Earnings vary based on position, work experience, and the population of the city or town the planner serves. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, median annual earnings of urban and regional planners were $74,350 in May 2019. The lowest paid 10 percent earned less than $45,850, and the highest paid 10 percent earned more than $116,280. Mean annual earnings in local government, the industry employing the largest numbers of urban and regional planners, were $75,910.
Many planners work for government agencies, so they usually have sick leave and vacation privileges and are covered by retirement and health plans. Many planners also have access to a city-owned automobile.
Planners who work as consultants are generally paid on a fee basis. Their earnings are often high and vary greatly according to their reputations and work experience. Their earnings will depend on the number of consulting jobs they accept.
- Ambassadors
- Architects
- Assessors and Appraisers
- Aviation Safety Inspectors
- Bailiffs
- Bank Examiners
- Border Patrol Agents
- Building Performance Diagnosticians
- Campaign Workers
- City Managers
- Civil Engineering Technicians
- Civil Engineers
- Computer-Aided Design Drafters and Technicians
- Congressional Aides
- Construction Inspectors
- Construction Managers
- Credit Analysts
- Cryptographic Technicians
- Customs Officials
- Demographers
- Deputy U.S. Marshals
- Drafters
- Economists
- Emergency Management Directors
- Engineers
- Environmental Engineers
- Environmental Lobbyists
- Environmental Planners
- EPA Special Agents
- Ergonomists
- FBI Agents
- Federal and State Officials
- Fish and Game Wardens
- Foreign Service Officers
- Fraud Examiners, Investigators, and Analysts
- Furniture Designers
- Futurists
- Geodetic Surveyors
- Green Builders
- Grounds Managers
- Health and Regulatory Inspectors
- Home Stagers
- Household Movers
- Industrial Designers
- Insurance Policy Processing Workers
- Insurance Underwriters
- Intelligence Officers
- Interior Designers and Decorators
- Interpreters
- Land Acquisition Professionals
- Land Trust or Preserve Managers
- Landscape Architects
- Landscapers
- Loan Officers and Counselors
- Lobbyists
- Military Recruiters
- Military Workers, Enlisted
- National Park Service Employees
- Occupational Safety and Health Workers
- Park Rangers
- Policy Analysts
- Political Columnists and Writers
- Political Consultants
- Political Reporters
- Political Scientists
- Political Speechwriters
- Press Secretaries
- Property and Real Estate Managers
- Public Opinion Researchers
- Real Estate Agents and Brokers
- Real Estate Clerks
- Real Estate Developers
- Real Estate Educators
- Real Estate Lawyers
- Real Estate Writers
- Recycling Coordinators
- Regional and Local Officials
- Secret Service Special Agents
- Statisticians
- Surveyors
- Swimming Pool Designers
- Title Searchers and Examiners
- Traffic Engineers
- Translators
- Transportation Planners