City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning

98
Schools
Master's
Credential Level
$69,562
National Avg Earnings

What the IPEDS & College Scorecard Data Shows for City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning

City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning is tracked across 98 U.S. postsecondary institutions in the College Scorecard field-of-study file, which links CIP code classifications from IPEDS to Treasury earnings records. This profile covers the master's credential level specifically, because the Department of Education reports program-level outcomes separately for associate, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral awards. The CIP (Classification of Instructional Programs) taxonomy lets analysts roll up specialties into broader families, which is why earnings medians across schools can be compared on a common basis.

Across all reporting institutions, the mean of school-level medians is $69,562, calculated from 62 schools with published earnings data. The earnings distribution stretches from $41,385 at the low end to $106,674 at the top, with a 25th-75th percentile band between $52,107 and $84,226 around a median of $74,274. The top-reporting institution in this program is New York University at $106,674. These numbers reflect earnings measured roughly a year after completion, using Social Security Administration tax records linked to federal financial aid applicants.

Variation across schools matters more than a single national figure. Completers counts reported per school indicate how many graduates’ earnings feed the median, which means small programs produce more volatile numbers. Median debt at the program level, when paired with earnings, yields a debt-to-earnings ratio that is the College Scorecard’s standard affordability signal — ratios under 1.0 indicate earnings exceed cumulative debt. Use the school-by-school table to spot institutions where City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning graduates out-earn peers at comparable cost, and to surface gainful-employment patterns that only become visible at the CIP-code level.

City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning master's credential median earnings varies 2.6× across entities

City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning master's credential median earnings ranges from $41,385 (lowest) to $106,674 (highest), a spread of $65,289. That spread reflects typical sectoral variation between selective research institutions and broader access institutions. Earnings are measured roughly one year after completion using IRS records linked to federal aid recipients (see https://www.irs.gov/) — not all completers are captured, but the school-level medians correlate strongly with longer-term earnings trajectories.

Source: College Scorecard Field of Study file; U.S. Treasury earnings linkage College Scorecard Field of Study file; U.S. Treasury earnings linkage

City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning master's credential median debt varies 2.7× across entities

City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning master's credential median debt ranges from $27,486 (lowest) to $74,287 (highest), a spread of $46,801. That spread reflects typical institutional cost differences — public in-state, public out-of-state, and private school financing models produce predictable spreads. Median debt counts only those students who borrowed federal loans — students who paid out-of-pocket or received institutional grants are excluded from the borrower median, which can flatter low-debt schools.

Source: College Scorecard Field of Study file; IPEDS financial aid data College Scorecard Field of Study file; IPEDS financial aid data

City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning debt-to-earnings ratio is 0.52 — near the typical range (US average ~1) — aligned with the typical 1:1 ratio that defines federal gainful-employment thresholds

debt-to-earnings ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: this ratio uses federal loan principal, not all education debt — private loans, parent PLUS loans not in the borrower’s name, and institutional debt are excluded Variation between sub-units within City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning is typically wider than the City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: College Scorecard Field of Study file College Scorecard Field of Study file

Earnings Distribution

Min
$41,385
25th %ile
$52,107
Median
$74,274
75th %ile
$84,226
Max
$106,674
$41,385 $106,674

Top Schools for This Program

School Name State Completers Median Earnings Median Debt
New York University NY 33 $106,674 $74,287
Harvard University MA 2 $102,979 $41,000
Massachusetts Institute of Technology MA 39 $100,130 $40,833
Columbia University in the City of New York NY 41 $93,415 $61,500
University of California-Los Angeles CA 62 $90,541 $51,793
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona CA 17 $90,339
California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo CA 15 $89,909
University of Southern California CA 36 $88,656 $57,982
University of California-Irvine CA 28 $87,944 $41,000
Cornell University NY 43 $86,756 $43,408
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University VA 20 $86,237 $27,486
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus GA 33 $85,806 $47,538
University of Washington-Seattle Campus WA 49 $85,467 $40,998
University of Washington-Tacoma Campus WA 19 $85,467 $40,998
University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus CO 48 $84,407 $63,368
University of Florida FL 24 $84,226 $41,000
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill NC 27 $82,613 $34,940
University of Virginia-Main Campus VA 14 $82,553 $44,600
Wayne State University MI 24 $81,363 $51,250
Georgetown University DC 23 $80,847
Boston University MA 11 $80,594
Portland State University OR 33 $80,453 $39,229
University of South Florida FL 11 $79,536
Iowa State University IA 11 $79,527
The University of Texas at Austin TX 30 $79,383 $34,800
Florida State University FL 24 $78,175 $27,783
University of Wisconsin-Madison WI 11 $77,299
University of Oregon OR 12 $76,795
University of Illinois Chicago IL $76,505 $33,645
University of Minnesota-Twin Cities MN 31 $74,818 $37,939
Arizona State University Campus Immersion AZ 22 $74,274
Ohio State University-Main Campus OH 10 $73,208 $35,500
Pratt Institute-Main NY 18 $70,282
Clemson University SC 5 $69,971
University of California-Berkeley CA 1 $69,338
University of Kansas KS 15 $65,373
San Jose State University CA 21 $62,012
University of New Orleans LA 3 $58,970
University at Buffalo NY 29 $58,546 $41,000
Rutgers University-New Brunswick NJ 0 $57,318
Rutgers University-Newark NJ 0 $57,318
The University of Texas at Arlington TX 7 $57,318
University of Pennsylvania PA 0 $56,415
University of Georgia GA 6 $55,512
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee WI 3 $54,035
Florida Atlantic University FL 13 $53,988
University of Hawaii at Manoa HI 20 $52,107
University of Iowa IA $51,273
Texas A&M University-College Station TX 23 $51,273
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor MI $50,856
The University of Texas at San Antonio TX 3 $50,856
University of Oklahoma-Norman Campus OK $50,465
Temple University PA 9 $50,270
Alabama A & M University AL 12 $47,260
The New School NY 6 $47,260
University of Arizona AZ 11 $46,869
University of New Mexico-Main Campus NM 10 $46,321
University of Massachusetts-Amherst MA 13 $43,957
Ball State University IN 13 $43,426
University of Louisville KY 3 $43,240
Auburn University AL 23 $42,712
University of Memphis TN 4 $41,385

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning graduates earn?
City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning graduates earn $69,562 on average across 98 schools. Earnings range from $41,385 to $106,674 depending on the institution.
Which school pays the most for City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning?
New York University has the highest reported median earnings for City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning graduates at $106,674, based on College Scorecard data.
What credential do you get in City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning?
City/Urban, Community, and Regional Planning programs typically award a Master's credential. Earnings vary by school and credential level.

About This Data

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard Field of Study file. Median earnings represent graduates who received federal financial aid, drawn from U.S. Treasury tax records linked to federal student aid applicants. Completers count and debt figures reflect program-level data reported through IPEDS. Data is updated annually.

Earnings data sourced from IRS records via the U.S. Treasury–Department of Education matching protocol used by the College Scorecard.