Have you ever wondered what the highest event planner salary is? Or which city has the highest-paid event planners?
If you’ve ever found yourself asking: What type of event planner makes the most money or how much do event planners make in your city, this post is a must-read.
As parties and weddings seem to keep getting bigger and more extravagant with time, most events will require an event planner to keep things running smoothly. If you’re considering a leap into the event planning industry, just know, that It can be a very rewarding career, with job flexibility and a lot of perks. But you came here to read about the best event planner salary so let’s break it down.
What are an Event Planner’s duties?
According to IBIS World, The market size of the Party & Event Planners industry in the US is measured at $6.9bn in 2024.
But before we dive into the numbers, let’s start by looking at some of the factors that will impact how much event planners earn. One of these is an event planner’s job description. Yes, an event planner plans the event. But this term is rather simplified, as an event planner’s job is so much more than just throwing parties.
To begin, they must determine the goal of the event by communicating with the client what their needs, vision, and budget are. From there, the event planner needs to start conceptualizing how they will use this information to achieve that goal. This can include a variety of things, including planning the location, coordinating the participants of the event, organizing the equipment and decor needed, and more. They will handle all the client and vendor communications, as well as keeping a close eye on the budget.
Do you need a degree to become an event planner?
The short answer? No. While there are degrees that can help you with an event planning career, like Project Management, Hospitality or Public Relations, none are required. Instead, I recommend focusing on gaining experience. Plan and coordinate events as many events as you can, even for family and friends. Learn from any mistakes made, while documenting your process. If you continue building on this, those gigs will start to turn into paid ones, and before long, you’ll have a portfolio of successful events to showcase.
That being said, in the corporate event planning world, having certain event planning certifications can get you better positions and a higher salary. There might also be some clients who feel more comfortable knowing that their planner is certified and professionally educated. The most important thing here is to make the decision based on your industry and your needs. Are most of your competitors certified? Then it might be helpful to obtain a certification to bring your qualifications to their level.
Keep in mind that there are currently over 100,000 people employed in the party and event planning industry currently. If a certification will give you an advantage, then it is worth it, even if it’s not required.
In addition to experience, other key skills you should have and hone are organization, time management, communication, and leadership. All of these will ensure your success and grow your event planner salary to where you’d like it to be!
Is event planning a good career?
Like every career, event planning comes with pros and cons. As you might imagine, it can be a stressful job, with time-consuming hours on weekends, dealing with difficult clients and people. However, the pros can greatly outweigh the cons – the work is fun, you can set your own hours to some extent, and the work is varied and never boring! Not to mention, there’s a lot of opportunity for your personal and financial growth.
How do I become an event planner?
Whether you’re starting with a college degree or not, the first thing you need to do is the same – educate yourself! Learn as much as you can about the industry, how to work on the skills you need, learn about the needs for event planners in your area, what types of event planners there are, etc. The best thing you can do to start is learn everything you can get your hands on. You can start here – we offer a number of resources and courses to help get your foot in the door!
Then, it’s time to nail down the type of event planner you’d like to be: wedding, social, or corporate. A wedding planner is an event planner who solely focuses on weddings. A social event planner handles parties for any occasion – birthdays, reunions, anniversaries, and more! Finally, a corporate event planner focuses on events in the corporate world. This could be conferences, company parties, or even company retreats!
Once you’ve nailed all that down, it’s time to get experience. But how do you get experience without any event planning background? Volunteering at local events near you, planning events for family and friends, or even finding an internship somewhere are all great ways to learn and gain experience! While the jobs may be unpaid, you’ll be on your way to building a foundation to get paying clients.
You can also consider taking online event planning courses and certifications to continue to hone your skill. All of this will look great on a resume and instill faith in someone looking to hire you. Once you have a portfolio of events in hand, it’s time to decide if you’re looking to work with an event planning business, or start your own!
What is the average event planner’s salary?
So what can you expect to make as an event planner? An event planner salary will vary based on demand, the type of event planning you’re doing, your state’s income threshold, and more. ZipRecruiter has rounded up a few of the top event planner salaries by state. Here are the top 3:
- Oregon: Topping the list at $73,095.
- Alaska: A close second at $72,735
- North Dakota: Third spot being only a few dollars difference at $72,724, but above the national average by 14.8%.
On the flip side, Florida comes in at the very bottom, sitting just above $43,000. When choosing to start your event planning business, keep your location in mind!
