Best Urban Planning Schools Near Erie, PA (2026)

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

Erie, Pennsylvania has 2 accredited schools offering urban planning programs, with tuition ranging from $10,936 to $31,536 per year for indexed programs. Erie has a population of about 94,156. Median household income is $43,397 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 22.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Erie, PA metro area, the top-earning urban planning-related role is Managers, All Other at a median $107,970 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Urban Planning Schools to Erie

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer urban planning programs near Erie, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Erie 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 Erie. 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

Indiana University of Pennsylvania-Main Campus

Indiana, PA 113.9 miles from Erie
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
52.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 56%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,019
Avg net price $16,804/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 73%
  • Programs offered: 109

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus

Pittsburgh, PA 115.7 miles from Erie
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
73.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $66,125
Avg net price $30,434/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 239

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

West Chester University of Pennsylvania

West Chester, PA 277.0 miles from Erie
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
69.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $61,258
Avg net price $23,331/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 103

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Villanova University

Villanova, PA 285.3 miles from Erie
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
77.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 89%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $100,423
Avg net price $43,756/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 95%
  • Programs offered: 94

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA 295.0 miles from Erie
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
83.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $111,371
Avg net price $28,699/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 188

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Temple University

Philadelphia, PA 295.6 miles from Erie
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $63,727
Avg net price $28,198/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 83%
  • Programs offered: 230

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Urban Planning Wages Near Erie

Erie is part of the Erie, PA metro area (BLS area code 21500). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Pennsylvania statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Urban and Regional Planners $80,810 PA statewide $88,802
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health $50,810 Erie, PA $55,835
Surveyors $53,650 Erie, PA $58,956
Geographers N/A PA statewide –
Social and Community Service Managers $66,520 Erie, PA $73,099
Management Analysts $79,130 Erie, PA $86,956
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists $73,180 PA statewide $80,418
Managers, All Other $107,970 Erie, PA $118,648

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.

Erie at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 94,156 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $43,397 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 22.3% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 91.0 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Erie-Area Cities With Urban Planning Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited urban planning schools are near Erie, PA?

Our directory has 2 accredited schools offering urban planning programs near Erie. The closest is University at Buffalo in Buffalo, NY (89.4 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Kent State University at Kent (93.8 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying urban planning-related roles near Erie are: Managers, All Other ($107,970), Urban and Regional Planners ($80,810), Management Analysts ($79,130). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Pennsylvania statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Meadville instead of Erie?

Meadville, PA is 32.6 miles from Erie 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 Erie an affordable place to study urban planning?

Erie’s median household income of $43,397 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Erie while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Pennsylvania 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 Erie

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

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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