Best states for an urban design consultant

Q: What is the best state for urban design consultants?

The best state to be an urban design consultant is District of Columbia based on urban design consultant salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for urban design consultants?

The highest paying state for urban design consultants is New Mexico based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for urban design consultants?

The worst state for urban design consultants is New Mexico, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Quoted expert

Robert von Mahs

Rank 1 - 10
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We decided to bring you a list of the best states for jobs for urban design consultants in the United States. Urban design consultant positions are available in every state, but not all states are the same. Some states do not offer the same wages, benefits, time off, etc for urban design consultants.Our research shows that District of Columbia is the best state in the country for urban design consultants.

In order to get you the best states for urban design consultants, we looked at our data on jobs and wages -- specifically the average annual wage and the number of available jobs per capita.District of Columbia is the best state, and Dartmouth is the city with the highest pay for urban design consultants.

10 best states for urban design consultants in 2025

1. District of Columbia
Total urban design consultant jobs: 141
Average annual salary: $84,420
Lowest 10 percent earn: $63,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $111,000
Location Quotient:
1.21
Urban design consultant jobs in District of Columbia
2. Vermont
Total urban design consultant jobs: 58
Average annual salary: $72,153
Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $92,000
Location Quotient:
1.09
Urban design consultant jobs in Vermont
3. Massachusetts
Total urban design consultant jobs: 729
Average annual salary: $72,616
Lowest 10 percent earn: $55,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $95,000
Location Quotient:
1.14
Urban design consultant jobs in Massachusetts
4. Minnesota
Total urban design consultant jobs: 473
Average annual salary: $69,473
Lowest 10 percent earn: $56,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $85,000
Location Quotient:
1.03
Urban design consultant jobs in Minnesota
5. Oregon
Total urban design consultant jobs: 475
Average annual salary: $69,085
Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000
Location Quotient:
1.65
Urban design consultant jobs in Oregon
6. Rhode Island
Total urban design consultant jobs: 80
Average annual salary: $68,769
Lowest 10 percent earn: $52,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $90,000
Location Quotient:
0.95
Urban design consultant jobs in Rhode Island
7. Virginia
Total urban design consultant jobs: 589
Average annual salary: $71,451
Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $94,000
Location Quotient:
0.9
Urban design consultant jobs in Virginia
8. Washington
Total urban design consultant jobs: 531
Average annual salary: $67,862
Lowest 10 percent earn: $54,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $83,000
Location Quotient:
1.05
Urban design consultant jobs in Washington
9. New York
Total urban design consultant jobs: 887
Average annual salary: $70,328
Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $93,000
Location Quotient:
1
Urban design consultant jobs in New York
10. California
Total urban design consultant jobs: 3,145
Average annual salary: $68,688
Lowest 10 percent earn: $53,000
Highest 10 percent earn: $87,000
Location Quotient:
1.55
Urban design consultant jobs in California

Urban design consultant jobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be an urban design consultant

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for an urban design consultant

