City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning: degree ROI, salary & best colleges
City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning graduates earn a median $66,874 four years after finishing — $18,514/yr above the $48,360 high-school baseline. At a typical $16,906/yr net price ($67,624 over four years), that pays back in about 3.7 years. Federal data pools 53 bachelor's programs graduating roughly 679 students a year. (Scorecard field-of-study, 2026 · our math.)
City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning ranks #81 of 202 bachelor's fields by earnings — pays more than 60% of majors.
| # | College | State | Grad earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Southern California | CA | $106,094 |
| 2 | California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo | CA | $80,820 |
| 3 | University of Arizona | AZ | $76,360 |
| 4 | University of Washington-Seattle Campus | WA | $73,413 |
| 5 | California State Polytechnic University-Pomona | CA | $72,704 |
| 6 | Michigan State University | MI | $71,158 |
| 7 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | $70,592 |
| 8 | Rutgers University-New Brunswick | NJ | $68,786 |
| 9 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | $68,163 |
| 10 | Arizona State University Digital Immersion | AZ | $68,163 |
| 11 | Florida Atlantic University | FL | $66,093 |
| 12 | Iowa State University | IA | $61,173 |
College Scorecard field-of-study (2026), program-level median earnings for this CIP · our ranking.
How we compute this. Earnings are the national median for graduates of this field measured 1 and 4 years after completion (Scorecard field-of-study, bachelor's). Premium = 4-year earnings − the $48,360 high-school baseline. Payback = a representative 4-year net cost (median college net price × 4) ÷ premium. Field medians blend every school — a specific program can pay far more or less. Full method on the methodology page; the field ranking is on ROI by major.