Here is a copy of the full list of Event Planner Salary from ZipRecruiter:
| State | Annual Salary | Monthly Pay | Weekly Pay | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | $73,095 | $6,091 | $1,405 | $35.14 |
| Alaska | $72,735 | $6,061 | $1,398 | $34.97 |
| North Dakota | $72,724 | $6,060 | $1,398 | $34.96 |
| Massachusetts | $71,855 | $5,987 | $1,381 | $34.55 |
| Hawaii | $71,188 | $5,932 | $1,369 | $34.23 |
| Washington | $69,552 | $5,796 | $1,337 | $33.44 |
| Nevada | $68,771 | $5,730 | $1,322 | $33.06 |
| South Dakota | $68,731 | $5,727 | $1,321 | $33.04 |
| Colorado | $67,869 | $5,655 | $1,305 | $32.63 |
| Rhode Island | $67,702 | $5,641 | $1,301 | $32.55 |
| New York | $64,511 | $5,375 | $1,240 | $31.02 |
| Delaware | $63,800 | $5,316 | $1,226 | $30.67 |
| Vermont | $62,996 | $5,249 | $1,211 | $30.29 |
| Virginia | $62,877 | $5,239 | $1,209 | $30.23 |
| Illinois | $62,859 | $5,238 | $1,208 | $30.22 |
| Maryland | $61,789 | $5,149 | $1,188 | $29.71 |
| Nebraska | $60,469 | $5,039 | $1,162 | $29.07 |
| Missouri | $60,095 | $5,007 | $1,155 | $28.89 |
| California | $59,928 | $4,994 | $1,152 | $28.81 |
| South Carolina | $59,576 | $4,964 | $1,145 | $28.64 |
| Pennsylvania | $59,097 | $4,924 | $1,136 | $28.41 |
| New Jersey | $58,976 | $4,914 | $1,134 | $28.35 |
| Oklahoma | $58,560 | $4,880 | $1,126 | $28.15 |
| Maine | $58,529 | $4,877 | $1,125 | $28.14 |
| Wisconsin | $58,406 | $4,867 | $1,123 | $28.08 |
| North Carolina | $58,346 | $4,862 | $1,122 | $28.05 |
| New Hampshire | $57,470 | $4,789 | $1,105 | $27.63 |
| Idaho | $57,328 | $4,777 | $1,102 | $27.56 |
| Texas | $56,943 | $4,745 | $1,095 | $27.38 |
| Kentucky | $56,758 | $4,729 | $1,091 | $27.29 |
| Wyoming | $56,558 | $4,713 | $1,087 | $27.19 |
| Minnesota | $56,412 | $4,701 | $1,084 | $27.12 |
| Michigan | $56,186 | $4,682 | $1,080 | $27.01 |
| New Mexico | $56,095 | $4,674 | $1,078 | $26.97 |
| Indiana | $55,811 | $4,650 | $1,073 | $26.83 |
| Ohio | $54,835 | $4,569 | $1,054 | $26.36 |
| Arizona | $54,657 | $4,554 | $1,051 | $26.28 |
| Connecticut | $54,379 | $4,531 | $1,045 | $26.14 |
| Mississippi | $53,997 | $4,499 | $1,038 | $25.96 |
| Iowa | $53,930 | $4,494 | $1,037 | $25.93 |
| Montana | $53,833 | $4,486 | $1,035 | $25.88 |
| Arkansas | $53,637 | $4,469 | $1,031 | $25.79 |
| Alabama | $53,161 | $4,430 | $1,022 | $25.56 |
| Utah | $52,389 | $4,365 | $1,007 | $25.19 |
| Tennessee | $52,351 | $4,362 | $1,006 | $25.17 |
| Kansas | $50,843 | $4,236 | $977 | $24.44 |
| Georgia | $49,524 | $4,127 | $952 | $23.81 |
| Louisiana | $49,254 | $4,104 | $947 | $23.68 |
| West Virginia | $45,641 | $3,803 | $877 | $21.94 |
| Florida | $43,829 | $3,652 | $842 | $21.07 |
Tips for Increasing your Event Planner Salary
While these salaries won’t make you rich alone, remember that you can control the revenue you want to earn. More events can mean more money, but if you’re just looking to make some extra cash, you can stick to just a handful a year. With event planning, your financial growth can be up to you.
The US job market for the party and event planning industry is also projected to grow by 8% until 2032. This means that salaries within the industry are expected to continue growing. Here are some additional strategies you can use to increase your salary as an event planner, party planner or wedding planner.
- Continuously develop your skills and knowledge: Attend workshops, conferences or other educational programs
- Build a strong portfolio showcasing successful events
- Network with other event professionals
- Negotiate your salary effectively: If you’re working for a company be sure to research salary benchmarks (like in this article!) to ensure you’re being offered the best salary range.
- Consider specializing in a specific niche within event planning: Being in a specific area such as wedding planning, means that you might be able to brand yourself and stand out, which ultimately allows you to charge more than the average in your industry.
Conclusion: Event Planner Salary
It’s no secret that event planning is a booming industry right now – with social media trends and Pinterest, the desire to add creativity to an event is top of mind. And the best part is, it’s not too late to get started! There’s still plenty of room for more planners in most areas. So get learning, start building that portfolio, and launch that business! If you want to get started but don’t know how & where to start, book a call with me, today.
