Best Urban Planning Schools Near Houston, TX (2026)

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

Houston, Texas has 3 accredited schools offering urban planning programs. Houston has a population of about 2,300,419. Median household income is $62,894 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, the top-earning urban planning-related role is Managers, All Other at a median $144,820 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Urban Planning Schools to Houston

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

Texas Southern University

Houston, TX 5.0 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
32.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,924
Avg net price $16,590/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 67

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Urban Planning Wages Near Houston

Houston is part of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area (BLS area code 26420). 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 $84,160 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $85,355
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health $95,170 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $96,521
Surveyors $62,960 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $63,854
Geographers $79,170 TX statewide $80,294
Social and Community Service Managers $76,780 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $77,870
Management Analysts $101,120 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $102,556
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists $96,390 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $97,759
Managers, All Other $144,820 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $146,876

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.

Houston at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 2,300,419 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $62,894 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 36.0% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 98.6 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Houston-Area Cities With Urban Planning Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Our directory has 3 accredited schools offering urban planning programs near Houston. The closest is Texas Southern University in Houston, TX (5.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Texas A&M University-College Station (80.4 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

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

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying urban planning-related roles near Houston are: Managers, All Other ($144,820), Management Analysts ($101,120), Cartographers and Photogrammetrists ($96,390). 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 Pearland instead of Houston?

Pearland, TX is 16.4 miles from Houston 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 Houston an affordable place to study urban planning?

Houston’s median household income of $62,894 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Houston 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 Houston

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

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)