Event and Convention Planner Schools, Salaries, and Job Data

Job Numbers and Growth

There are an estimated 51,000 event and convention planners nationally. Recent data shows the joblessness for workers is low compared to other jobs. An estimated 3% of employees were not able to find a job in 2008.

Area Job Conditions

The highest density of event and convention planners are found in Brockton (Massachusetts), Washington (District of Columbia), and Hot Springs (Arkansas). The lowest density occurs around Omaha (Nebraska), Knoxville (Tennessee), and Little Rock (Arkansas).

Compensation for workers is highst in Bridgeport (Connecticut), New York (New York), and San Francisco (California), and is the lowest in Killeen (Texas), Shreveport (Louisiana), and Sioux Falls (South Dakota).

Training and Education

Employers tend to prefer to hire employees that have a bachelor's degree. in 67% of cases, event and convention planners have four year degrees or better. Among workers 22% pursued some additional career education without completing a bachelor's degree. In 11% of cases, employees have only a high school education. Recommended schools are shown in the column to the right; request information from them to help you decide which if any could help you with this career.

Part-Time Work and Self-Employment

Event and convention planners working part-time are about 14% of the total. About 6% of workers work on their own.

Event and Convention Planners: An Introductory Video

Event and Convention Planners Around the Country

In the list below, each metro area is rated for the relative popularity of event and convention planners compared to other locations (that is, jobs per population). Single or double up or down arrows indicate the relative popularity in that location. Within each state listing, metro areas are sorted by the actual number of jobs for event and convention planners.

Alabama

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Birmingham	$37,000	100

Alaska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Anchorage	$44,000	30

Arizona

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Phoenix	$46,000	750
Tucson	$44,000	110

Arkansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Hot Springs	$36,000	40
Little Rock	$42,000	30

California

Location	Median Pay	Workers
San Francisco	$59,000	840
Santa Ana	$50,000	820
San Diego	$46,000	650
Sacramento	$51,000	330
Oakland	$55,000	270
San Jose	$54,000	260
Riverside	$49,000	230
Santa Rosa	$56,000	110
Santa Cruz	$32,000	70
Oxnard	$40,000	70
San Luis Obispo	$50,000	70
Salinas	$45,000	60
Fresno	$36,000	40
Santa Barbara	$45,000	40

Colorado

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Denver	$47,000	640
Colorado Springs	$40,000	160
Boulder	$43,000	80
Fort Collins	$37,000	50

Connecticut

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Bridgeport	$64,000	280
Hartford	$46,000	140
New Haven	$55,000	60
Norwich	$51,000	40

Delaware

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wilmington	$50,000	200

District of Columbia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Washington	$55,000	3,260

Florida

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Orlando	$39,000	860
Tampa	$40,000	730
Fort Lauderdale	$50,000	390
Jacksonville	$41,000	380
Miami	$47,000	340
West Palm Beach	$47,000	120
Tallahassee	$51,000	90
Naples	$47,000	60
Deltona	$51,000	40
Sarasota	$44,000	40
Palm Bay	$35,000	40
Cape Coral	$46,000	40
Pensacola	$46,000	40

Georgia

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Atlanta	$47,000	1,500
Savannah	$40,000	80
Athens	$33,000	60
Augusta	$26,000	40
Columbus	$40,000	30

Hawaii

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Honolulu	$52,000	140

Idaho

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Boise	$36,000	40

Illinois

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Chicago	$51,000	2,110
Bloomington	$39,000	50
Springfield	$55,000	40

Indiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Indianapolis	$44,000	360
Evansville	$35,000	40

Iowa

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Des Moines	$48,000	180
Dubuque	$39,000	40
Davenport	$37,000	40

Kansas

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wichita	$38,000	50
Lawrence	$36,000	40

Kentucky

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Louisville	$44,000	120
Lexington	$40,000	70

