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Best Urban Planning Schools Near Alexandria, LA (2026)
Updated September 5, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Alexandria, Louisiana is home to about 44,566 residents. Median household income is $47,357 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 24.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Alexandria, LA metro area, the top-earning urban planning-related role is Managers, All Other at a median $99,890 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Urban Planning Schools to Alexandria
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer urban planning programs near Alexandria, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Alexandria 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:
BOCSCORE
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 Alexandria.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Alexandria is part of the Alexandria, LA metro area (BLS area code 10780). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Louisiana statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Urban and Regional Planners
$74,500
LA statewide
$86,931
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
$69,820
LA statewide
$81,470
Surveyors
$63,140
LA statewide
$73,676
Geographers
N/A
LA statewide
–
Social and Community Service Managers
$86,640
Alexandria, LA
$101,097
Management Analysts
$91,560
Alexandria, LA
$106,838
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists
$59,990
LA statewide
$70,000
Managers, All Other
$99,890
Alexandria, LA
$116,558
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.
Alexandria at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
44,566
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$47,357
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
24.2%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
85.7 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Alexandria-Area Cities With Urban Planning Programs
What are the highest-paying urban planning roles near Alexandria?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying urban planning-related roles near Alexandria are: Managers, All Other ($99,890), Management Analysts ($91,560), Social and Community Service Managers ($86,640). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Louisiana statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Opelousas instead of Alexandria?
Opelousas, LA is 57.5 miles from Alexandria 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 Alexandria an affordable place to study urban planning?
Alexandria’s median household income of $47,357 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Alexandria while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Louisiana 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.
