Meeting, convention, and event planners had a national median annual wage of $61,160 in May 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Detailed BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) figures from May 2023 show how pay varied by employer, state, and metropolitan area.
Table of contents
- National wage benchmarks
- Pay by major employing industry
- Pay and concentration by industry
- Wages across leading states
- Pay in the largest metro areas
- High-concentration metro areas
- Top-paying metro areas
National wage benchmarks
The latest national benchmark in the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook is for May 2025. The median annual wage was $61,160, while the median hourly wage was $29.41. The median divides the occupation into two equal groups: half earned more and half earned less. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025.
The national distribution was wide. The lowest-paid 10 percent earned less than $36,830 annually, while the highest-paid 10 percent earned more than $101,700. These are BLS percentile thresholds, so they describe the lower and upper ends of the wage distribution rather than a typical starting wage or a guaranteed ceiling. BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, May 2025.
The detailed OEWS profile uses the earlier May 2023 measurement period. It estimated 122,130 workers in the occupation nationwide. The mean hourly wage was $29.94 and the mean annual wage was $62,280. The 10th-percentile annual wage was $34,410, the median annual wage was $56,920, and the 90th-percentile annual wage was $99,010. BLS Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023.
| National measure | BLS figure | Period |
|---|---|---|
| Median annual wage | $61,160 | May 2025 |
| Median hourly wage | $29.41 | May 2025 |
| Mean annual wage | $62,280 | May 2023 |
| 10th-percentile annual wage | $34,410 | May 2023 |
| 90th-percentile annual wage | $99,010 | May 2023 |
| Employment estimate | 122,130 | May 2023 |
The 2025 handbook figures and 2023 OEWS figures should be read as separate releases. The later national median is not a replacement label for the detailed 2023 state, industry, or metropolitan estimates.
Pay by major employing industry
The May 2023 OEWS profile identifies several industries with substantial employment of meeting, convention, and event planners. Other support services employed 8,720 planners, with a mean hourly wage of $30.95 and a mean annual wage of $64,370. Business, professional, labor, political, and similar organizations employed 8,030 planners, with a $32.03 hourly mean and $66,620 annual mean.
Traveler accommodation employed 7,910 planners. Its mean hourly wage was $29.75 and its mean annual wage was $61,870. Colleges, universities, and professional schools employed 7,770 planners, with a $29.26 hourly mean and $60,870 annual mean. Local government excluding schools and hospitals employed 5,420 planners, with a $26.93 hourly mean and $56,020 annual mean. All figures in this paragraph are from BLS Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023.
| Industry | Employment | Mean hourly wage | Mean annual wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other support services | 8,720 | $30.95 | $64,370 |
| Business, professional, labor, political, and similar organizations | 8,030 | $32.03 | $66,620 |
| Traveler accommodation | 7,910 | $29.75 | $61,870 |
| Colleges, universities, and professional schools | 7,770 | $29.26 | $60,870 |
| Local government, excluding schools and hospitals | 5,420 | $26.93 | $56,020 |
Within this group of reported industries, the highest annual mean was $66,620 for business, professional, labor, political, and similar organizations. The lowest was $56,020 for local government excluding schools and hospitals. These are industry-specific means for the occupation, not individual salary offers.
Pay and concentration by industry
Industry concentration adds context to an employment count. The BLS profile reports the share of an industry’s employment represented by meeting, convention, and event planners for selected industries. Promoters of performing arts, sports, and similar events had 5,160 planners, equal to 3.15 percent of industry employment, with a $57,970 annual mean wage.
Other support services had 8,720 planners, or 2.67 percent of industry employment, with a $64,370 annual mean wage. Business, professional, labor, political, and similar organizations had 8,030 planners, or 1.88 percent, with a $66,620 annual mean wage.
Museums, historical sites, and similar institutions had 3,010 planners, equal to 1.78 percent of industry employment, with a $50,480 annual mean wage. Grantmaking and giving services had 1,910 planners, equal to 1.20 percent, with a $68,530 annual mean wage. Source for all figures: BLS Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023.
The concentration and pay measures point to different dimensions of the labor market. Promoters had the highest listed employment share in this group, while grantmaking and giving services had the highest listed annual mean wage. A larger concentration percentage therefore does not automatically identify the highest-paying industry.