Rank	State	Average salary	Lowest 10% earn	Population	Job count
1	District of Columbia	$84,420	$63,000	693,972	141
2	Vermont	$72,153	$55,000	623,657	58
3	Massachusetts	$72,616	$55,000	6,859,819	729
4	Minnesota	$69,473	$56,000	5,576,606	473
5	Oregon	$69,085	$54,000	4,142,776	475
6	Rhode Island	$68,769	$52,000	1,059,639	80
7	Virginia	$71,451	$54,000	8,470,020	589
8	Washington	$67,862	$54,000	7,405,743	531
9	New York	$70,328	$53,000	19,849,399	887
10	California	$68,688	$53,000	39,536,653	3,145
11	Wyoming	$63,934	$51,000	579,315	39
12	Alaska	$68,832	$61,000	739,795	53
13	Delaware	$67,726	$51,000	961,939	75
14	Kansas	$66,359	$53,000	2,913,123	167
15	Nevada	$66,130	$51,000	2,998,039	112
16	Michigan	$59,738	$46,000	9,962,311	542
17	Colorado	$63,648	$51,000	5,607,154	395
18	Connecticut	$62,108	$47,000	3,588,184	262
19	Oklahoma	$57,659	$46,000	3,930,864	503
20	Illinois	$64,051	$50,000	12,802,023	706
21	Ohio	$61,975	$47,000	11,658,609	516
22	Louisiana	$63,594	$49,000	4,684,333	84
23	North Dakota	$59,518	$49,000	755,393	54
24	Pennsylvania	$58,607	$44,000	12,805,537	680
25	Maine	$61,678	$48,000	1,335,907	66
26	Alabama	$54,770	$42,000	4,874,747	739
27	Missouri	$61,518	$49,000	6,113,532	294
28	Maryland	$65,211	$49,000	6,052,177	348
29	Mississippi	$54,689	$42,000	2,984,100	319
30	New Hampshire	$58,234	$44,000	1,342,795	110
31	Hawaii	$60,654	$52,000	1,427,538	56
32	South Dakota	$52,758	$43,000	869,666	202
33	North Carolina	$55,470	$42,000	10,273,419	631
34	Wisconsin	$55,873	$44,000	5,795,483	310
35	New Jersey	$59,573	$44,000	9,005,644	462
36	Texas	$55,416	$43,000	28,304,596	1,292
37	Kentucky	$56,977	$44,000	4,454,189	136
38	Nebraska	$57,320	$46,000	1,920,076	107
39	Tennessee	$55,669	$43,000	6,715,984	198
40	Montana	$53,641	$44,000	1,050,493	75
41	Utah	$54,496	$43,000	3,101,833	193
42	Idaho	$53,953	$43,000	1,716,943	95
43	Arizona	$47,469	$37,000	7,016,270	452
44	Iowa	$52,645	$42,000	3,145,711	201
45	Georgia	$53,931	$41,000	10,429,379	595
46	Indiana	$53,546	$41,000	6,666,818	289
47	Florida	$52,967	$41,000	20,984,400	928
48	South Carolina	$52,285	$40,000	5,024,369	199
49	Arkansas	$49,020	$38,000	3,004,279	94
50	West Virginia	$48,049	$36,000	1,815,857	40
51	New Mexico	$42,508	$33,000	2,088,070	92

Highest paying states for urban design consultants

Rank	State	Avg. Urban Design Consultant Salary
1	District of Columbia	$84,420
2	Vermont	$72,153
3	Massachusetts	$72,616
4	Minnesota	$69,473
5	Oregon	$69,085
6	Rhode Island	$68,769
7	Virginia	$71,451
8	Washington	$67,862
9	New York	$70,328
10	California	$68,688
11	Wyoming	$63,934
12	Alaska	$68,832
13	Delaware	$67,726
14	Kansas	$66,359
15	Nevada	$66,130
16	Michigan	$59,738
17	Colorado	$63,648
18	Connecticut	$62,108
19	Oklahoma	$57,659
20	Illinois	$64,051
21	Ohio	$61,975
22	Louisiana	$63,594
23	North Dakota	$59,518
24	Pennsylvania	$58,607
25	Maine	$61,678
26	Alabama	$54,770
27	Missouri	$61,518
28	Maryland	$65,211
29	Mississippi	$54,689
30	New Hampshire	$58,234
31	Hawaii	$60,654
32	South Dakota	$52,758
33	North Carolina	$55,470
34	Wisconsin	$55,873
35	New Jersey	$59,573
36	Texas	$55,416
37	Kentucky	$56,977
38	Nebraska	$57,320
39	Tennessee	$55,669
40	Montana	$53,641
41	Utah	$54,496
42	Idaho	$53,953
43	Arizona	$47,469
44	Iowa	$52,645
45	Georgia	$53,931
46	Indiana	$53,546
47	Florida	$52,967
48	South Carolina	$52,285
49	Arkansas	$49,020
50	West Virginia	$48,049
51	New Mexico	$42,508

Expert opinions on the best states for urban design consultants

Are there any particularly good places in the United States for urban design consultants to find work opportunities?
Robert von Mahs
Associate Professor and Chair, The New School
The true value of an interdisciplinary course of study is that our graduates are not pigeonholed into very specific, prescribed, professional pathways. Our alumni have gone on to pursue successful careers in urban planning, government, law, non-profit management, social and community activism, historic preservation, environmental advocacy, real estate, journalism, publishing, education, and a range of private sector activities.

Urban design consultant best states FAQs

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What is the worst state for urban design consultants?

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Best states for Urban Design Consultants

Updated January 8, 2025

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Total urban design consultant jobs:	141
Average annual salary:	$84,420
Lowest 10 percent earn:	$63,000
Highest 10 percent earn:	$111,000
Location Quotient:	1.21

Best states for an urban design consultant

10 best states for urban design consultants in 2025

1. District of Columbia

2. Vermont

3. Massachusetts

4. Minnesota

5. Oregon

6. Rhode Island

7. Virginia

8. Washington

9. New York

10. California