# Urban and Regional Planners

US SOC code 19-3051. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/19-3051

Also called: Urban planner, City planner, Regional planner, Land use planner, Community development planner.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **44,230** US urban and regional planners, with median pay of **$89,320** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the May 2025 count is the highest. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://info.mysticstamp.com/founding-of-the-american-planning-association/) of **500** from 1920, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for urban and regional planners: Web GIS, Google Earth, and online public engagement platforms, 2005 to 2020.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to grow 3.9% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=19-3051&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **58%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)
- **0.13** estimated probability that the whole occupation could be computerised, over an unspecified number of years. Not a forecast of job losses. [Frey and Osborne, 2013](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf)

### Since the 2013 prediction

In 2013, Frey and Osborne put this job's probability of computerisation at 0.13. BLS counted **35,940** of these jobs in May 2013 and **44,230** in May 2025 (+23%, a change derived by Future History).

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Urban and Regional Planners employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1893
- Latest US employment: 44,230 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [6]
- Latest US median pay: $89,320 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [12]
- Outlook: +3.9% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [29]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 21202)
  - Employment, 2020: 19,490. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [9]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 21202 Urban and land use planners, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$86,000. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [17]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 21202 Urban and land use planners, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 28 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1920 | 500 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Mystic Stamp Discovery Center [1] |
| 1950 | 5,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., Oxford University Press [2] |
| 1970 | 16,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., History of urban planning (Wikipedia) [3] |
| 1980 | 22,000 (estimate) | $24,000 (estimate) | Est., BLS FRASER archive (employment) [4]; Est., University of Missouri Libraries (pay) [10] |
| 2000 | 28,850 | $46,500 | BLS OEWS 2000 [5] |
| 2003 | 30,770 | $51,440 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [6] |
| 2004 | 31,140 | $53,450 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [6] |
| 2005 | 31,650 | $55,170 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [6] |
| 2006 | 32,640 | $56,630 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [6] |
| 2007 | 35,040 | $57,970 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [6] |
| 2008 | 37,120 | $59,810 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [6] |
| 2009 | 38,950 | $61,820 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [6] |
| 2010 | 38,830 | $63,040 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [6] |
| 2011 | 38,320 | $64,100 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [6] |
| 2012 | 37,620 | $65,230 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [6] |
| 2013 | 35,940 | $65,650 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [6] |
| 2014 | 35,820 | $66,940 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [6] |
| 2015 | 35,480 | $68,220 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [6] |
| 2016 | 34,810 | $70,020 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [6] |
| 2017 | 35,310 | $71,490 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [6] |
| 2018 | 37,840 | $73,050 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [6] |
| 2019 | 38,560 | $74,350 | BLS OEWS May 2019 (employment) [6]; BLS OEWS 2019 (pay) [13] |
| 2020 | 38,190 | $75,950 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [6] |
| 2021 | 38,940 | $78,500 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [6] |
| 2022 | 39,880 | $79,540 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [6] |
| 2023 | 42,690 | $81,800 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [6] |
| 2024 | 43,040 | $83,720 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [6] |
| 2025 | 44,230 | $89,320 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [6] |

## Sources (100)

### Employment series

1. [Founding of the American Planning Association (ACPI 1917 charter members and early history)](https://info.mysticstamp.com/founding-of-the-american-planning-association/), Mystic Stamp Discovery Center
2. [American Urban Planning Since 1850 (Oxford Research Encyclopedia of American History)](https://oxfordre.com/americanhistory/americanhistory/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.001.0001/acrefore-9780199329175-e-562), Oxford University Press
3. [History of urban planning (Wikipedia) — 20th century professionalization and federal programs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_urban_planning), Wikipedia
4. [BLS FRASER archive — Occupational Outlook Handbook 1980-81 Edition (urban planners section)](https://fraser.stlouisfed.org/title/occupational-outlook-handbook-3964/occupational-outlook-handbook-1980-81-edition-498765/content/fulltext/bls_2075_1980_1), Bureau of Labor Statistics / FRASER St. Louis Fed
5. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), Bureau of Labor Statistics
6. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
7. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
8. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
9. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

10. [University of Missouri Libraries — Prices and Wages by Decade: 1980-1989 (government professional salary context)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1980-1989), University of Missouri Libraries
11. [BLS OES 2000 national estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oes00nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
12. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
13. [BLS OEWS 2019 — Urban and Regional Planners median annual wage (May 2019)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/2019/may/oes193051.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics
14. [BLS OEWS May 2024, national cross-industry estimates (flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
15. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
16. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
17. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

18. [Britannica — Urban Planning: Definition, History, Examples (19th and early 20th century methods)](https://www.britannica.com/topic/urban-planning), Encyclopaedia Britannica
19. [History of Urban Planning (Wikipedia) — City Beautiful to comprehensive planning era](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_urban_planning), Wikipedia
20. [History of GIS: ESRI, a Pioneer in GIS Technology (SYMAP and Harvard Lab for Computer Graphics context)](https://geoawesome.com/history-of-gis-esri-a-pioneer-in-gis-technology/), Geoawesome
21. [URISA at 50 (ArcNews, Esri) — History of GIS in urban planning and government, 1960s-2010s](https://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/summer12articles/urisa-at-50.html), Esri
22. [ESRI History — Development of ARC/INFO, the First Commercial GIS (1981)](https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/environmental-systems-research-institute-inc-esri-history/), FundingUniverse
23. [History of GIS (Wikipedia) — ArcInfo, ESRI, and the commercialization of geographic information systems](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ArcGIS), Wikipedia
24. [ESRI GIS Solutions for Urban and Regional Planning (capabilities overview)](https://www.esri.com/~/media/files/pdfs/library/brochures/pdfs/gis-sols-for-urban-planning.pdf), Esri
25. [ArcGIS Online — Esri cloud GIS platform for government and planning (launched 2010)](https://www.esri.com/en-us/arcgis/products/arcgis-online/overview), Esri
26. [APA Planning Magazine — Can AI Empower Planners to Accomplish More with Less? (Jun 2025)](https://www.planning.org/planning/2025/jun/can-ai-empower-planners-to-accomplish-more-with-less/), American Planning Association
27. [TestFit — Urban Planner Site Solver: 100+ zoning iterations in minutes](https://www.testfit.io/roles/urban-planners), TestFit
28. [Autodesk Forma — AI-Powered Site Planning and Environmental Analysis (2025)](https://www.autodesk.com/products/forma-site-design/overview), Autodesk

