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Planning director salary

Average planning director salary

$131,978

$63.45 hourly rate

Entry-level planning director salary
$90,000 yearly salary
Updated January 8, 2025

Average Planning Director Salary

The average salary for a Planning Director is currently $131,978 annually, translating to approximately $63 per hour. This salary can vary based on factors such as location, years of experience, and industry sector. For instance, California and New York often offer higher salaries due to their cost of living and demand for skilled professionals.

Factors Influencing Salary

Experience plays a crucial role in salary determination. Entry-level Planning Directors may command around $90,000, while seasoned professionals can earn significantly more, reaching up to $160,000 or beyond. Understanding these dynamics can help job seekers strategize their career paths effectively.

Highest Paying States

States such as California, New York, and Texas feature among the highest-paying locations for Planning Directors. These regions not only offer lucrative salaries but also a plethora of job opportunities across various sectors, including urban planning and corporate strategy.

Planning Director Job Opportunities

With a broad range of industries seeking Planning Directors, from government agencies to corporate firms, there is significant potential for career growth. Job seekers are encouraged to explore roles that align with their skills and interests to maximize their earning potential.

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Where can a Planning Director earn more?

Compare salary by location
Vs
164k
144k
124k
104k
84k
Columbus, OH$151,568
Washington, DC$114,081
Compare salary by company
Vs
208k
188k
168k
148k
128k
Exelixis$190,369
Young & Rubicam$158,172

Planning director salaries by experience level

Experience levelAvg. salaryHourly rate
Entry-level planning director$98,000$47.10
Mid-level planning director$105,000$50.31
Senior-level planning director$238,000$114.45

Planning director salary estimates from across the web

Based on the latest salary information compiled by Zippia, Salary.com, Glassdoor, Ziprecruiter and Comparably, the average salary for a planning director typically falls between $125,750 and $181,262.
zippia
$131,978yearly
glassdoor[1]
$136,037yearly
comparably[2]
$127,705yearly
Salary.com[3]
$181,262yearly
ZipRecruiter[4]
$125,750yearly

Average planning director salary by state

The average planning director salary in New York, California, and Nevada are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average planning director salary states are South Dakota, Nebraska, and Oklahoma.

  • State view
  • County view
Average salary:

Highest paying states for planning directors

RankStateAvg. salaryHourly rate
1New York$144,419$69.43
2Oregon$139,094$66.87
3New Jersey$138,119$66.40
4Nevada$140,784$67.68
5Rhode Island$129,356$62.19
6California$143,286$68.89
7New Hampshire$132,491$63.70
8Idaho$128,954$62.00
9Delaware$133,428$64.15
10New Mexico$130,787$62.88
11Massachusetts$122,883$59.08
12Vermont$122,411$58.85
13Louisiana$118,149$56.80
14Ohio$122,455$58.87
15Maine$129,292$62.16
16Washington$123,458$59.35
17Illinois$120,891$58.12
18Arizona$121,308$58.32
19Utah$117,309$56.40
20Mississippi$114,917$55.25
21Wyoming$117,672$56.57
22Virginia$121,279$58.31
23Texas$118,015$56.74
24Georgia$117,049$56.27
25Wisconsin$116,419$55.97
26North Dakota$115,154$55.36
27District of Columbia$114,033$54.82
28North Carolina$113,367$54.50
29Michigan$115,644$55.60
30Arkansas$106,868$51.38
31Alabama$110,104$52.93
32West Virginia$113,843$54.73
33Pennsylvania$110,806$53.27
34Alaska$116,785$56.15
35Colorado$115,981$55.76
36Connecticut$112,280$53.98
37South Dakota$100,691$48.41
38Kentucky$111,899$53.80
39Missouri$112,613$54.14
40Indiana$110,402$53.08
41Oklahoma$99,196$47.69
42Maryland$112,381$54.03
43Montana$102,650$49.35
44Florida$106,144$51.03
45Iowa$96,149$46.23
46Kansas$105,782$50.86
47Tennessee$101,364$48.73
48Nebraska$99,429$47.80
49South Carolina$105,095$50.53
50Minnesota$97,508$46.88
51Hawaii$91,816$44.14

Highest paying cities for planning directors

The highest-paying cities for planning directors are San Francisco, CA, New York, NY, and Las Vegas, NV.

RankCityAvg. salaryHourly rate
1San Francisco, CA$151,568$72.87
2New York, NY$145,569$69.99
3Las Vegas, NV$140,552$67.57
4Newark, NJ$138,746$66.70
5Beaverton, OR$138,682$66.67
6Newark, DE$133,713$64.29
7South Portland, ME$130,165$62.58
8Seattle, WA$123,977$59.60
9Boston, MA$123,044$59.16
10Columbus, OH$122,487$58.89
11Arlington, VA$122,357$58.83
12Phoenix, AZ$122,006$58.66
13Chicago, IL$121,388$58.36
14Arlington, TX$118,644$57.04
15Baton Rouge, LA$118,502$56.97
16Atlanta, GA$116,974$56.24
17Detroit, MI$116,119$55.83
18Colorado Springs, CO$115,840$55.69
19Raleigh, NC$114,997$55.29
20Washington, DC$114,081$54.85

Planning director salary details

A planning director's salary ranges from $90,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $192,000 at the 90th percentile.

