Titles and Salaries of Selected Planning Positions

PAS Report 3

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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF PLANNING OFFICIALS

1313 EAST 60TH STREET — CHICAGO 37 ILLINOIS

Information Report No. 3 June, 1949.

Titles and Salaries of Selected Planning Positions

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2009 Editor's Note

PAS Report No. 3 lists 1948 and 1949 salaries for a range of planning positions. This table translates those salaries into more recent values. (Source: www.measuringworth.com)

1949 Salary 2007 CPI Equivalent 1949 Salary 2007 CPI Equivalent
$2,000 $17,387 $8,000 $69,549
$3,000 $26,081 $9,000 $78,242
$4,000 $34,774 $10,000 $86,936
$5,000 $43,468 $11,000 $95,629
$6,000 $52,162 $12,000 $104,323
$7,000 $60,855    

The planning positions covered in this report are grouped by $500 intervals (with the exception of the top two groupings). Within each such grouping, positions are listed alphabetically by city, if for a city planning commission position, or by agency, if other than a city planning commission position. The initial salary — the entering salary in a salary range, or the lowest salary offered for a particular position — determines the grouping in which the position has been classified. The salary actually being paid may be at any point within the particular position's given salary range. Where more than one person is employed under the same position title, with different salaries reported, the range from the lowest salary to the highest has been given, and the position has been classified under the lowest salary.

Information for this report has been obtained from city planning commissions, from budget requests made to and/or appropriations voted by various local governing bodies, and from positions advertised in the ASPO News Letter. Only 1948 and 1949 data have been included. This report does not attempt to include all positions in all city planning commissions; however, large and small cities are represented, as are also different geographic locations. Although the report has been specifically oriented to the city planning commission, some additional advertised planning positions in other agencies have been included. It is not feasible to define the duties of each position, nor to list the qualifications of the persons filling the positions. Such information may be found in A Manual of Recommended Personnel Standards in Public Planning, to be published by ASPO in July 1949.

Under the heading, "POPULATION", cities have been classified according to population data as of the 1940 Census:

Class I consists of cities of over 1,000,000 population

Class II consists of cities of 500,000 to 1,000,000

Class III consists of cities of 250,000 to 500,000

Class IV consists of cities of 100,000 to 250,000

Class V consists of cities of 50,000 to 100,000

Class VI consists of cities of 25,000 to 50,000

Class VII consists of cities of 10,000 to 25,000

Class VIII consists of cities under 10,000

SALARY GROUP $8,000 and over

SALARY TITLE CITY POPULATION DATE
$10,300 Executive Director Chicago Class I 1949
$8,000 Director Planning Division Chicago Class I 1949
$9,000 Planning Director Cleveland Class II 1948
$10,458-$10,958 Director Detroit Class I 1948
$8,406-$9,126 Assistant Director Detroit Class I 1948
$12,480 Director of Planning Los Angeles Class I 1949
$9,000 Director of Planning Oakland, Cal. Class III 1949
$9,300-$10,300 Executive Director Philadelphia Class I 1949
$12,000 Director of Planning San Francisco Class I 1948
SALARY TITLE AGENCY DATE
$11,280 Executive Director Community Redevelopment Agency of the City of Los Angeles 1949
$9,060-$11,280 Director of Planning Los Angeles Regional Planning Commission 1948

SALARY GROUP $7,000 — $7,999

SALARY TITLE CITY POPULATION DATE
$7,500 Director of Research Chicago Class I 1949
$7,029-$7,857 Head City Planner Detroit Class I 1949
$7,029-$7,581 Senior City Plan Effectuator Detroit Class I 1948
$7,029-$7,581 Principal Publicist Detroit Class I 1948
$7,344 Planning Director Glendale, Cal. Class V 1949
$7,296-$9,060 Principal City Planner Los Angeles Class I 1949
$7,296-$9,060 Zoning Administrator Los Angeles Class I 1949
$7,207-$8,107 City Planner Milwaukee Class II 1949
$7,650-$8,650 Chief, Division of Land Planning Philadelphia Class I 1949
$7,425 Planning Director Pittsburgh Class II 1948
$7,476 Director of Planning Sacramento Class IV 1949

SALARY GROUP $6,500 — $6,999

SALARY TITLE CITY POPULATION DATE
$6,800 Senior Research Analyst Chicago Class I 1949
$6,500 Senior City Planner Chicago Class I 1949
$6,756-$8,436 Director of Planning Long Beach, Cal. Class IV 1949
$6,640-$7,440 Chief, Division of Planning Analysis Philadelphia Class I 1949
$6,640-$7,440 Chief, Division of Projects Philadelphia Class I 1949
$6,600 Chief Planner Pittsburgh Class II 1948

