Best Urban Planning Schools Near Cranston, RI (2026)

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

Cranston, Rhode Island has 5 accredited schools offering urban planning programs, with tuition ranging from $16,942 to $86,285 per year for indexed programs. Cranston has a population of about 82,632. Median household income is $87,716 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 35.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area, the top-earning urban planning-related role is Managers, All Other at a median $160,040 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Urban Planning Schools to Cranston

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

Roger Williams University

Bristol, RI 14.1 miles from Cranston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
58.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 88%
Graduation rate 68%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $70,266
Avg net price $37,999/yr
Tuition
In‑state$44,418
Out‑of‑state$44,418
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 71

Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

University of Rhode Island

Kingston, RI 19.5 miles from Cranston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
74.1 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 72%
Graduation rate 72%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $69,743
Avg net price $21,440/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,942
Out‑of‑state$37,146
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 84%
  • Programs offered: 129

Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Urban Planning Wages Near Cranston

Cranston is part of the Providence-Warwick, RI-MA metro area (BLS area code 39300). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Rhode Island statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Urban and Regional Planners $87,880 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA $86,326
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health $97,330 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA $95,609
Surveyors $72,470 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA $71,189
Geographers N/A RI statewide –
Social and Community Service Managers $77,490 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA $76,120
Management Analysts $100,360 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA $98,585
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists N/A RI statewide –
Managers, All Other $160,040 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA $157,210

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.

Cranston at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 82,632 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $87,716 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 35.8% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 101.8 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Cranston-Area Cities With Urban Planning Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited urban planning schools are near Cranston, RI?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering urban planning programs near Cranston. The closest is Roger Williams University in Bristol, RI (14.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Massachusetts Institute of Technology (45.7 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying urban planning-related roles near Cranston are: Managers, All Other ($160,040), Management Analysts ($100,360), Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health ($97,330). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Rhode Island statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Warwick instead of Cranston?

Warwick, RI is 4.9 miles from Cranston 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 Cranston an affordable place to study urban planning?

Cranston’s median household income of $87,716 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Cranston while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Rhode Island 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 Cranston

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

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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