Urban and Regional Planners Salary
Urban and Regional Planners in Charlottesville, VA make a median of $78,780 a year, or about $37.88 an hour. The range runs from $55K at the entry level to $111K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 99.15), that's roughly $79,455 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,824/month, about 35.2% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $79K get you in Charlottesville?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Charlottesville’s Regional Price Parity (99.15). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About urban and regional planners
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What this looks like in Charlottesville
Pay for urban and regional planners in Charlottesville runs about 12% below the U.S. median of $89K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,824/month, which is 36.6% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 99.15) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for urban and regional plannerss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for urban and regional planners in metros near Charlottesville, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk | $83K | $85K |
| Richmond | $77K | $79K |
| Roanoke | $64K | $69K |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria | $105K | $96K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Charlottesville, VA
Entry-level urban and regional planners (10th percentile) start around $55K. Mid-career wages sit at $79K. Top earners bring in $111K or more, a $56K spread from bottom to top.
Urban and Regional Planners pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Urban and Regional Planners salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $137K | +53% | 120 |
| California | $110K | +23% | 7,460 |
| Oregon | $103K | +15% | 1,010 |
| Arizona | $102K | +15% | 1,330 |
| Colorado | $101K | +13% | 1,300 |
| Washington | $101K | +13% | 3,180 |
| Nevada | $100K | +12% | 270 |
| Connecticut | $100K | +12% | 350 |
| Massachusetts | $100K | +12% | 1,540 |
| Minnesota | $97K | +9% | 860 |
| Alaska | $94K | +5% | 230 |
| Illinois | $91K | +2% | 1,140 |
| Rhode Island | $90K | +1% | 160 |
| New York | $90K | +0% | 2,420 |
| Maryland | $89K | -1% | 900 |
| New Jersey | $86K | -3% | 790 |
| Virginia | $86K | -4% | 1,740 |
| Hawaii | $86K | -4% | 450 |
| Vermont | $85K | -5% | 100 |
| Utah | $84K | -6% | 500 |
| Wisconsin | $84K | -6% | 1,100 |
| Texas | $83K | -7% | 2,190 |
| Kansas | $82K | -8% | 250 |
| Oklahoma | $82K | -9% | 350 |
| North Carolina | $81K | -9% | 1,630 |
| Pennsylvania | $81K | -10% | 860 |
| Montana | $81K | -10% | 270 |
| Missouri | $81K | -10% | 440 |
| Florida | $81K | -10% | 2,620 |
| Georgia | $80K | -10% | 1,150 |
| Ohio | $80K | -10% | 760 |
| Maine | $79K | -11% | 190 |
| Iowa | $79K | -11% | 300 |
| Tennessee | $79K | -12% | 310 |
| Michigan | $79K | -12% | 1,380 |
| North Dakota | $79K | -12% | 210 |
| New Mexico | $78K | -13% | 270 |
| Idaho | $77K | -14% | 350 |
| South Carolina | $76K | -15% | 530 |
| Nebraska | $75K | -16% | 360 |
| Louisiana | $75K | -17% | 240 |
| New Hampshire | $74K | -17% | 260 |
| South Dakota | $71K | -20% | 210 |
| Indiana | $71K | -21% | 620 |
| Alabama | $71K | -21% | 520 |
| Wyoming | $70K | -21% | 110 |
| Delaware | $67K | -25% | 290 |
| Kentucky | $65K | -27% | 180 |
| Arkansas | $64K | -29% | 80 |
| West Virginia | $61K | -31% | 160 |
| Mississippi | $60K | -32% | 200 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
Track urban and regional planners salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a urban and regional planner afford a 2BR apartment alone in Charlottesville?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $79K, rent takes 36.6% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,824/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,500/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for urban and regional planners in Charlottesville?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new urban and regional planners typically earn — is $55K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,321/month. At HUD’s $1,824/month FMR, rent would take 55% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is urban and regional planner a high-paying job in Charlottesville?
Local pay runs 12% below the national median — $79K here vs. $89K nationally.
How does Charlottesville compare to the national average for urban and regional planners?
Charlottesville pays $79K median vs. the U.S. average of $89K — that’s -12%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 99.15), the purchasing-power equivalent is $79K — below the national median.
How much do urban and regional planners make in Charlottesville, VA?
The median is $78,780 a year, that works out to about $38 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $55,350, and experienced urban and regional planners can clear $111,060. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $79K enough to live in Charlottesville?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,983/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,824/month, which eats 36.6% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a urban and regional planners salary go in Charlottesville?
Charlottesville has a Regional Price Parity of 99.15 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median urban and regional planners salary is worth about $79,455 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do urban and regional planners get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.