What Is the Average Event Planner Salary?

According to data from the BLS (Bureau of Labor Statistics), the average event planner salary for the fiscal year 2014 was $46,490 per year, a sum that can be equaled with $22.35 per hour or $859 per week.

Even though that may seem like decent pay, the stark difference between the top earning 10% and the bottom 10% is to be noted. Thus, an average event planner salary can get as low as $25,940 per year or $12.47 per hour, for the least-paid ten points percentile. On the other end of the spectrum, we witness the top paid event planners salary jumping to almost twice the median wage, standing at $82,060 per year and $39.45 per hour.

Wage proportionality data for this job is inconclusive, thus, it cannot be accurately stated that there is wage inequality. Still, women earned an average of $840 per week, with 90,000 women taking up this position for 2014. As for men, 27,000 occupied this job in 2014, yet their number is too low for the BLS to show a statistic of their wages. However, it’s safe to assume that the average event planner salary for men was higher since the general mean weekly wage is higher compared to that for women.

The following table presents the average event planner salary in the highest paying areas:

Industry	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage
Aerospace Product and Parts Manufacturing	$40.17	$83,560
Securities and Commodity Contracts Intermediation and Brokerage	$35.74	$74,340
Oil and Gas Extraction	$35.15	$73,110
Wired Telecommunications Carriers	$33.99	$70,700
Navigational, Measuring, Electromedical, and Control Instruments Manufacturing	$33.32	$69,300

Event Planner Salary by Location

Seeing as there are normal differences between states when it comes to employing people in these job positions, it’s only expected that the event planner salary differ. So much so that the highest mean wage per state or government district is found in DC, where employees earned $68,000. On the other side of this list, we see several states with event planner salaries of as little as #27,230.

Here is a list of the best paying states in the US:

State	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage
District of Columbia	$32.69	$68,000
New York	$29.80	$61,980
Connecticut	$29.63	$61,630
Massachusetts	$29.01	$60,350
Virginia	$27.84	$57,910

 

However, the average event planner salary means nothing without consistent employment levels for that profession. Here is where the highest employment is at:

State	Hourly mean wage	Annual mean wage
California	$26.21	$54,510
New York	$29.80	$61,980
Texas	$23.35	$48,580
Florida	$22.90	$47,640
Virginia	$27.84	$57,910

 

Event Planner Salary Change over Time

The event planner salary is subject to a great degree of potential change. These changes can occur depending on several things:

• Fast growth. An entry level event planner salary is generally 10% lower than the national average. However, the pay is projected to rise by 15% by mid-career, 24% at an experience level, and 30% for a late-career.
• A particular set of skills. A good event planner will earn more than the average if he/she is good at event management, project management, budget management, and especially contract negotiation.

Image source: bridesmaidforhire.com