Urban and Regional Planners in Michigan
May 2025 wages · tax year 2026
You keep
$60,976
after federal, FICA and Michigan tax
Tax takes
$17,534
22.3% of the whole
Worth, in national money
$64,741
Michigan costs less than average
On that salary you would be around the 25th percentile for this work in Michigan — roughly, since only five points along the band are published.
One filer, standard deduction, no dependants and nothing paid in before tax — the same household the rest of this page uses, so the comparison holds. City and school-district income taxes are not included.
Median here
$78,510
Kept after tax
$60,976
Worth in national money
$64,741
State rank
35
of 51 states
What this pays, and what it is worth
- Michigan is among the lower-paying states for urban and regional planners. The middle earner takes $78,510, ranking 35 of 51 states — about 12.1% below the national middle. Costs here are often lower too, which the figures further down account for.
- Middle of the local pack. Of 493 occupations Michigan reports figures for, this is number 129.
- Michigan is cheaper than average, and that shows up here. From $78,510 the take-home is $60,976; adjusted for what things actually cost, it goes as far as $64,741 would nationally. The average comes to $80,120, above the middle, thanks to the top of the range.
- Michigan ranks 35 of 51 for urban and regional planners, with a median of $78,510 — about 12.1% below the national figure. A nominal shortfall is not by itself a real one: lower-paying states frequently carry lower tax and lower price levels, and the adjusted figures below are where that is settled rather than assumed.
- In Michigan's occupational distribution, urban and regional planners sits at 129 of 493 — neither quartile. This local position is what a resident compares against, and it is determined by the state's own labor market rather than by national patterns for this occupation.
- Post-tax income for urban and regional planners in Michigan, on $78,510, is $60,976 — equivalent to $64,741 once regional price parity is applied. ⚠️ The adjustment uses a statewide index that describes no particular address; within-state price variation, concentrated in housing, routinely exceeds the difference between two states. At $80,120 the mean overshoots the median — the usual right-skewed shape.
Compare this career across states
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Pay band: Urban and Regional Planners
The state median for this job
| Lowest tenth earn under | $52,060 |
|---|---|
| Half earn under | $78,510 |
| Top tenth earn over | $109,930 |
| This salary | $78,510 |
Positions between the published tenth, quarter, half, three-quarter and ninetieth points are estimated by straight line.
The same pay, somewhere else
The state median for this job
| Take-home in Michigan | $60,976 |
|---|---|
| Take-home in Texas | $64,062 |
| Once local prices are leveledBEA price parity | +$1,183 |
State income tax and state price levels only. No city income tax, and no housing market.
What you would need there
The state median for this job
| To match take-home only | $74,123 |
|---|---|
| You could take a cut of | −$1,634 |
| Prices in Texas | 97 vs 94 |
State taxes and state price levels only. No city tax, and no housing market.
Sources and assumptions
- A median is the middle, not an offer. Half of urban and regional planners in Michigan earn under $78,510 and half over. The published range runs $52,060 at the tenth percentile to $109,930 at the ninetieth. Experience and employer move an individual a long way inside that.
- One filer, no dependants, no pension contributions — that is the household behind Michigan's $60,976, worked from $78,510. That is on purpose. It lets states be compared with each other, not with each other's family circumstances. Local city taxes are left out. Locally this work ranks 129 of 493.
- Two cautions on $64,741, the adjusted value of that $78,510 median. It levels out prices with a single number for all of Michigan. No actual address matches that. The wage figures and price figures are also from different years. Each is published on its own timetable. This work sits at 129 of 493 locally.
- Figures are distribution medians for urban and regional planners in Michigan, not entry or offer rates. The published band runs $52,060 to $109,930; within-state dispersion of that width routinely exceeds the dispersion between states, so tenure, employer and metropolitan area predict an individual's pay better than geography does.
- The Michigan take-home of $60,976, on $78,510 for work ranking 129 of 493 locally, models the simplest household deliberately: holding it constant is what makes the interstate comparison meaningful. It also means the absolute figure overstates liability for most real filers, and municipal income taxes are outside the model entirely. The occupation ranks 129 of 493 in the state.
- This $64,741 adjusted figure, worked from $78,510, rests on a state-level price parity averaging over within-state dispersion larger than much of the between-state dispersion. Wage and price vintages differ by publication schedule. The result is directionally sound and not address-specific, for work at 129 of 493 in the state. The occupation ranks 129 of 493 locally.
Questions people ask
Why is the pay range for this job so wide?
The label is broader than the work. From $52,060 at the bottom tenth to $109,930 at the top, the same title covers roles that share little beyond a name.
What does this pay actually buy where I live?
Further than the number implies. Michigan is cheaper than the national average, so this take-home behaves like $64,741 in national terms.
Where does the difference between the wage and my paycheck go?
Four deductions, stacked. The federal layer and the two payroll taxes apply wherever you work; Michigan then takes its own share, leaving $60,976.
Can I compare this job across every state?
All 51 jurisdictions report this work, which makes the ranking a like-for-like one.
What drives the percentile dispersion in this occupation?
Dispersion between the tenth percentile ($52,060) and the ninetieth ($109,930) exceeds the family median dispersion. SOC codes aggregate roles differing in seniority, industry and specialisation, and BLS does not disaggregate below the detailed occupation level, so within-title variance is not separable from the published series.
What is this occupation's price-adjusted compensation in this state?
Michigan's regional price parity is at or below the national average, so nominal wages understate purchasing power. Take-home deflated by the state price level is $64,741 in national-average terms. The adjustment uses an all-items index and does not isolate housing.
What accounts for the gap between gross wage and take-home here?
Take-home of $60,976 reflects federal income tax, OASDI, Medicare and Michigan income tax for a single filer with no adjustments. The state layer is levied in addition to the federal one; only its rate and base differ between states.
Is this occupation's state coverage complete?
State-level estimates are published for all 51 jurisdictions for this occupation, so cross-state comparison is not confounded by suppression. ⚠️ Estimates remain survey-based and carry sampling error; small differences between adjacent states should not be over-read.