CDCareer Decision

Urban and Regional Planners Career, Salary and Skills

Urban and Regional Planners have a BLS-reported national median annual wage of $89,320 based on the 2025 OEWS dataset, with reported national employment of 44,230. Wage data is published for 257 locations.

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Occupation description

Develop comprehensive plans and programs for use of land and physical facilities of jurisdictions, such as towns, cities, counties, and metropolitan areas.

O*NET code

19-3051.00

Job zone

5

Typical education

Master's Degree

Experience

Over 1 year, up to and including 2 years

National salary and employment

Median annual

$89,320

Hourly median

$42.94

Employment

44,230

Data year

2025

National salary distribution

$60,010
10th
$72,020
25th
$89,320
Median
$110,030
75th
$134,490
90th

Top skills

SkillImportanceLevel
Speaking4.124.25
Judgment and Decision Making4.124.25
Active Listening4.124.38
Systems Analysis4.004.12
Reading Comprehension4.004.38
Critical Thinking4.004.25
Writing3.884.12
Complex Problem Solving3.754.12
Systems Evaluation3.754.00
Social Perceptiveness3.623.75
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Typical tasks

  • Advise planning officials on project feasibility, cost-effectiveness, regulatory conformance, or possible alternatives.
  • Create, prepare, or requisition graphic or narrative reports on land use data, including land area maps overlaid with geographic variables, such as population density.
  • Hold public meetings with government officials, social scientists, lawyers, developers, the public, or special interest groups to formulate, develop, or address issues regarding land use or community plans.
  • Mediate community disputes or assist in developing alternative plans or recommendations for programs or projects.
  • Recommend approval, denial, or conditional approval of proposals.
  • Conduct field investigations, surveys, impact studies, or other research to compile and analyze data on economic, social, regulatory, or physical factors affecting land use.
  • Evaluate proposals for infrastructure projects or other development for environmental impact or sustainability.
  • Design, promote, or administer government plans or policies affecting land use, zoning, public utilities, community facilities, housing, or transportation.
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Technology

  • 3D urban simulation modeling software
  • Accela KIVA DMS
  • Accela PERMITS Plus
  • Accela Tidemark Advantage
  • Adobe Acrobat
  • Adobe Creative Cloud software
  • Adobe Dreamweaver
  • Adobe FreeHand MX
  • Adobe Illustrator
  • Adobe InDesign
  • Adobe PageMaker
  • Adobe Photoshop
  • Autodesk 3ds Max Design
  • Autodesk AutoCAD
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Urban and Regional Planners salary by location

Areas with the highest reported employment for this occupation.

All 257 locations →

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Career and skills data: O*NET 31.0 (onetcenter.org). Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS, 2025 (bls.gov/oes). Figures are published survey estimates, not real-time market data.