SALARY GROUP $6,000 — $6,499

SALARY TITLE CITY POPULATION DATE
$6,000-$7,200 Director of Planning Berkeley, Cal. Class V 1949
$6,350 Planning Director Buffalo Class II 1948
$6,300 Director Service Division Chicago Class I 1949
$6,200-$7,700 Assistant Director Cleveland Class II 1948
$6,007-$6,727 Planner V Milwaukee Class II 1949
$6,420 City Planner III Norfolk Class IV 1948
$6,348 Director of Planning Pasadena, Cal. Class V 1949
$6,000 Planner Raleigh, N.C. Class VI 1948
$6,180 City Planning Engineer Sacramento Class IV 1948
$6,384-$8,556 Director of Planning San Diego Class IV 1949
$6,000 Executive Director Toledo Class III 1948
$6,000 Chief of Planning Toledo Class III 1y48
$6,000 Chief of Research Toledo Class III 1948
$6,000 Chief Administrator Toledo Class III 1948
SALARY TITLE AGENCY DATE
up to $6,000 Economist Passaic-Bergen Community Planning Association, Inc. 1948
$6,000 Executive Director Providence Redevelopment Agency 1948
$6,000 Planner Regional Planning Commission (Cleveland) 1948
$6,000-$7,500 Senior City Planner L. Segoe and Associates 1949

SALARY GROUP $5,500 —$5,999

SALARY TITLE CITY POPULATION DATE
$5,868-$7,296 Director of Planning Burbank, Cal. Class VI 1949
$5,900 Engineer Chicago Class l 1949
$5,941-$6,841 Assistant City Planner Cincinnati Class III 1949
$5,971-$6,688 Principal City Planner Detroit Class I 1948
$5,568-$6,800 Planning Analyst Los Angeles Class I 1949
$5,568-$6,800 City Planning Engineer Los Angeles Class I 1949
$5,568-$6,800 City Zoning Planner Los Angeles Class I 1949
$5,568-$6,800 City Planning Architect Los Angeles Class I 1949
$5,568-$6,800 City Planning Illustrator Los Angeles Class I 1949
$5,568-$6,800 Assistant Zoning Administrator Los Angeles Class I 1949
$5,568-$6,800 City Planning Landscape Architect Los Angeles Class I 1949
$5,568-$6,800 Planning Examiner Los Angeles Class I 1949
$5,748 Director of Planning Miami Class IV 1948
$5,560-$6,160 Executive Assistant Philadelphia Class I 1949
$5,560-$6,160 Senior Land Planner Philadelphia Class I 1949
$5,560-$6,160 Senior Planning Analyst (Economic) Philadelphia Class I 1949
$5,560-$6,160 Senior Project Analyst Philadelphia Class I 1949
$5,560-$6,160 Senior Site Planner Philadelphia Class I 1949
SALARY TITLE AGENCY DATE
$5,775 Director Baltimore Redevelopment Commission 1948
$5,500 Planner Detroit Metropolitan Area Regional Planning Commission 1949

SALARY GROUP $5,000 — $5,499

SALARY TITLE CITY POPULATION DATE
$5,200 Senior Planner Cambridge Class IV 1948
$5,000-$6,000 Chief Planner Denver Class III 1949
$5,341-$6,058 Associate Civil Engineer (Planning) Detroit Class I 1948
$5,177-$5,894 City Plan Effectuator Detroit Class I 1948
$5,400-$6,000 Planning Director Greensboro, N.C. Class V 1949
$5,000 Associate Planning Technician Indianapolis Class III 1948
$5,000 Planning Engineer Lakewood, Ohio Class V 1948
$5,004-$6,192 City Planning Associate Los Angeles Class I 1949
$5,004-$6,192 Planning & Zoning Investigator Los Angeles Class I 1949
$5,004-$6,192 Planning Landscape Architect Associate Los Angeles Class I 1949
$5,407-$6,007 Planner IV Milwaukee Class II 1949
$5,100-$5,820 Assistant City Planning Engineer Oakland Class III 1949
$5,300 Planning Engineer Oklahoma City Class IV 1948
$5,000 Senior Planner Pittsburgh Class II 1948
$5,400-$6,756 Director of Planning San Jose, Cal. Class V 1949
$5,400 Senior Planner Toledo Class III 1949
SALARY TITLE AGENCY DATE
$5,000 Supervisor of Research Indiana Economic Council 1948
$5,000-$6,250 Chief Economist Maryland State Planning Commission 1948
$5,196 Housing Planner Milwaukee Housing Authority 1948
$5,400-$5,640 Planning Director Riverside County Planning Commission 1948
$5,280 City Planner Tennessee Valley Authority 1949

