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Urban and Regional Planners

Typical education: Master's degreeLower pressure

What they do

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

Kinds of work

  • Investigative: Science, research, figuring out how things work and solving complex problems.
  • Enterprising: Leading, persuading, selling and starting new projects or businesses.
  • Conventional: Organizing information, following clear procedures and working with data and details.

Lower pressure: How much pressure workers in this job report: deadlines, conflict, dealing with upset people, the cost of mistakes, responsibility for others' safety, competition and long hours. It varies a lot from one employer to the next. Source: U.S. Department of Labor worker surveys.

Pay, tasks and more

Salary

United States $89,320 Median per year · $42.94/hr Most earn $60,010–$134,490

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.

What you might do

  • Advocate sustainability to community groups, government agencies, the general public, or special interest groups.
  • Determine the effects of regulatory limitations on land use projects.
  • Create, prepare, or requisition graphic or narrative reports on land use data, including land area maps overlaid with geographic variables, such as population density.
  • Recommend approval, denial, or conditional approval of proposals.
  • Coordinate work with economic consultants or architects during the formulation of plans or the design of large pieces of infrastructure.
  • Investigate property availability for purposes of development.

Job outlook

United States
4% more jobs by 2035, about as fast as average · about 3,200 openings a year

Openings include new jobs and jobs left by workers who retire or change careers. Projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. "Bright Outlook": U.S. Department of Labor.

Where they work

  • Local government, excluding education and hospitals74.4%
  • State government, excluding education and hospitals9.3%
  • Engineering services6.5%
  • Federal government, excluding postal service2.3%

Share of all workers in this career. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Employment Matrix.

Experience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Career path

How people usually get into this career, from school to their first job and beyond.

Typical education: Master's degreeExperience before this job: 1 to 2 years

Urban and Regional Planning is not usually an entry-level job straight out of school. Most people earn a bachelor's degree, work in a planning-related job for 1 to 2 years, and then earn a master's degree before they become planners.

  1. Bachelor's degree in urban studies, geography, public policy, or a related field

    4 years

    You build a foundation in how cities, land use, and public decisions work, and you learn research and writing skills that planners use every day.

  2. Planning Assistant

    1-2 years

    You help planners with zoning reviews, public meeting notes, maps, and data, which gives you real experience and shows graduate programs you understand the work.

  3. Master's degree in urban or regional planning

    2 years

    You study land use law, transportation, housing, environmental review, and community engagement, and you often complete a studio project or internship with a real city or county.

  4. Urban and Regional Planner

    Ongoing career

    You develop comprehensive plans and programs for how a town, city, county, or region uses its land and public facilities, working with officials and residents.

Where it can lead

  1. Senior Planner

    3-5 years of experience first

    You take on bigger projects, lead small teams, and present plans to elected officials and the public with less day-to-day supervision.

  2. Planning Manager

    5-10 years of experience first

    You oversee a whole planning division, manage budgets and staff, and set the department's priorities for long-range planning.

What you can do now

Ideas for high school and college students.

In high school

  • Take government, economics, and geography classesThese classes teach how local governments make decisions and how places are shaped by people, money, and the environment.
  • Join debate, Model UN, or student councilThese activities build public speaking and teamwork skills that planners need when presenting ideas to community members.
  • Attend a city council or county board meetingWatching real public meetings shows you how land use and development decisions are discussed and voted on.
  • Volunteer with a local neighborhood or community groupHelping with a park cleanup, a community garden, or a local event shows you how people work together on shared spaces.
  • Take a math or computer class that includes data or spreadsheetsPlanners use data to study population, traffic, and housing, so comfort with numbers and spreadsheets helps early on.

In college

  • Major in urban planning, urban studies, or geography if your school offers itA focused major gives you direct coursework in land use, transportation, and housing, which prepares you for both jobs and graduate school.
  • Take a GIS (mapping) courseGIS skills are widely used in planning offices, and they make you a stronger candidate for entry-level jobs.
  • Get an internship or part-time job with a city, county, or nonprofit housing or transportation groupHands-on work gives you real examples for your resume and helps you learn how planning offices operate.
  • Join a student government, sustainability club, or campus planning committeeThese groups teach you how to run meetings, build consensus, and work on real projects that affect a community.
  • Take statistics and a strong writing or public policy classPlanners analyze data and write reports, and these courses build the skills needed for a master's program.

Tips for getting started

  • Look for internships or part-time jobs at city, county, or regional planning offices early. Real experience helps you get into master's programs and into your first job.
  • Learn basic GIS (mapping software) and data skills. Planners use these tools a lot, and many job ads ask for them.
  • Practice writing clear, short summaries and speaking at public meetings. Planners must explain complex ideas to residents who are not experts.

Related jobs a step up

Education, experience and related careers: U.S. Department of Labor. The step-by-step path, where it can lead and what you can do now were written by AI as typical examples; many people take other ways.

College majors that lead here

Majors: U.S. Department of Education and BLS (CIP–SOC crosswalk). Earnings and debt: College Scorecard, typical across U.S. colleges.

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