Average urban planning major salary

Updated September 14, 2023

$63,362

$37,00010%

$63,362Median

$108,00090%

What is the average urban planning major salary in the US?

As an urban planning major graduate in the USA, you can expect to earn on average $63,362 per year or $30.46 per hour.The top 10 percent make over $108,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent make under $37,000 per year.The most abundant employment opportunities for urban planning majors are in technology companies and professional companies.The best states for high paying jobs for urban planning major graduates are California, Massachusetts, New York, Washington, and Connecticut.

Best paying cities

$79,709

$78,122

$70,859

Average urban planning salary by company

If you are an urban planning major graduate, you can expect good job security. However, keep in mind that some industries pay better than others.The most abundant employment opportunities for urban planning majors are in technology companies and professional companies.Urban Institute and American Planning Association are the highest paying companies.Also, companies like Oracle and City of San Jos pay urban planning major graduates very well.

Average salary by company

Rank	Company	Zippia score	Average urban planning salary
1	1.Urban Institute	4.6	$94,887
2	2.American Planning Association	4.1	$87,617
3	3.Oracle	4.6	$83,997
4	4.City of San Jos	4.4	$80,104
5	5.Esri	4.4	$79,938
6	6.Deloitte	4.7	$76,830
7	7.STV Group	4.7	$74,231
8	8.RS&H	4.7	$73,708
9	9.New York City Economic Development	3.5	$73,699
10	10.City of Los Angeles	4.0	$73,205
11	11.City of Seattle	4.5	$71,555
12	12.Bank of America	4.7	$71,449
13	13.Perkins&Will	4.5	$70,833
14	14.Willdan	4.4	$70,808
15	15.ICF	4.5	$70,549
16	16.Urban Land Institute	4.4	$70,376
17	17.Stantec	4.5	$70,150
18	18.Skidmore, Owings & Merrill	4.5	$69,983
19	19.City of Fairfield	4.2	$69,703
20	20.Pratt Institute	4.7	$69,482

Average urban planning major salary by city

Urban planning major graduates in the United States of America make on average $63,362 a year or $30.46 per hour.The city with the highest salaries for urban planning major graduates is San Francisco, CA at $79,709 per year.The San Francisco, CA average entry-level salary for urban planning majors is $44,000.Washington, DC, New York, NY, Boston, MA, Des Moines, WA, Hartford, CT, and Albany, OR all pay above-average salaries for urban planning major graduates.The highest earning states when it comes to salaries for urban planning major graduates are California, Massachusetts, New York, Washington, and Connecticut.Iowa, Indiana, Florida, New Mexico, and South Carolina are the lowest earners.

Average salary by location

Rank	City	Average urban planning salary	Salary range
1	San Francisco, CA	$79,709	$43k $107k
2	Washington, DC	$78,122	$43k $107k
3	New York, NY	$70,859	$43k $107k
4	Boston, MA	$70,842	$43k $107k
5	Des Moines, WA	$69,086	$43k $107k
6	Hartford, CT	$68,194	$43k $107k
7	Albany, OR	$67,966	$43k $107k
8	Washington, NJ	$67,135	$43k $107k
9	Arlington, VA	$66,678	$43k $107k
10	Baltimore, MD	$65,509	$43k $107k
11	Providence, RI	$65,246	$43k $107k
12	Philadelphia, PA	$62,531	$43k $107k
13	Chicago, IL	$61,732	$43k $107k
14	Saint Paul, MN	$60,978	$43k $107k
15	Denver, CO	$60,905	$43k $107k
16	Detroit, MI	$60,336	$43k $107k
17	Austin, TX	$59,388	$43k $107k
18	Urban Honolulu, HI	$59,171	$43k $107k
19	Columbus, OH	$58,672	$43k $107k
20	Portland, ME	$58,621	$43k $107k

Average urban planning major salary by state

The darker areas on the map show where urban planning majors earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average salary