SALARY GROUP $4,500 — $4,999

SALARY TITLE CITY POPULATION DATE
$4,850-$5,250 Chief Planner Buffalo Class II 1948
$4,750-$5,500 Research Analyst Chicago Class I 1949
$4,939-$6,134 Senior City Planner Detroit Class I 1949
$4,916-$5,394 Delineator Detroit Class I 194$
$4,694-$5,315 Senior Social Economist Detroit Class I 1948
$4,500-$6,500 Planning Director Grand Rapids Class IV 1949
$4,590 Engineer Director Little Rock, Ark. Class V 1948
$4,500-$5,568 Planning Assistant Los Angeles Class I 1949
$4,807-$5,407 Planner III Milwaukee Class II 1949
$4,512 City Planner New Haven Class IV 1948
$4,680-$5,280 Planning Analyst Philadelphia Class I 1949
$4,680-$5,280 Planning Analyst (Sociological) Philadelphia Class I 1949
$4,680-$5,280 Project Analyst (Zoning) Philadelphia Class I 1949
$4,500 Planning Director Rockford, Ill. Class V 1948
$4,800-$6,000 Planning Engineer Winston-Salem Class V 1948
SALARY TITLE AGENCY DATE
$4,848-$5,848 Chief Project Planner Chicago Housing Authority 1948
$4,500 Site Planner Maryland State Planning Commission 1949
$4,500-$6,000 Chief, Bureau of Planning New Jersey Department of Economic Development 1948

SALARY GROUP $4,000 — $4,499

SALARY TITLE CITY POPULATION DATE
$4,000-$5,000 Zoning Research Analyst Baltimore Class II 1948
$4,350 Assistant Planning Director Buffalo Class II 1948
$4,200-$5,200 Associate City Planner Chicago Class I 1949
$4,140 Associate Planner Dayton Class IV 1948
$4,067-$4,544 Intermediate City Planner Detroit Class I 1949
$4,044 Senior Planning Assistant Los Angeles Class I 1948
$4,260-$5,280 Planning Illustrator Assistant Los Angeles Class I 1949
$4,260-$5,280 Landscape Architectural Assistant Los Angeles Class I 1949
$4,260-$5,280 Architectural Assistant Los Angeles Class I 1949
$4,000-$4,500 City Planner Manitowoc, Wis. Class VII 1948
$4,000-$4,500 Planning and Traffic Engineer Midland, Mich. Class VII 1948
$4,207-$4,807 Planner II Milwaukee Class II 1949
$4,207-$4,807 Planning Analyst II Milwaukee Class II 1949
$4,000-$6,000 Planning Director Oshkosh, Wis. Class VI 1949
$4,340-$4,840 Administrative Assistant Philadelphia Class I 1949
$4,340-$4,840 Assistant Graphic Designer Philadelphia Class I 1949
$4,340-$4,840 Assistant Land Planner Philadelphia Class I 1949
$4,340-$4,840 Assistant Site Planner Philadelphia Class I 1949
$4,340-$4,840 Senior Assistant Project Analyst Philadelphia Class I 1949
$4,415 Senior Research Analyst Pittsburgh Class II 1948
$4,104 Associate Planning Engineer Pittsburgh Class II 1948
$4,040 Landscape Architect Racine, Wis. Class V 1948
$4,200-$4,800 Associate Planner Rochester Class III 1949
$4,200 Associate Planner Toledo Class III 1949
$4,200 Research Associate Toledo Class III 1949
$4,140 Landscape Architect Toledo Class III 1948
$4,000 Planning Technician Tucson Class VI 1948
SALARY TITLE AGENCY DATE
$4,200-$4,900 Junior Associate Planner Baltimore Redevelopment Commission 1949
$4,000-$5,000 Associate Planning Engineer Maryland State Planning Commission 1948
$4,200-$5,100 Assistant Chief, Bureau of Planning New Jersey Department of Economic Development 1948
$4,000-$4,200 Metropolitan Consultant Philadelphia Housing Assoc. 1948
$4,462-$5,100 Senior Planner San Mateo County Planning Commission 1948

