Best states for a Planner

Q: What is the best state for planners?

The best state to be a planner is California based on planner salaries and job opportunities.

Q: What is the highest paying state for planners?

The highest paying state for planners is Arkansas based on Zippia’s salary database.

Q: What is the worst state for planners?

The worst state for planners is Arkansas, due to a combination of low salaries and few job opportunities.

Rank 1 - 10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
41 - 51

Do you wonder which states in the U.S. are the best for planners? If so, we have the full list of best to worst states for planner jobs for you to check out and see if you think it's time to move and start anew. Not all states fare the same when it come to job opportunity and pay.This way, if you are newly entering the job market, or you are looking to change jobs, you know which places are the best for planner jobs.

To do that, we looked at the most recent data we have available for the following criteria -- average annual wages, and availability of jobs for planners.We found that California is the best state for planner jobs, whereas Arkansas is the worst.

If you're looking for a Planner job, here are five companies hiring now:

10 best states for planners in 2025

1. California
Total Planner Jobs: 918
Average Annual Salary: $82,270
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $56,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $118,000
Location Quotient:
1.56
Planner Jobs in California
2. District of Columbia
Total Planner Jobs: 45
Average Annual Salary: $88,256
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $61,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $126,000
Location Quotient:
1.33
Planner Jobs in District of Columbia
3. Connecticut
Total Planner Jobs: 100
Average Annual Salary: $71,789
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $50,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $102,000
Location Quotient:
1.5
Planner Jobs in Connecticut
4. New York
Total Planner Jobs: 332
Average Annual Salary: $71,798
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $50,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $102,000
Location Quotient:
1.29
Planner Jobs in New York
5. Washington
Total Planner Jobs: 147
Average Annual Salary: $72,611
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $52,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $100,000
Location Quotient:
1
Planner Jobs in Washington
6. Nevada
Total Planner Jobs: 51
Average Annual Salary: $65,510
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $45,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $95,000
Location Quotient:
1.21
Planner Jobs in Nevada
7. Oregon
Total Planner Jobs: 73
Average Annual Salary: $72,205
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $51,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $101,000
Location Quotient:
0.88
Planner Jobs in Oregon
8. Massachusetts
Total Planner Jobs: 192
Average Annual Salary: $67,424
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $47,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $96,000
Location Quotient:
1.04
Planner Jobs in Massachusetts
9. Virginia
Total Planner Jobs: 282
Average Annual Salary: $63,940
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $44,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $92,000
Location Quotient:
1.49
Planner Jobs in Virginia
10. Delaware
Total Planner Jobs: 20
Average Annual Salary: $67,412
Lowest 10 Percent Earn: $47,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn: $96,000
Location Quotient:
0.79
Planner Jobs in Delaware

Planner JobsNear Columbus, OH

How Zippia determines the best states to be a planner

You can read about how the best state rankings are calculated here.