Wages across leading states
State estimates also show a broad range. California had 16,600 meeting, convention, and event planners, with a $33.31 hourly mean wage and $69,280 annual mean wage. New York had 10,490 planners, with a $39.98 hourly mean and $83,160 annual mean.
Texas had 10,400 planners, with a $25.05 hourly mean and $52,090 annual mean. Florida had 7,260 planners, with a $30.67 hourly mean and $63,800 annual mean. Illinois had 4,970 planners, with a $30.52 hourly mean and $63,480 annual mean. These state figures are from BLS Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023.
| State | Employment | Mean hourly wage | Mean annual wage |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 16,600 | $33.31 | $69,280 |
| New York | 10,490 | $39.98 | $83,160 |
| Texas | 10,400 | $25.05 | $52,090 |
| Florida | 7,260 | $30.67 | $63,800 |
| Illinois | 4,970 | $30.52 | $63,480 |
Among these five states, New York had the highest reported annual mean wage and Texas the lowest. California had the largest employment estimate. The figures are not adjusted here for differences in local prices, employer mix, or the types of events handled.
Pay in the largest metro areas
The largest listed metropolitan employment estimates include several major event, business, tourism, and government centers. New York-Newark-Jersey City had 9,400 planners, with a $41.98 hourly mean wage and $87,310 annual mean. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim had 5,880 planners, with a $32.39 hourly mean and $67,360 annual mean.
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria had 5,150 planners, with a $35.15 hourly mean and $73,120 annual mean. Chicago-Naperville-Elgin had 4,240 planners, with a $31.28 hourly mean and $65,060 annual mean. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington had 3,390 planners, with a $27.02 hourly mean and $56,210 annual mean.
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward had 3,070 planners, with a $38.71 hourly mean and $80,520 annual mean. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell had 2,940 planners, with a $26.21 hourly mean and $54,510 annual mean. Boston-Cambridge-Nashua had 2,880 planners, with a $38.26 hourly mean and $79,580 annual mean.
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue had 2,390 planners, with a $34.13 hourly mean and $70,990 annual mean. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood had 2,170 planners, with a $32.59 hourly mean and $67,790 annual mean. Source for all metro figures in this section: BLS Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023.
High-concentration metro areas
The BLS also reports employment per 1,000 local jobs and a location quotient for selected metropolitan areas. A location quotient compares an occupation’s local concentration with its national concentration; the figures below are reported measures for May 2023.
Waco had 390 planners per 3.09 per thousand local jobs, a 3.85 location quotient, and a $34,250 annual mean wage. Napa had 210 planners per 2.73 per thousand local jobs, a 3.40 location quotient, and a $65,720 annual mean wage.
Charlottesville had 230 planners per 2.05 per thousand local jobs, a 2.55 location quotient, and a $71,570 annual mean wage. Boulder had 350 planners per 1.80 per thousand local jobs, a 2.24 location quotient, and a $67,400 annual mean wage. Lawrence had 80 planners per 1.69 per thousand local jobs, a 2.10 location quotient, and a $52,530 annual mean wage.
These local concentration figures do not rank pay. Waco had the highest listed location quotient, while Charlottesville had the highest annual mean wage among the five areas in this group. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023.
Top-paying metro areas
The May 2023 OEWS profile lists several high annual mean wages for metropolitan areas. San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara had a $42.80 hourly mean wage and an $89,030 annual mean. New York-Newark-Jersey City had a $41.98 hourly mean and $87,310 annual mean. Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk had a $41.41 hourly mean and $86,120 annual mean.
San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward had a $38.71 hourly mean and $80,520 annual mean. Boston-Cambridge-Nashua had a $38.26 hourly mean and $79,580 annual mean. Trenton had a $37.78 hourly mean and $78,590 annual mean. Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina had a $37.46 hourly mean and $77,910 annual mean.
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria had a $35.15 hourly mean and $73,120 annual mean. Charlottesville had a $34.41 hourly mean and $71,570 annual mean. Bloomington had a $34.20 hourly mean and $71,140 annual mean. Source for all figures in this section: BLS Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2023.
The Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk entry has suppressed employment and concentration values in the BLS source, so only its published wage figures are reported here. Across the listed metro estimates, the highest annual mean wage was $89,030 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, while the highest concentration measure discussed above was Waco’s 3.85 location quotient. Those measures answer different questions: one describes average pay, and the other describes how concentrated the occupation is locally.