SalaryExplorer

SOC 19-3051 · May 2025 · BLS OEWS

Urban and Regional Planners — Cincinnati

Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN · 4 metro areas compared

$80,160 /year
$38.54per hour
170jobs in area
−10.3%vs US median

Median pay for this occupation in Cincinnati, OH is $80,160 a year, trailing the national median of $89,320 by 10.3%.

Wage distribution · annual

Shaded band holds the middle 50% of earners

US MEDIAN $89,32010TH$58,51025TH$65,610MEDIAN$80,16075TH$100,12090TH$117,990

How pay has moved

$84,015$60,8852019202020212022202320242025$80,160
$71,770 in 2019 to $80,160 in 2025, +11.7% before inflation. BLS states that OEWS estimates are not designed for comparison across years: the occupational classification, the sampling frame and the survey method have all changed inside this window. Read the direction, not the exact difference.

The next ten years

Projected to grow about as fast as average

Change in jobs, 2024 to 2034
+3.4%
Openings per year
3,400
Typical entry-level education
Master's degree

Includes jobs opened by workers leaving the occupation, not only new positions.

Projections are published nationally only. This is the outlook for the occupation across the United States, not a measurement for Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN.

Projections are based on 2024 employment and run to 2034. The wages above are from the May 2025 survey, a separate BLS programme on a different release cycle, so the two are not two views of one dataset.

Salary overview

Median pay for this occupation in Cincinnati, OH is $80,160 a year, trailing the national median of $89,320 by 10.3%. The middle half of workers in this occupation earn between $65,610 and $100,120. The lowest tenth earn under $58,510, while the highest tenth earn more than $117,990.

The area has 170 jobs in this occupation, giving a location quotient of 0.54 — a measure of how concentrated the occupation is here relative to the country as a whole. Within the state, Dayton records the highest median at $87,190. Of the 647 occupations with published wages in this area, it sits 152nd.

Percentile breakdown

Annual wages by percentile · Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN · May 2025
PercentileAnnualvs US median
10th$58,510−34.5%
25th$65,610−26.5%
Median (50th)$80,160−10.3%
75th$100,120+12.1%
90th$117,990+32.1%
Mean$86,270−3.4%

Why the average earner is usually not a typical earner

Other metro areas in Ohio

Median annual wage for Urban and Regional Planners, by metro area
#Metro areaMedianJobsRelative
1Dayton$87,19060
2Akron$82,37050
3Cleveland$81,290120
4Columbus$78,750230

What the pay is worth locally

Prices in Cincinnati run 4.6% below the national average, so the median of $80,160 goes as far as $84,025 would elsewhere in the country. Measured that way it compares to the national median at 5.9% below the national median in real terms.

Published median

$80,160as reported by BLS

Local price level

95.4US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Adjusted for local prices

$84,025US average = 100 · BEA 2024

Why the state that pays most is usually not where pay goes furthest

Key takeaways

  • Median pay is $80,160 a year, 10.3% below the national median.
  • Published pay spans $58,510 to $117,990 between the tenth and ninetieth percentiles.
  • The area has 170 jobs in this occupation.
  • The highest-paying metro area covered is Dayton, at $87,190.

Frequently asked questions

What is the median wage for Urban and Regional Planners in Cincinnati, OH?

The median annual wage is $80,160, or $38.54 per hour, as of May 2025. Half of the workers in this occupation earn more than that and half earn less.

Is that higher than the national average?

The national median for this occupation is $89,320, so pay in Cincinnati, OH is 10.3% lower. These figures are medians, not averages: half of workers fall on each side.

What do the top earners make?

The top tenth of this occupation in Cincinnati, OH earns more than $117,990 per year. The ninetieth percentile is the highest figure the survey publishes.

What is the starting range?

The tenth percentile wage is $58,510 per year. The survey measures wages actually paid rather than experience level, so this reflects the lowest-paid tenth rather than entry-level pay specifically.

Which area nearby pays the most?

The highest median for this occupation among the metro areas covered is in Dayton, at $87,190 per year.

How many jobs are there in this occupation here?

The survey estimates 170 jobs in this occupation in Cincinnati, OH. Self-employed workers are not included.

Source and methodology

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 Wages are for wage-and-salary workers; self-employed workers are not included. Salary Explorer is an independent project. It is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics or any government agency. Full methodology.