Urban Planner.
Omaha.
$75,000
median salary, 11% below the national average
$59,000 to $93,000. Last updated August 2026.
Get the job.
Data points to own the conversation.
Omaha is 12% cheaper than the national average. For Urban Planners, that shakes out to a median of $75,000, with the full range spanning $59,000 to $93,000. Employer type and specialization area create the most variation. Know the range before you walk in. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Urban Planner in Omaha, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $83,270 for Urban and Regional Planners (SOC 19-3051) in the Omaha, NE-IA metropolitan area, based on 120 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$56,460
25th percentile
$69,260
Median
$83,270
75th percentile
$99,820
90th percentile
$124,180
Workers surveyed
120
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Urban and Regional Planners (SOC 19-3051) rather than Urban Planner specifically. The Omaha range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 19-3051Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $67,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$49,000
to $60,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$64,000
to $79,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$83,000
to $98,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$94,000
to $116,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $20,000 to the total package.
Base
$75,000
Equity
$11,000
Bonus
$7,000
Signing
$2,000
Estimated total: $95,000
How Omaha compares.
Omaha, NE
$75,000
Cost of living: 12% below average
National Average
$84,000
Omaha is $9,000 below
Urban Planner salary by city.
Salary by role in Omaha.
What you should know.
The Urban Planner landscape in Omaha is not what most salary sites will tell you. Omaha punches above its weight with Berkshire Hathaway, Mutual of Omaha, and a strong financial services cluster. The city has a growing tech scene and is home to several Fortune 500 companies. Very affordable living costs combined with corporate headquarters salaries create exceptional purchasing power. Employer type and specialization area create the most variation. Planners in transportation, environmental, or economic development earn 10 to 20% more than generalists. Private consulting firms pay higher base salaries than municipalities but with less job security. AICP certification and GIS proficiency boost earning potential at all levels.
Junior planners start at $56,000 to $65,000. Senior planners with AICP certification earn $72,000 to $95,000 after five to seven years. Planning directors at municipalities reach $100,000 to $140,000, with community development directors exceeding $150,000 in large cities. In Omaha, your dollars stretch further. Cost of living runs 12% below the national average, which means even a median salary buys a stronger lifestyle.
Base salary is not the full picture. Municipal planners receive generous public benefits, pension plans, and steady 2 to 4% annual step increases. Private sector planners earn 8 to 12% bonuses tied to project billing. Some jurisdictions offer housing assistance for planners working in high-cost areas. And on the tax side: nebraska's top income tax rate is 5.84%. Omaha has no city income tax. The moderate rate is offset by some of the most affordable housing costs among major metros. When someone quotes you $75,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Reference Fortune 500 headquarters pay scales. Omaha's corporate density means employers benchmark against national compensation data, not just regional rates. The range for Urban Planners in Omaha runs from $59,000 to $93,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
Considering a related role?
- A Logistics Coordinator in Omaha earns $74,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in Omaha is CTO at $267,000
Common questions.
Urban Planner salary in other cities.
Other salaries in Omaha.
Related salary pages
Jump to nearby roles and cities most relevant to Urban Planners in Omaha.
Related tools.
Do you work as an urban planner in Omaha?
Your individual figure is never published. Submissions appear only as aggregate percentiles, and nothing is shown for a role and city until at least five people have reported. It is stored against your account, which is what keeps the dataset clean.
Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Urban Planner Salary in Omaha, NE." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/urban-planner/omaha
Want this data on your site? Embed the salary widget. One script tag, free forever.
Related tools