Detailed list of the best states for a planner

Rank	State	Average Salary	Lowest 10% Earn	Population	Job Count
1	California	$82,270	$56,000	39,536,653	918
2	District of Columbia	$88,256	$61,000	693,972	45
3	Connecticut	$71,789	$50,000	3,588,184	100
4	New York	$71,798	$50,000	19,849,399	332
5	Washington	$72,611	$52,000	7,405,743	147
6	Nevada	$65,510	$45,000	2,998,039	51
7	Oregon	$72,205	$51,000	4,142,776	73
8	Massachusetts	$67,424	$47,000	6,859,819	192
9	Virginia	$63,940	$44,000	8,470,020	282
10	Delaware	$67,412	$47,000	961,939	20
11	Michigan	$63,389	$44,000	9,962,311	109
12	Pennsylvania	$60,870	$42,000	12,805,537	268
13	Rhode Island	$65,360	$45,000	1,059,639	15
14	Maryland	$63,123	$44,000	6,052,177	185
15	New Jersey	$66,104	$46,000	9,005,644	119
16	Colorado	$60,803	$43,000	5,607,154	177
17	Kentucky	$62,178	$43,000	4,454,189	50
18	Illinois	$61,332	$43,000	12,802,023	242
19	Ohio	$60,891	$42,000	11,658,609	151
20	Kansas	$62,739	$44,000	2,913,123	23
21	Texas	$61,140	$41,000	28,304,596	338
22	Alaska	$65,525	$55,000	739,795	11
23	Utah	$58,856	$41,000	3,101,833	68
24	Wisconsin	$57,327	$40,000	5,795,483	118
25	Vermont	$62,807	$44,000	623,657	7
26	Minnesota	$60,067	$42,000	5,576,606	122
27	Hawaii	$58,623	$47,000	1,427,538	37
28	Wyoming	$60,586	$43,000	579,315	1
29	Arizona	$55,189	$38,000	7,016,270	135
30	West Virginia	$57,850	$40,000	1,815,857	9
31	Alabama	$52,575	$35,000	4,874,747	88
32	New Hampshire	$52,508	$36,000	1,342,795	46
33	Nebraska	$53,583	$38,000	1,920,076	35
34	North Dakota	$54,696	$39,000	755,393	11
35	North Carolina	$52,564	$35,000	10,273,419	188
36	Louisiana	$54,530	$36,000	4,684,333	22
37	Iowa	$51,905	$37,000	3,145,711	58
38	South Carolina	$50,169	$33,000	5,024,369	98
39	Missouri	$53,594	$38,000	6,113,532	70
40	Mississippi	$52,605	$35,000	2,984,100	21
41	Tennessee	$49,859	$34,000	6,715,984	95
42	Oklahoma	$52,675	$37,000	3,930,864	16
43	Florida	$49,859	$33,000	20,984,400	290
44	Georgia	$49,063	$33,000	10,429,379	178
45	Maine	$52,214	$36,000	1,335,907	9
46	Idaho	$51,346	$36,000	1,716,943	11
47	Montana	$50,643	$36,000	1,050,493	4
48	South Dakota	$48,824	$35,000	869,666	4
49	New Mexico	$47,875	$33,000	2,088,070	23
50	Indiana	$45,490	$31,000	6,666,818	92
51	Arkansas	$44,555	$31,000	3,004,279	33

Highest paying states for planners

Rank	State	Avg. Planner Salary
1	California	$82,270
2	District of Columbia	$88,256
3	Connecticut	$71,789
4	New York	$71,798
5	Washington	$72,611
6	Nevada	$65,510
7	Oregon	$72,205
8	Massachusetts	$67,424
9	Virginia	$63,940
10	Delaware	$67,412
11	Michigan	$63,389
12	Pennsylvania	$60,870
13	Rhode Island	$65,360
14	Maryland	$63,123
15	New Jersey	$66,104
16	Colorado	$60,803
17	Kentucky	$62,178
18	Illinois	$61,332
19	Ohio	$60,891
20	Kansas	$62,739
21	Texas	$61,140
22	Alaska	$65,525
23	Utah	$58,856
24	Wisconsin	$57,327
25	Vermont	$62,807
26	Minnesota	$60,067
27	Hawaii	$58,623
28	Wyoming	$60,586
29	Arizona	$55,189
30	West Virginia	$57,850
31	Alabama	$52,575
32	New Hampshire	$52,508
33	Nebraska	$53,583
34	North Dakota	$54,696
35	North Carolina	$52,564
36	Louisiana	$54,530
37	Iowa	$51,905
38	South Carolina	$50,169
39	Missouri	$53,594
40	Mississippi	$52,605
41	Tennessee	$49,859
42	Oklahoma	$52,675
43	Florida	$49,859
44	Georgia	$49,063
45	Maine	$52,214
46	Idaho	$51,346
47	Montana	$50,643
48	South Dakota	$48,824
49	New Mexico	$47,875
50	Indiana	$45,490
51	Arkansas	$44,555

Planner best states FAQs

What is the best state for planners?

What is the highest paying state for planners?

What is the worst state for planners?

Have more questions? See all answers to common life, physical, and social science questions.

Search for planner jobs

Zippia Careers
Life, Physical, and Social Science Industry
Planner
Best states for Planners

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse life, physical, and social science jobs

Total Planner Jobs:	918
Average Annual Salary:	$82,270
Lowest 10 Percent Earn:	$56,000
Highest 10 Percent Earn:	$118,000
Location Quotient:	1.56

Best states for a Planner

If you're looking for a Planner job, here are five companies hiring now:

10 best states for planners in 2025

1. California

2. District of Columbia

3. Connecticut

4. New York

5. Washington

6. Nevada

7. Oregon

8. Massachusetts

9. Virginia

10. Delaware