Louisiana

Location	Median Pay	Workers
New Orleans	$45,000	130
Baton Rouge	$38,000	50
Shreveport	$29,000	30

Maine

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Portland	$35,000	60

Maryland

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Bethesda	$54,000	510
Baltimore	$52,000	510

Massachusetts

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Boston	$51,000	1,530
Brockton	$46,000	140
Framingham	$57,000	130
Worcester	$63,000	90
Springfield	$54,000	80
Barnstable Town	$42,000	40

Michigan

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Warren	$46,000	240
Detroit	$46,000	230
Lansing	$36,000	140
Ann Arbor	$44,000	130
Grand Rapids	$44,000	70
Saginaw	$35,000	40

Minnesota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Minneapolis	$46,000	840
Rochester	$44,000	30

Mississippi

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Jackson	$48,000	60
Gulfport	$48,000	30

Missouri

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
St Louis	$48,000	400
Kansas City	$48,000	400

Montana

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Billings	$32,000	40

Nebraska

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Lincoln	$33,000	50
Omaha	$44,000	50

Nevada

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Las Vegas	$52,000	390
Reno	$50,000	110

New Jersey

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Edison	$52,000	410
Newark	$51,000	310
Camden	$48,000	110
Trenton	$49,000	100
Atlantic City	$49,000	90

New Mexico

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Albuquerque	$39,000	80

New York

Location	Median Pay	Workers
New York	$59,000	3,380
Nassau	$52,000	520
Albany	$53,000	190
Rochester	$44,000	170
Poughkeepsie	$44,000	110
Buffalo	$46,000	100
Syracuse	$41,000	60
Ithaca	$46,000	30

North Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Charlotte	$43,000	270
Raleigh	$41,000	180
Durham	$48,000	110
Asheville	$40,000	80
Winston Salem	$45,000	70
Greensboro	$37,000	60
Wilmington	$40,000	40

Ohio

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Cleveland	$42,000	300
Columbus	$44,000	260
Cincinnati	$43,000	210
Akron	$35,000	110
Toledo	$35,000	50
Dayton	$42,000	50

Oklahoma

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Oklahoma City	$32,000	120
Tulsa	$33,000	90

Oregon

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Portland	$42,000	390
Eugene	$35,000	70
Salem	$40,000	40
Bend	$42,000	30

Pennsylvania

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Philadelphia	$48,000	910
Pittsburgh	$41,000	300
Harrisburg	$39,000	140
Reading	$46,000	80
State College	$41,000	60
Allentown	$40,000	60
York		50

Rhode Island

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Providence	$46,000	180

South Carolina

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Charleston	$40,000	130
Greenville	$41,000	120
Myrtle Beach	$35,000	70

South Dakota

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Sioux Falls	$28,000	80
Rapid City	$30,000	30

Tennessee

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Nashville	$47,000	170
Memphis	$45,000	160
Chattanooga	$39,000	50
Knoxville	$35,000	30

Texas

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Houston	$48,000	810
Dallas	$47,000	760
Austin	$50,000	420
San Antonio	$44,000	290
Fort Worth	$42,000	240
Corpus Christi	$30,000	70
Killeen	$26,000	40
Waco	$38,000	40
El Paso	$42,000	30

Utah

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Salt Lake City	$53,000	180
Provo	$36,000	50

Vermont

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Burlington	$41,000	70

Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Virginia Beach	$43,000	310
Richmond	$53,000	230
Charlottesville	$35,000	100
Harrisonburg	$47,000	40

Washington

Location	Median Pay	Workers
Seattle	$46,000	720
Tacoma	$48,000	60
Spokane	$45,000	30
Bellingham	$49,000	30

West Virginia

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Wheeling	$35,000	50

Wisconsin

Location	Median Pay	Workers	Popularity
Milwaukee	$38,000	270
Madison	$40,000	200

Our event and convention planner career and school information is provided by CTI Career Search.

Online Event and Convention Planner Schools

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Campus Schools for Event and Convention Planners