The "median" planner is 42 years old, has been in the field for 13 years, specializes in community development and redevelopment, and earns $64,000. States with highest salaries are D.C., California and New Jersey.
APA has published the summary results of the 2006 Planners Salary Survey -- "the most comprehensive look at compensation and benefits in the profession." Results are based on responses by more than 10,000 APA members.
Most data, including a salary calculator, is available only to APA members, but a useful five-page summary of the overal survey data is also available. Among the highlights:
- Total compensation in 2004 was $62,000, and in 2006 it is $65,000, with $51,000 being the 25th percentile (25% earn less) and $86,100 being the 75th percentile.
- The typical (median) planner is 42 years old and has been in the planning field for 13 years.
- Almost all planners indicated an area of specialization, the most common being community development and redevelopment (49%) and land-use or code enforcement (42%).
- Highest salaries for planners are offered by law firms, development firms, and the federal government.
- 64% of planners work in the city, 22% in the suburbs, and 14% in small town/rural settings.
- In 2004, females earned 86 cents on the dollar, whereas earnings in 2006 are at 88 cents on the dollar. The gender gap grows with increasing experience.
FULL STORY: APA Salary Survey
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.
San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.
Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.
Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions