# Urban and Regional Planners

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

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/careers/urban-and-regional-planners
- SOC code: 19-3051.00
- Career family: Science
- Median annual pay: $89,320 (10th percentile $60,010, 90th percentile $134,490)
- Projected growth: As fast as average, +3.9%
- Openings a year: 3,200
- Typical entry education: Master's degree
- Bright outlook: no
- Data years: BLS 2025 wages · 2025–35 projections

## Interest profile (code IEC)

| Interest area | Score (0–100) |
| --- | ---: |
| Realistic (R) | 37 |
| Investigative (I) | 72 |
| Artistic (A) | 34 |
| Social (S) | 34 |
| Enterprising (E) | 58 |
| Conventional (C) | 49 |

## What you'd do

- Getting Information (importance 91/100)
- Communicating with People Outside the Organization (importance 90/100)
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems (importance 90/100)
- Developing Objectives and Strategies (importance 88/100)
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates (importance 87/100)
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards (importance 86/100)
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge (importance 84/100)
- Analyzing Data or Information (importance 83/100)
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships (importance 82/100)
- Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others (importance 82/100)

## Skills

Active Listening, Judgment and Decision Making, Speaking, Critical Thinking, Reading Comprehension, Systems Analysis, Writing, Complex Problem Solving, Systems Evaluation, Social Perceptiveness

## Knowledge

Law and Government, English Language, Geography, Transportation, Communications and Media, Administration and Management, Sociology and Anthropology, Customer and Personal Service, Computers and Electronics, Design

## Also called

Campus Planner, City Designer, City Planner, City Planning Engineer, Community Development Planner, Community Development Technician, Community Planner, Community Planning Technician, Developer Advocate, Development Technician

## Majors that lead here (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, 4-digit CIP)

- [Public Administration](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4404) (CIP 4404, 482 colleges)
- [Sustainability Studies](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/3033) (CIP 3033, 279 colleges)
- [City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/0403) (CIP 0403, 145 colleges)
- [Urban Studies/Affairs](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/4512) (CIP 4512, 130 colleges)
- [Environmental Design](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/0404) (CIP 0404, 65 colleges)
- Real Estate Development (CIP 0410, 21 colleges)
- Design for Human Health (CIP 3037, 1 college)

## Colleges with strong outcomes (College Scorecard, 2025)

| College | Program | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| [University of Southern California USC](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-southern-california-usc-3050) | Real Estate Development | $80,927 | $107,292 | $12,000 |
| [Barry University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/barry-university-183) | Public Administration | $76,893 | $97,702 | $37,255 |
| [Syracuse University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/syracuse-university-2667) | Public Administration | $61,347 | $89,732 | $21,500 |
| [California State University-Northridge CSUN](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-state-university-northridge-csun-374) | Public Administration | $84,412 | $85,789 | $34,173 |
| [Columbia University in the City of New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york-656) | Sustainability Studies | $80,080 | $85,545 | $27,000 |
| [New York University NYU](https://www.collegesref.com/college/new-york-university-nyu-1866) | Urban Studies/Affairs | not reported | $81,123 | not reported |
| [California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo SLO](https://www.collegesref.com/college/california-polytechnic-state-university-san-luis-obispo-slo-360) | City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning | $59,601 | $80,820 | $18,500 |
| [Barnard College](https://www.collegesref.com/college/barnard-college-181) | Urban Studies/Affairs | $76,413 | $79,807 | $13,192 |

## Related careers

- [Transportation Planners](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/transportation-planners): $101,110 median pay
- [Project Management Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/project-management-specialists): $102,320 median pay
- [Chief Sustainability Officers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/chief-sustainability-officers): $213,990 median pay
- [Sustainability Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/sustainability-specialists): $83,050 median pay
- [Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/brownfield-redevelopment-specialists-and-site-managers): $141,900 median pay
- [Climate Change Policy Analysts](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/climate-change-policy-analysts): $82,220 median pay

## Sources

- [O*NET Database](https://www.onetcenter.org/database.html), version 31.0 (CC BY 4.0)
- [BLS Employment Projections](https://www.bls.gov/emp/tables.htm), version 2025-35, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm), version 2025, data year 2025 (Public domain (U.S. government work))
- [NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk](https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/resources.aspx?y=56), version 2020, data year 2020 (Public domain (U.S. government work))

O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. CollegesRef has modified all or some of this information.