Best Urban Planning Schools Near Aurora, IL (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Aurora, Illinois has 1 accredited school offering urban planning programs. Aurora has a population of about 179,867. Median household income is $90,109 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 37.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area, the top-earning urban planning-related role is Managers, All Other at a median $145,370 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Urban Planning Schools to Aurora

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer urban planning programs near Aurora, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Aurora city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

No school data available.

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Illinois schools on the Illinois urban planning page.

Urban Planning Wages Near Aurora

Aurora is part of the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro area (BLS area code 16980). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Illinois statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Urban and Regional Planners $98,840 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $95,405
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health $85,310 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $82,346
Surveyors $80,060 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $77,278
Geographers $92,640 IL statewide $89,421
Social and Community Service Managers $79,150 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $76,400
Management Analysts $105,090 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $101,438
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists $54,680 IL statewide $52,780
Managers, All Other $145,370 Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN $140,319

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Aurora at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 179,867 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $90,109 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 37.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 103.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Aurora-Area Cities With Urban Planning Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited urban planning schools are near Aurora, IL?

Our directory has 1 accredited schools offering urban planning programs near Aurora. The closest is University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in Milwaukee, WI (93.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (93.1 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying urban planning roles near Aurora?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying urban planning-related roles near Aurora are: Managers, All Other ($145,370), Management Analysts ($105,090), Urban and Regional Planners ($98,840). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Illinois statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Batavia instead of Aurora?

Batavia, IL is 6.0 miles from Aurora and has its own set of local urban planning programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Aurora an affordable place to study urban planning?

Aurora’s median household income of $90,109 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Aurora while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Illinois public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Urban Planning Programs

Other Programs Available in Aurora

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Aurora:

Data verified: September 5, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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