SALARY GROUP $3,500 — $3,999

SALARY TITLE CITY POPULATION DATE
$3,600 Resident City Planner Bangor, Me. Class VI 1948
$3,600-$4,500 Architect Planner Chicago Class I 1949
$3,600-$3,900 Assistant City Planner Cleveland Class II 1948
$3,600-$5,040 Planning Engineer Colorado Springs Class VI 1948
$3,908-$4,385 Senior-Cartographic Draftsman Detroit Class I 1948
$3,908-$4,385 Intermediate Publicist Detroit Class I 1948
$3,908-$4,385 Intermediate Social Economist Detroit Class I 1948
$3,600-$4,000 Planning Assistant Greensboro, N.C. Class V 1948
$3,600 Planning Assistant to Director Kalamazoo Class V 1948
$3,600-$3,900 Assistant Planning Engineer Knoxville Class IV 1949
$3,636-$4,500 Landscape Draftsman Los Angeles Class I 1949
$3,607-$4,207 Planning Analyst I Milwaukee Class II 1949
$3,600-$4,000 Planning Assistant Muskegon Class VI 1948
$3,600 Assistant City Planner Norwalk, Conn. Class VI 1948
$3,642-$4,142 Architectural-Illustrating Draftsman Philadelphia Class I 1949
$3,642-$4,142 Junior Land Planner Philadelphia Class I 1949
$3,642-$4,142 Junior Planning Analyst Philadelphia Class I 1949
$3,642-$4,142 Junior Site Planner Philadelphia Class I 1949
$3,642-$41142 Senior Architectural Draftsman Philadelphia Class I 1949
$3,510 Planning Director Portland, Me. Class V 1948
$3,696-$4,428 City Planning Analyst Sacramento Class IV 1948
$3,720 Associate Engineer Seattle Class III 1948
$3,900-$4,200 Assistant City Planner Yonkers, N.Y. Class IV 1949
SALARY TITLE AGENCY DATE
$3,564 Planning Assistant Contra Costa County Planning Department 1948
$3,600-$4,500 Research Analyst Maryland State Planning Commission 1948
$3,840 Planning Engineer II Maryland State Planning Commission 1949
$3,600-$4,000 Assistant Director Middlesex County Planning Board 1949
$3,600-$4,000 Associate Planner Montgomery County Planning Commission 1948

SALARY GROUP $3,000 — $3,499

SALARY TITLE CITY POPULATION DATE
$3,400 Junior Planner Cambridge Class IV 1948
$3,000-$4,200 Draftsman Chicago Class I 1949
$3,000-$3,200 Research Assistant Chicago Class I 1949
$3,200-$3,400 Planning Delineator Chicago Class I 1949
$3,000-$3,300 Junior City Planner Cleveland Class II 1948
$3,298-$3,749 Junior City Planner Detroit Class I 1949
$3,139-$3,590 Junior Cartographic Draftsman Detroit Class I 1948
$3,472 Statistical Analyst Grand Rapids Class IV 1948
$3,000 Draftsman for Planning Kalamazoo Class V 1948
$3,240-$3,600 Assistant Planner Little Rock Class V 1949
$3,307-$3,907 Draftsman I Milwaukee Class II 1949
$3,108-$3,720 City Planner III Norfolk, Va. Class IV 1949
$3,280-$3,780 Assistant Project Analyst Philadelphia Class I 1949
$3,024-$3,424 Statistical Draftsman Philadelphia Class I 1949
$3,024-$3,424 Supervising Draftsman Philadelphia Class I 1949
$3,051-$3,573 Junior Planning Technician Phoenix Class V 1948
$3,360 Assistant Engineer Seattle Class III 1948
$3,190 Assistant Planning Engineer Toledo Class III 1948
$3,170 Planning Draftsman Toledo Class III 1948
$3,415 Planning Assistant Toledo Class III 1949
$3,270-$4,120 Planning and Engineering Assistant Windsor, Conn. Class VIII 1949
SALARY TITLE AGENCY DATE
$3,000-$4,000 Assistant Planner Cleveland Regional Planning Commission 1949
$3,000-$3,600 Assistant Planner Montgomery County Planning Commission 1948
$3,480-$4,200 Regional Director Tennessee State Planning Commission 1948
$3,400-$3,800 Planning Assistant Washtenaw County Planning Commission 1949

SALARY GROUP $2,500 — $2,999

SALARY TITLE CITY POPULATION DATE
$2,973 City Planning Assistant Flint, Mich. Class IV 1948
$2,780-$3,180 Junior Assistant Project Analyst Philadelphia Class I 1949
$2,604-$2,904 Junior Statistician Philadelphia Class I 1949
$2,604-$2,904 Map Draftsman Philadelphia Class I 1949
$2,780-$3,180 Planning Assistant Philadelphia Class I 1949
$2,940 Junior Engineer Seattle Class III 1948
$2,580 Senior Engineering Aide Seattle Class III 1948
$2,940 Junior Planning Draftsman Toledo Class III 1948
SALARY TITLE AGENCY DATE
$2,900-$3,400 Assistant Planning Technician Tennessee State Planning Commission 1948

Copyright, American Society of Planning Officials, 1949.