Urban planning major average salary by state

State	Average urban planning major salary	Average hourly rate
California	$75,456	$36.28
Massachusetts	$70,887	$34.08
New York	$70,844	$34.06
Washington	$68,806	$33.08
Connecticut	$68,385	$32.88
Oregon	$67,760	$32.58
New Jersey	$67,442	$32.42
Virginia	$65,650	$31.56
Maryland	$65,465	$31.47
Rhode Island	$65,352	$31.42
Vermont	$64,437	$30.98
Nevada	$64,284	$30.91
Delaware	$63,727	$30.64
Alaska	$63,396	$30.48
Pennsylvania	$62,150	$29.88
Illinois	$61,625	$29.63
Colorado	$60,910	$29.28
Minnesota	$60,897	$29.28
New Hampshire	$60,225	$28.95
Michigan	$60,215	$28.95
Texas	$59,177	$28.45
Hawaii	$59,131	$28.43
Ohio	$58,947	$28.34
Kansas	$58,536	$28.14
North Dakota	$58,008	$27.89
Maine	$57,952	$27.86
Wisconsin	$57,723	$27.75
West Virginia	$57,425	$27.61
Louisiana	$57,242	$27.52
Utah	$57,032	$27.42
Arizona	$56,980	$27.39
Kentucky	$56,717	$27.27
Wyoming	$56,489	$27.16
North Carolina	$55,532	$26.70
Missouri	$55,368	$26.62
Alabama	$54,485	$26.19
Idaho	$54,137	$26.03
Nebraska	$54,128	$26.02
Georgia	$53,978	$25.95
Montana	$53,709	$25.82
Oklahoma	$53,707	$25.82
Tennessee	$53,683	$25.81
Mississippi	$53,594	$25.77
South Dakota	$53,264	$25.61
Iowa	$52,940	$25.45
Indiana	$52,807	$25.39
Florida	$52,549	$25.26
New Mexico	$52,439	$25.21
South Carolina	$52,388	$25.19
Arkansas	$48,662	$23.40

Highest paying jobs for urban planning majors

Rank	Job title	Average salary	Open jobs
1	Community Developer	$125,953	81,171
2	Real Estate Developer	$93,510	87,865
3	Real Estate Sales Associate	$92,941	148,646
4	Real Estate Agent	$91,787	41,399
5	User Experience Designer	$91,159	52,582
6	Architect	$86,635	94,621
7	Product Specialist	$85,931	103,863
8	Land Developer	$80,553	70,174
9	Assistant Planner	$80,356	13,753
10	Business Analyst	$74,430	170,514
11	Data Analyst	$74,342	167,520
12	Senior Planner	$73,326	14,351
13	Analyst	$73,007	253,138
14	Land Acquisition Specialist	$71,623	14,403
15	Environmental Planner	$71,174	30,227
16	Facilities Planner	$71,047	23,175
17	Research Analyst	$70,231	81,374
18	Finance Analyst	$69,887	138,600
19	Account Executive	$69,618	205,561
20	Planning Specialist	$69,169	31,008

Average urban planning major salary by industry

Wages for urban planning major graduates can differ based on the industry they work in.Our analysis shows that technology companies, professional companies, and finance companies pay higher-than-average wages for urban planning major graduates.technology companies pay urban planning major graduates an average salary of $99,864, professional companies pay $80,028, and finance companies come in at $70,019.The types of companies that pay urban planning majors the least are in the government industry, where the average annual salary is $54,473.

Average salary by industry

Rank	Industry	Average urban planning major salary	Range
1	Technology	$99,864	$44k $126k
2	Professional	$80,028	$44k $126k
3	Finance	$70,019	$44k $126k
4	Manufacturing	$68,126	$44k $126k
5	Government	$54,473	$44k $126k

Salary history for urban planning major graduates

This data shows the national average salary between 2011-2020 among Urban Planning major graduates.

Urban planning major salary by experience level

Average salary by experience level salaries by experience level

The salary for an urban planning major graduate can range from $59,176 to $214,382 depending on the amount of work experience that the person has. Data on how experience level affects salary is provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as part of their National Compensation Survey, which is based on factors such as knowledge, complexity, contacts, and environment.

Experience level	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
Entry-level average salary by experience level	$59,200	$28.45
Mid-level average salary by experience level	$72,100	$34.67
Senior-level average salary by experience level	$214,000	$103.07

Salaries for related majors

Rank	Major	Average salary	Range
1	Real Estate Development	$71,432	$38k $92k
2	Architecture	$70,763	$38k $92k
3	Environmental Design	$63,040	$38k $92k
4	Landscape Architecture	$58,895	$38k $92k
5	Architectural Technology	$57,704	$38k $92k
6	Architectural History	$56,219	$38k $92k
7	Interior Architecture	$54,968	$38k $92k