Best Urban Planning Schools Near Austin, TX (2026)

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

Austin, Texas has 4 accredited schools offering urban planning programs. Austin has a population of about 967,862. Median household income is $91,461 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 58.2% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area, the top-earning urban planning-related role is Managers, All Other at a median $134,030 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Urban Planning Schools to Austin

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

The University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX 1.7 miles from Austin
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
84.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $75,121
Avg net price $19,857/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 180

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Urban Planning Wages Near Austin

Austin is part of the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX metro area (BLS area code 12420). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Urban and Regional Planners $82,830 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $84,434
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health $93,070 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $94,873
Surveyors $57,580 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $58,695
Geographers $76,000 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $77,472
Social and Community Service Managers $80,030 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $81,580
Management Analysts $106,600 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $108,665
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists $76,080 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $77,554
Managers, All Other $134,030 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX $136,626

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.

Austin at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 967,862 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $91,461 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 58.2% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 98.1 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Austin-Area Cities With Urban Planning Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited urban planning schools are near Austin, TX?

Our directory has 4 accredited schools offering urban planning programs near Austin. The closest is The University of Texas at Austin in Austin, TX (1.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Texas A&M University-College Station (87.2 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying urban planning-related roles near Austin are: Managers, All Other ($134,030), Management Analysts ($106,600), Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health ($93,070). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Pflugerville instead of Austin?

Pflugerville, TX is 13.7 miles from Austin 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 Austin an affordable place to study urban planning?

Austin’s median household income of $91,461 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Austin while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas 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 Austin

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

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 Texas: Online Programs (2026)