Urban and Regional Planners
SOC Code: 19-3051 Job Zone 5: Extensive Preparation Needed
Develop comprehensive plans and programs for use of land and physical facilities of jurisdictions, such as towns, cities, counties, and metropolitan areas.
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Prevailing Wage Levels (National)
DOL/OFLC prevailing wage thresholds for Urban and Regional Planners. Hourly rates x 2,080 = annual.
FY2027 Weighted Lottery Impact
| Level | Lottery Entries | Est. Selection Rate |
|---|---|---|
| Level I (Entry) | 1 entry | ~16% |
| Level II (Qualified) | 2 entries | ~31% |
| Level III (Experienced) | 3 entries | ~45% |
| Level IV (Expert) | 4 entries | ~61% |
Prevailing Wages by Metro Area
| Metro Area | Level I | Level II | Level III | Level IV |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Watertown-Fort Drum, NY | $66,206 | $98,800 | $131,414 | $164,008 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $100,152 | $118,477 | $136,802 | $155,126 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $93,642 | $111,592 | $129,563 | $147,514 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $85,758 | $104,499 | $123,240 | $141,981 |
| Merced, CA | $79,622 | $98,738 | $117,874 | $136,989 |
| Napa, CA | $94,598 | $108,514 | $122,450 | $136,365 |
| Stockton-Lodi, CA | $77,064 | $95,181 | $113,318 | $131,435 |
| Modesto, CA | $83,678 | $99,195 | $114,712 | $130,229 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA | $85,530 | $99,944 | $114,358 | $128,773 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $77,750 | $94,661 | $111,550 | $128,461 |
H-1B Filing Data
Top H-1B Employers
| Employer | Filings | Avg Wage |
|---|---|---|
| AECOM Technical Services Inc | 29 | $91,655 |
| SASAKI ASSOCIATES | 29 | $79,441 |
| WSP USA Inc. | 28 | $97,984 |
| HR&A Advisors, Inc. | 19 | $96,249 |
| SKIDMORE, OWINGS & MERRILL LLP | 14 | $82,223 |
| AECOM Technical Services, Inc. | 12 | $86,146 |
| Perkins & Will, Inc. | 7 | $70,392 |
| CBT-CHILDS BERTMAN TSECKARES, Inc. | 6 | $84,792 |
| DY Consulting Engineers, P.C. | 6 | $109,667 |
| SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENTS | 6 | $93,233 |
Filing Trend
| Year | Filings | Avg Wage |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 23 | $80,821 |
| 2021 | 53 | $81,036 |
| 2022 | 34 | $81,746 |
| 2023 | 97 | $80,443 |
| 2024 | 224 | $83,416 |
| 2025 | 249 | $88,010 |
| 2026 | 28 | $108,077 |
Key Skills
| Skill | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Judgment and Decision Making | 4.1 | |
| Speaking | 4.1 | |
| Active Listening | 4.1 | |
| Systems Analysis | 4.0 | |
| Critical Thinking | 4.0 | |
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | |
| Writing | 3.9 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.8 | |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.8 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.6 |
Knowledge Areas
| Knowledge | Importance |
|---|---|
| Law and Government | 4.6 |
| English Language | 4.4 |
| Geography | 4.2 |
| Transportation | 4.0 |
| Communications and Media | 3.6 |
| Administration and Management | 3.4 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 3.4 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.3 |
Education Requirements
| Education Level | % of Workers |
|---|---|
| Doctoral degree | 56.0% |
| Bachelor's degree | 40.0% |
| First professional degree (MD, JD) | 4.0% |
Typical Tasks
- Design, promote, or administer government plans or policies affecting land use, zoning, public utilities, community facilities, housing, or transportation.
- Recommend approval, denial, or conditional approval of proposals.
- Create, prepare, or requisition graphic or narrative reports on land use data, including land area maps overlaid with geographic variables, such as population density.
- Advise planning officials on project feasibility, cost-effectiveness, regulatory conformance, or possible alternatives.
- Conduct field investigations, surveys, impact studies, or other research to compile and analyze data on economic, social, regulatory, or physical factors affecting land use.
- Discuss with planning officials the purpose of land use projects, such as transportation, conservation, residential, commercial, industrial, or community use.
- Keep informed about economic or legal issues involved in zoning codes, building codes, or environmental regulations.
- Mediate community disputes or assist in developing alternative plans or recommendations for programs or projects.
Technology Skills
Green = Hot Technology in demand
Adobe Acrobat Adobe Creative Cloud software Adobe Illustrator Adobe InDesign Adobe Photoshop Autodesk AutoCAD Bentley MicroStation Dassault Systemes SolidWorks ESRI ArcGIS software Extensible markup language XML Hypertext markup language HTML Microsoft Access Microsoft Excel Microsoft Office software Microsoft Outlook
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