.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Urban Design Consultant$63,960$5,330$30.7541,918
Planning Internship$33,695$2,808$16.2057,335
Facilities Planner$71,048$5,921$34.1623,175
Urban Renewal Manager$80,064$6,672$38.492,808
Community Planner$65,352$5,446$31.4224,343
Business Planner$119,250$9,937$57.3360,241

How would you rate the starting salaries for regional planners, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?

Connie Ozawa Ph.D.

MUS and PhD Program Coordinator, Portland State University

The salary range of master in planning graduates has varied substantially, from about $50k to $100k, with non-profit organizations at the low end and large private firms at the upper end, and depending on geographic location. One will rarely get rich on a planner's salary alone, but the intangible rewards can be enormous!

Top companies hiring regional planners now:

  1. Macy's jobs (12)
  2. The Kraft Group jobs (13)
  3. Merck jobs (4)
  4. Celanese jobs (4)
  5. CDM Smith jobs (4)

Which companies pay regional planners the most?

Regional planner salaries at City of Detroit and Celanese are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average regional planner salary at companies like CDM Smith and Ernst & Young are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1City of Detroit$88,366$42.48
2Celanese$77,330$37.18
3CDM Smith$77,205$37.12
4Ernst & Young$75,807$36.45
5OBM$73,157$35.17
6Cambridge Systematics$70,711$34.00
7The Landrum Company, Inc.$70,585$33.94
8Michael Baker$68,804$33.08
9Louis Berger$68,616$32.99
10Bausch + Lomb$68,578$32.97
11Metropolitan Transportation Commission$67,749$32.57
12Owens & Minor$67,568$32.48
13AECOM$67,553$32.48
14San Diego Association of Governments$67,213$32.31
15Department of Public Social Services$67,156$32.29
16Timothy Haahs & Associates$67,026$32.22
17University Health$66,404$31.93
18Ayers Saint Gross$66,356$31.90
19HNTB$66,262$31.86
20BCC Engineering$66,101$31.78

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$67,000$66,600$66,200$65,800$65,400$65,000
MaleFemale

Regional Planner salary by industry

The average regional planner salary varies across industries:

  • The average regional planner salary in the manufacturing industry is $73,412, the highest of any industry.
  • The average regional planner salary in the finance industry is $69,572.
  • Regional planners in the retail industry earn an average salary of $57,301, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for regional planners

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Manufacturing$73,412$35.29
2Government$69,572$33.45
3Transportation$69,261$33.30
4Construction$67,808$32.60
5Professional$65,417$31.45
6Start-up$63,858$30.70
7Retail$57,301$27.55

High paying regional planner jobs

Regional planner salary trends

The average regional planner salary has risen by $10,212 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average regional planner earned $55,238 annually, but today, they earn $65,450 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for regional planners over the last decade.

Compare regional planner salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average regional planner salary over time

Compare regional planner salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Regional planner salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$65,400$31.47+2.1%
2024$64,100$30.80+1.7%
2023$63,000$30.26+2.1%
2022$61,600$29.62+2.1%
2021$60,300$29.01+2.6%

Recently added regional planner salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Cushman & WakefieldRegional Planner/SchedulerSacramento, CA06/24/2025$67,150
C&W ServicesRegional Planner/SchedulerAnaheim, CA06/24/2025$67,150
Weyerhaeuser : We'Re HiringRegion Harvest PlannerLebanon, OR06/21/2025$81,313
Weyerhaeuser CompanyRegion Harvest PlannerLebanon, OR06/18/2025$81,313
Emera IncorporatedRegional PlannerBridgewater, MA05/29/2025$106,082
Spellman High Voltage ElectronicsSenior Regional Npi/Npd PlannerHauppauge, NY05/27/2025$100,000
Cushman & WakefieldRegional Planner/SchedulerSacramento, CA05/18/2025$63,750
C&W ServicesRegional Planner/SchedulerSacramento, CA05/14/2025$63,750
Spellman High Voltage ElectronicsSenior Regional Npi/Npd PlannerHauppauge, NY04/28/2025$100,000
Applied MaterialsSenior Regional Planner (B3)Phoenix, AZ04/11/2025$78,000

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