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Best Urban Planning Schools Near Decatur, IL (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Decatur, Illinois is home to about 70,368 residents. Median household income is $50,809 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 21.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Decatur, IL metro area, the top-earning urban planning-related role is Managers, All Other at a median $133,290 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Urban Planning Schools to Decatur
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer urban planning programs near Decatur, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Decatur 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 Decatur
Decatur is part of the Decatur, IL metro area (BLS area code 19500). 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
$91,360
IL statewide
$103,348
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
$81,590
IL statewide
$92,296
Surveyors
$75,980
IL statewide
$85,950
Geographers
$92,640
IL statewide
$104,796
Social and Community Service Managers
$70,420
Decatur, IL
$79,661
Management Analysts
$103,690
Decatur, IL
$117,296
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists
$54,680
IL statewide
$61,855
Managers, All Other
$133,290
Decatur, IL
$150,781
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.
Decatur at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
70,368
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$50,809
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
21.3%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
88.4 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Decatur-Area Cities With Urban Planning Programs
What are the highest-paying urban planning roles near Decatur?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying urban planning-related roles near Decatur are: Managers, All Other ($133,290), Management Analysts ($103,690), Geographers ($92,640). 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 Springfield instead of Decatur?
Springfield, IL is 38.7 miles from Decatur 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 Decatur an affordable place to study urban planning?
Decatur’s median household income of $50,809 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Decatur 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.
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.