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The differences between urban planners and urban design consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both an urban planner and an urban design consultant. Additionally, an urban planner has an average salary of $65,316, which is higher than the $63,960 average annual salary of an urban design consultant.
The top three skills for an urban planner include GIS, infrastructure and visualization. The most important skills for an urban design consultant are GIS, urban design, and sketch.
| Urban Planner | Urban Design Consultant | |
| Yearly salary | $65,316 | $63,960 |
| Hourly rate | $31.40 | $30.75 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 13,883 | 41,918 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
An urban planner is responsible for evaluating land use and condition and providing comprehensive plans and programs that would be beneficial for the entire community. Urban planners' tasks also cover conducting field investigations and collect environmental studies, performing market research and creating proposals for approval of the officials, reviewing recommendations and addressing issues which concern the land and resources, and strategizing comprehensive area plans. An urban planner must consider the community's best interest that would promote growth and development.
An urban design consultant is in charge of many projects, and so they have to oversee tasks and plan assignments. They are skilled in creating interior design solutions, space planning, sketching, and product selection. They have to analyze information and data gotten from market research studies and censuses. They also have to do presentations and prepare reports.
Urban planners and urban design consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Urban Planner | Urban Design Consultant | |
| Average salary | $65,316 | $63,960 |
| Salary range | Between $47,000 And $89,000 | Between $51,000 And $79,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Mapbox | Perkins&Will |
| Best paying industry | Construction | Telecommunication |
There are a few differences between an urban planner and an urban design consultant in terms of educational background:
| Urban Planner | Urban Design Consultant | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 64% | Bachelor's Degree, 56% |
| Most common major | Urban Planning | Urban Planning |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between urban planners' and urban design consultants' demographics:
| Urban Planner | Urban Design Consultant | |
| Average age | 42 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 66.6% Female, 33.4% | Male, 56.1% Female, 43.9% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.3% Asian, 9.3% White, 67.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% | Black or African American, 4.7% Unknown, 5.4% Hispanic or Latino, 12.4% Asian, 9.3% White, 67.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.9% |
| LGBT Percentage | 13% | 13% |