Average planning director salary graph
Average planning director salary graph, trends, and summary

What is a planning director's salary?

PercentileAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rate
90th Percentile$192,000$16,000$92
75th Percentile$160,000$13,333$77
Average$131,978$10,998$63
25th Percentile$108,000$9,000$52
10th Percentile$90,000$7,500$43

Highest paying planning director jobs

The highest paying types of planning directors are senior director of marketing, global director, and product management director.

Job titleAnnual salaryMonthly salaryHourly rateJob openings
Director Of Communications And Marketing$87,324$7,277$41.98109,600
Director Of Marketing & Development$98,174$8,181$47.20151,893
Director New Business Development$110,272$9,189$53.02154,470
Director, Product Marketing$141,699$11,808$68.12173,038
Director Of Strategy$145,870$12,156$70.1365,254
Business Development Director$117,784$9,815$56.63153,601

Top companies hiring planning directors now:

  1. TBWA Worldwide jobs (16)
  2. Grey Group jobs (9)
  3. Wunderman Thompson jobs (19)
  4. Microsoft jobs (13)
  5. Macy's jobs (12)

Which companies pay planning directors the most?

Planning director salaries at Exelixis and Google are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average planning director salary at companies like Apple and Intercept Pharmaceuticals are highly competitive.

RankCompanyAverage salaryHourly rate
1Exelixis$190,369$91.52
2Google$189,007$90.87
3Apple$188,251$90.51
4Intercept Pharmaceuticals$179,333$86.22
5TBWA Worldwide$172,997$83.17
6JUUL$171,893$82.64
7eBay$171,890$82.64
8Citi$171,544$82.47
9Juniper Networks$169,438$81.46
10Saatchi & Saatchi Advertising Worldwide Inc$167,812$80.68
11Crispin Porter + Bogusky$167,645$80.60
12Leo Burnett$165,901$79.76
13Grey Group$163,955$78.82
14Northwell Health$163,564$78.64
15Droga5$163,357$78.54
16Apache$162,819$78.28
17Slipstream$161,699$77.74
18Burlington$160,943$77.38
19Silicon Valley Bank$160,709$77.26
20Young & Rubicam$158,172$76.04

Wage gap by gender, race and education

$134,000$132,200$130,400$128,600$126,800$125,000
MaleFemale

Planning Director salary by industry

The average planning director salary varies across industries:

  • The average planning director salary in the professional industry is $135,601, the highest of any industry.
  • The average planning director salary in the finance industry is $131,503.
  • Planning directors in the retail industry earn an average salary of $118,640, the lowest of any industry.

Highest paying industries for planning directors

RankIndustryAverage salaryHourly rate
1Professional$135,601$65.19
2Media$131,503$63.22
3Manufacturing$125,762$60.46
4Technology$125,178$60.18
5Finance$122,133$58.72
6Retail$118,640$57.04

High paying planning director jobs

Planning director salary trends

The average planning director salary has risen by $24,284 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average planning director earned $107,694 annually, but today, they earn $131,978 a year. That works out to a 8% change in pay for planning directors over the last decade.

Compare planning director salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.

Average planning director salary over time

Compare planning director salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.

Planning director salary by year

YearAvg. salaryHourly rate% Change
2025$132,000$63.45+3.7%
2024$127,000$61.08+1.9%
2023$125,000$59.93+1.5%
2022$123,000$59.01+0.8%
2021$122,000$58.55+1.9%

Recently added planning director salaries

CompanyJobLocationDate addedSalary
Jackson National Life DistributorsAdvanced Planning DirectorNashville, TN06/30/2025$140,000
KnitwellgroupDirector-Location Planning & AllocationNew York, NY06/29/2025$150,000
ParagoncommunityBusiness Strategy Plan Director-Care Delivery and Provider EnablementCosta Mesa, CA06/29/2025$139,944
The Coca-Cola CompanyDirector, RGM Multi-Year PlanningAtlanta, GA06/28/2025$148,000
HAVI CorporationDirector, Supply PlanningChicago, IL06/28/2025$140,000
Active InternationalDirector of PlanningNew York, NY06/28/2025$110,000
Community Bank System, Inc.Financial Planning Director-Nottingham Investment Services, INC.Williston, VT06/27/2025$92,000
Community Bank System, Inc.Financial Planning Director-Nottingham Investment Services, INC.Wilkes-Barre, PA06/27/2025$92,000
Community Bank System, Inc.Financial Planning Director-Nottingham Investment Services, INC.Buffalo, NY06/27/2025$92,000
MaceAssociate Planning DirectorNew York, NY06/27/2025$175,000

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