Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 19-3051

Urban and Regional Planners

O*NET task statements lead this Urban and Regional Planners card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Astronomers, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, Biochemists and Biophysicists, Geographers.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Urban and Regional Planners: Astronomers ($129K) , Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($101K) , Biochemists and Biophysicists ($127K) , Geographers ($102K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Urban and Regional Planners publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 19-3051 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Design, promote, or administer government plans or policies affecting land use, zoning, public utilities, community facilities, housing…
  2. 2. Advise planning officials on project feasibility, cost-effectiveness, regulatory conformance, or possible alternatives
  3. 3. Create, prepare, or requisition graphic or narrative reports on land use data, including land area maps overlaid with geographic variable…
  4. 4. Hold public meetings with government officials, social scientists, lawyers, developers, the public, or special interest groups to formula…
  5. 5. Mediate community disputes or assist in developing alternative plans or recommendations for programs or projects
  6. 6. Recommend approval, denial, or conditional approval of proposals
  7. 7. Conduct field investigations, surveys, impact studies, or other research to compile and analyze data on economic, social, regulatory, or…
  8. 8. Evaluate proposals for infrastructure projects or other development for environmental impact or sustainability
  9. 9. Discuss with planning officials the purpose of land use projects, such as transportation, conservation, residential, commercial, industri…
  10. 10. Keep informed about economic or legal issues involved in zoning codes, building codes, or environmental regulations
  11. 11. Assess the feasibility of land use proposals and identify necessary changes
  12. 12. Determine the effects of regulatory limitations on land use projects

O*NET skills and knowledge for Urban and Regional Planners

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 19-3051 - entity-keyed; sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Active Listening 4.1
  2. 2. Speaking 4.1
  3. 3. Judgment and Decision Making 4.1
  4. 4. Reading Comprehension 4.0
  5. 5. Critical Thinking 4.0
  6. 6. Systems Analysis 4.0
  7. 7. Writing 3.9
  8. 8. Complex Problem Solving 3.8

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Law and Government 4.6
  2. 2. English Language 4.4
  3. 3. Geography 4.2
  4. 4. Transportation 4.0
  5. 5. Communications and Media 3.6
  6. 6. Administration and Management 3.4
National median after O*NET task lead
$89,320
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Design, promote, or administer government plans or policies affecting land use, zoning, public utilities, community facilities, housing…
$89K
National median
↑ +3%
Growth 2024-2034
3,400
Annual openings
44,230
Estimated US jobs
Astronomers
Highest-pay peer · $129K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Master's degree

Top Paying States for Urban and Regional Planners

1. Arizona $102,400
2. Connecticut $99,880
3. Colorado $101,340
4. Nevada $100,040
5. California $109,610
6. District of Columbia $137,000
7. Oregon $103,070
8. Washington $100,990
9. Minnesota $97,060
10. Massachusetts $99,780

Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles

  1. 1. Biochemists and Biophysicists $127,410
  2. 2. Geographers $102,040
  3. 3. Astronomers $128,820
  4. 4. Materials Scientists $117,790
  5. 5. Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other $101,110
  6. 6. Clinical and Counseling Psychologists $100,580

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Urban and Regional Planners (SOC 19-3051). The national OEWS median is $89,320 inside Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Astronomers, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, Biochemists and Biophysicists, Geographers. Lead published task: Design, promote, or administer government plans or policies affecting land use, zoning, public utilities, community facilities, housing….

Employment Projections expect +3% change between 2024 and 2034 (about as fast as average vs baseline 3.1%). About 3,400 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Master's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: Arizona at $102,400. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Astronomers at $128,820. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Where Urban and Regional Planners sits in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Urban and Regional Planners sits at pay-rank #24 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations, the middle third of the major-group median table. ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.

Other mid-table titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024–2034.

Dive into Urban and Regional Planners in more depth or explore nearby career data.

Full Salary Details

State, metro, and percentile breakdown

Jobs in Arizona

Top-paying state for this role

Jobs in Connecticut

Second-highest state pay

Astronomers

Highest-pay peer · $129K

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

Lower-pay peer · $101K

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Role and task next reads

Urban and Regional Planners full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is Urban and Regional Planners mid-table among Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations? ▼
Yes: pay-rank #24 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations, the middle third. Mid-table neighbors: Food Scientists and Technologists ($89K), Occupational Health and Safety Specialists ($90K), Microbiologists ($88K), Chemists ($91K). ROW_NUMBER on median; title breaks ties.
What do urban and regional planners do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Urban and Regional Planners. Leading ones include: Design, promote, or administer government plans or policies affecting land use, zoning, public utilities, community facilities, housing…; 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 variable…; Hold public meetings with government officials, social scientists, lawyers, developers, the public, or special interest groups to formula…. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for urban and regional planners? ▼
For SOC 19-3051, O*NET importance scores lead with Active Listening (4.1), Speaking (4.1), Judgment and Decision Making (4.1), Reading Comprehension (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Law and Government, English Language, Geography. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Urban and Regional Planners? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $89,320 as the national median for Urban and Regional Planners. The published 10th-90th range is $60,010 to $134,490. Beside Astronomers ($128,820), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Urban and Regional Planners? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Urban and Regional Planners is +3%. Projected annual openings: about 3,400. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: about as fast as average.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Urban and Regional Planners? ▼
BLS assigns Master's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Urban and Regional Planners. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Urban and Regional Planners? ▼
Arizona ($102,400), Connecticut ($99,880), Colorado ($101,340) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Urban and Regional Planners card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 19-3051. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Urban and Regional Planners. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics