Best Urban Planning Schools Near Kansas City, KS (2026)

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

Kansas City, Kansas has 3 accredited schools offering urban planning programs. Kansas City has a population of about 154,776. Median household income is $59,183 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 20.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area, the top-earning urban planning-related role is Managers, All Other at a median $136,530 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Urban Planning Schools to Kansas City

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

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Kansas City. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

University of Kansas

Lawrence, KS 29.3 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
72.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,945
Avg net price $18,059/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 183

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Kansas State University

Manhattan, KS 98.5 miles from Kansas City
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
67.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 66%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,262
Avg net price $19,406/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 163

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Urban Planning Wages Near Kansas City

Kansas City is part of the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area (BLS area code 28140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Kansas statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Urban and Regional Planners $84,520 Kansas City, MO-KS $91,373
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health $80,690 Kansas City, MO-KS $87,232
Surveyors $73,780 Kansas City, MO-KS $79,762
Geographers N/A KS statewide –
Social and Community Service Managers $78,920 Kansas City, MO-KS $85,319
Management Analysts $98,430 Kansas City, MO-KS $106,411
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists $101,810 Kansas City, MO-KS $110,065
Managers, All Other $136,530 Kansas City, MO-KS $147,600

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.

Kansas City at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 154,776 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $59,183 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 20.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 92.5 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Kansas City-Area Cities With Urban Planning Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited urban planning schools are near Kansas City, KS?

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering urban planning programs near Kansas City. The closest is University of Missouri-Kansas City in Kansas City, MO (10.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Kansas State University (98.5 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying urban planning roles near Kansas City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying urban planning-related roles near Kansas City are: Managers, All Other ($136,530), Cartographers and Photogrammetrists ($101,810), Management Analysts ($98,430). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Kansas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Shawnee instead of Kansas City?

Shawnee, KS is 8.2 miles from Kansas City 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 Kansas City an affordable place to study urban planning?

Kansas City’s median household income of $59,183 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Kansas City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Kansas 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 Kansas City

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

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.

Back to Best Urban Planning Schools in Kansas: Online Programs (2026)