Urban and Regional Planners Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $137K, rent takes 26.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,146/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new urban and regional planners typically earn — is $98K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $5,905/month. At HUD’s $2,146/month FMR, rent would take 36% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay is 53% above the national median — $137K here vs. $89K nationally. Keep in mind cost of living here is 9% above the national average, which offsets some of that premium.

District of Columbia pays $137K median vs. the U.S. average of $89K — that’s +53%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 108.88), the purchasing-power equivalent is $126K — still ahead of the national median.

The median is $137,000 a year, that works out to about $66 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $98,410, and experienced urban and regional planners can clear $170,980. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $7,966/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,146/month, which eats 26.9% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

District of Columbia has a Regional Price Parity of 108.88 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median urban and regional planners salary is worth about $125,827 in national-average purchasing power.

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.