### Forecasts and exposure studies

29. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 19-3051 Urban and regional planners (2025: 45.8 thousand; 2035: 47.6 thousand; +3.9%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=19-3051&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
30. [Frey & Osborne (2013), "The Future of Employment: How Susceptible Are Jobs to Computerisation?", Appendix (SOC 19-3051 Urban and Regional Planners: probability 0.13, rank 184 of 702)](https://oms-www.files.svdcdn.com/production/downloads/academic/The_Future_of_Employment.pdf), Oxford Martin School, University of Oxford
31. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 19-3051.00, human-rated β 0.58)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

32. [City Beautiful movement (Wikipedia) — World's Columbian Exposition 1893 and origins of American city planning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Beautiful_movement), Wikipedia
33. [First National Conference on City Planning 1909 (Washington D.C.) — Hartford's 1907 commission as institutional precedent](https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/01944360802608484), Journal of the American Planning Association
34. [Founding of the American Planning Association (ACPI 1917 founding)](https://info.mysticstamp.com/founding-of-the-american-planning-association/), Mystic Stamp Discovery Center
35. [APA — Standard State Zoning Enabling Act and Standard City Planning Enabling Act (history and text)](https://www.planning.org/growingsmart/enablingacts/), American Planning Association
36. [Model Cities Program (Wikipedia) — HUD creation 1965 and its effect on planning profession growth](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_Cities_Program), Wikipedia
37. [History of Urban Planning (Wikipedia) — NEPA 1969 and the environmental planning era](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_urban_planning), Wikipedia
38. [About APA — American Planning Association (history, formation, and AICP)](https://www.planning.org/aboutapa/), American Planning Association
39. [Planetizen — Will Urban Planners Lose Their Jobs to AI? (planning workforce and economic cycles)](https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/136043-will-urban-planners-lose-their-jobs-to-ai), Planetizen
40. [BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook — Urban and Regional Planners: significant points about IIJA infrastructure investment](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/life-physical-and-social-science/urban-and-regional-planners.htm), Bureau of Labor Statistics

### Predecessors & successors

41. [City Beautiful movement (Wikipedia) — Olmsted, Burnham, and the origins of American city planning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_Beautiful_movement), Wikipedia
42. [ACPI founding history — Founding of the American Planning Association (1917 charter members included engineers)](https://info.mysticstamp.com/founding-of-the-american-planning-association/), Mystic Stamp Discovery Center
43. [History of Urban Planning (Wikipedia) — Progressive Era social science roots of planning](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_urban_planning), Wikipedia
44. [American Urban Planning Since 1850 (Oxford Research Encyclopedia) — HUD era federal planner pipeline](https://oxfordre.com/americanhistory/americanhistory/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.001.0001/acrefore-9780199329175-e-562), Oxford University Press

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Urban and Regional Planners (19-3051.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/19-3051.00), accessed 2026-05-24
- [APA Planning Magazine — Can AI Empower Planners to Accomplish More with Less? (Jun 2025)](https://www.planning.org/planning/2025/jun/can-ai-empower-planners-to-accomplish-more-with-less/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-05-24
- [WillRobotsReplaceMyJob — Urban and Regional Planners: ~0.6% automation probability](https://willrobotstakemyjob.com/urban-and-regional-planners), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Planetizen — Four Reasons Urban Planners Cannot Ignore AI (2025)](https://www.planetizen.com/features/135142-four-reasons-urban-planners-cant-ignore-ai), accessed 2026-05-24
- [UrbanFootprint — Resilient Decision Intelligence Platform](https://urbanfootprint.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Replica — Mobility Analytics Platform for Urban Planners](https://replicahq.com/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Symbium — Plancheck: AI Zoning Compliance Review for Planning Departments](https://symbium.com/), accessed 2026-06-22
- [TestFit — Urban Planner Site Solver: 100+ zoning iterations in minutes, 78% accuracy improvement](https://www.testfit.io/roles/urban-planners), accessed 2026-05-24
- [PublicInput — GPT Comment Analysis: scan thousands of public comments in seconds](https://publicinput.com/wp/2024/01/17/public-comment-analysis-gpt-for-community-engagement/), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Autodesk Forma — AI-Powered Site Planning and Environmental Analysis (2025)](https://www.autodesk.com/products/forma-site-design/overview), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Planetizen — Getting Started with AI: A Practical Guide for Urban Planners (2025)](https://www.planetizen.com/blogs/137211-getting-started-ai-practical-guide-urban-planners), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Association of Bay Area Governments — Symbium Plancheck Available (2024)](https://abag.ca.gov/technical-assistance/symbium-plancheck-software-available), accessed 2026-05-24
- [Western City Magazine — AI Is Shaking Up Local Permitting Processes](https://www.westerncity.com/article/ai-shaking-local-permitting-processes), accessed 2026-05-24

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.