Prevailing Wage for Urban and Regional Planners
Prevailing wage for Urban and Regional Planners is set by DOL under SOC 19-3051 and applies to H-1B, E-3, and PERM green card sponsorships. Whether your title reads City Planner, Community Development Planner, or Neighborhood Planner, DOL assigns four experience levels, and the wage floor shifts considerably depending on where the worksite is located.
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Entry-level planners with limited professional experience, typically recent graduates or those new to public planning work. Duties are routine, closely supervised, and involve applying established methods rather than independent judgment on complex land-use or zoning matters.
Qualified planners with moderate experience who apply professional knowledge with some independence. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Urban and Regional Planners, covering roles that handle standard project work without requiring senior-level oversight or specialized expertise.
Experienced planners who handle complex projects, exercise significant independent judgment, and may oversee junior staff or coordinate across multiple agencies. Roles typically involve specialized areas such as transportation planning, environmental review, or long-range comprehensive plan development.
Fully competent senior planners in lead or principal roles, setting policy direction, managing large planning programs, or serving as a primary technical authority. These positions require extensive experience and operate with broad autonomy across high-impact planning initiatives.
Prevailing Wage for Urban and Regional Planners by OES area
Each shape is a DOL OES area, the unit prevailing wage is published for.
What’s an OES area?
The Department of Labor publishes prevailing wages for geographic zones called OES areas. Every U.S. county belongs to exactly one, and the wage floor applies across the whole area. A worker in Oakland gets the San Francisco metro wage, not a separate Oakland wage.
Top 10 cities · Level 1
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See which U.S. employers are actively hiring for Urban and Regional Planners and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Verify your title maps to SOC 19-3051
Titles like Housing Development Specialist or Development Technician appear on O*NET as alternates for this occupation, but some employers file them under a different SOC. Confirm your LCA lists SOC 19-3051 so the correct planning wage floor applies to your sponsorship.
Account for the public-sector bonus gap
Most City Planner and Community Planner roles are government or quasi-government positions that rely entirely on base salary. Unlike tech or finance roles, signing bonuses and equity are uncommon, so prevailing wage must be met entirely through guaranteed annual pay.
Watch for wide metro variance in planning salaries
The California Bay Area metros for planning roles sit at more than double the floor seen in Puerto Rico or rural Indiana. If you are evaluating offers across regions, the L2 wage floor in San Jose differs significantly from the same level in Bloomington or Charleston.
Use Migrate Mate to find sponsors with planning history
Migrate Mate shows which employers have historically sponsored Community Development Planners and similar roles, and filters listings by visa type and location. This helps you target agencies and firms that already understand the LCA process for planning occupations.
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Find Jobs for Urban and Regional PlannersPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 19-3051.00 alongside Urban and Regional Planners, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
City Planner Prevailing Wage
City Planner Prevailing Wage
City Planner positions fall under SOC 19-3051.00 (Urban and Regional Planners). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Community Development Planner Prevailing Wage
Community Development Planner Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Community Development Planner for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 19-3051.00 (Urban and Regional Planners). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Community Planner Prevailing Wage
Community Planner Prevailing Wage
Community Planner is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 19-3051.00 (Urban and Regional Planners). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Development Technician Prevailing Wage
Development Technician Prevailing Wage
Development Technician positions fall under SOC 19-3051.00 (Urban and Regional Planners). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Housing Development Specialist Prevailing Wage
Housing Development Specialist Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Housing Development Specialist for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 19-3051.00 (Urban and Regional Planners). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Neighborhood Planner Prevailing Wage
Neighborhood Planner Prevailing Wage
Neighborhood Planner is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 19-3051.00 (Urban and Regional Planners). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Planner Prevailing Wage
Planner Prevailing Wage
Planner positions fall under SOC 19-3051.00 (Urban and Regional Planners). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Planning Consultant Prevailing Wage
Planning Consultant Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Planning Consultant for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 19-3051.00 (Urban and Regional Planners). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Planning Technician Prevailing Wage
Planning Technician Prevailing Wage
Planning Technician is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 19-3051.00 (Urban and Regional Planners). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Regional Planner Prevailing Wage
Regional Planner Prevailing Wage
Regional Planner positions fall under SOC 19-3051.00 (Urban and Regional Planners). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Urban and Regional Planners?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics for each metropolitan area and assigns wages to SOC 19-3051. OFLC publishes these figures annually. Employers must pay at least the prevailing wage for the applicable level and worksite location when filing an LCA for a sponsored planning position.
What do the four wage levels mean, and how do I know which one applies to my offer?
DOL defines four levels based on experience, supervision, and job complexity. Level 1 is entry-level with close oversight; Level 2 covers qualified planners working with moderate independence; Level 3 applies to experienced professionals handling complex or specialized work; Level 4 covers senior or lead roles with broad autonomy. Review the job description and compare it against DOL's level definitions to identify the correct level.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same planning role vary so much by city?
OFLC sets prevailing wages using regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys, so figures reflect local labor markets rather than a single national rate. The LCA must list the actual worksite city, and the wage floor for that specific metro applies. Dense urban markets with high employer demand for planners, such as the San Francisco Bay Area, produce significantly higher floors than smaller or lower-cost metros.
What happens if an employer offers a salary below the prevailing wage for a sponsored planning position?
DOL will not certify an LCA where the offered wage falls below the prevailing wage for the declared level and worksite. USCIS can also deny an H-1B or E-3 petition if the LCA is deficient. The employer must either increase the salary to meet the floor, reclassify the role to a lower wage level if the duties genuinely support it, or withdraw the sponsorship.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for a specific U.S. location?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool to look up the current prevailing wage for SOC 19-3051 in any metropolitan area. Enter the occupation code and worksite city to see all four wage levels. Migrate Mate also shows which employers have sponsored planners in specific cities, helping you gauge whether posted salaries are competitive against the local DOL floor.
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