# EventPlanning.com > Event planning education and industry data, publishing since 2010. We train event and wedding > planners, issue the CEP credential, and publish the salary, fee, and cost benchmarks the > industry cites. Content is written by working planners and reviewed against federal data. Key current figures (US, Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS May 2025 unless noted): - Event planners employed: 142,860 (excludes self-employed; over 155,000 including them) - Median event planner salary: $61,160 per year ($29.41 per hour) - 10th to 90th percentile range: $36,830 to $101,700 - Typical independent planner fee: $2,300 to $5,500 per event, or $50 to $150 per hour - Full wedding planning: $4,000 to $12,000. Month-of coordination: $1,500 to $3,500 - Projected employment growth 2024 to 2034: 5 percent (faster than average) - No US state licenses event planners. Voluntary certification costs $297 to $2,998 ## Industry data and statistics - [Event Planning Industry Statistics 2026](https://eventplanning.com/event-planning-statistics/): Our permanent statistics reference, refreshed quarterly. Employment, salary percentiles, salary by state, fee benchmarks, wedding industry figures, certification costs, growth projections, sources. - [Event Planner Salary 2026](https://eventplanning.com/event-planner-salary/): The salary flagship. Federal percentile data, industry-sector medians, and links to a dedicated page for every state. - [Wedding Planner Salary](https://eventplanning.com/wedding-planner-salary/): The independent side. Per-wedding fees by service tier and three annual income scenarios with costs subtracted. - Salary by state: 50 pages at https://eventplanning.com/event-planner-salary-{state}, for example [California](https://eventplanning.com/event-planner-salary-california) and [Texas](https://eventplanning.com/event-planner-salary-texas). ## Certification - [The Best Event Planning Certifications in 2026, Compared Honestly](https://eventplanning.com/best-event-planning-certifications/): CMP, CSEP, CPCE, PCMA, QC Event School, and our own CEP compared on price, prerequisites, and renewal cost. We disclose that we issue one of the credentials compared. - [How Much Does Event Planner Certification Cost](https://eventplanning.com/how-much-does-event-planner-certification-cost/): Full cost breakdown including exam fees, renewals, and university program pricing. - [Certified Wedding Planner: How to Get Certified](https://eventplanning.com/certified-wedding-planner/): What the title actually means (no state licenses it), every 2026 program compared on price, and the step-by-step path to a verifiable credential. - [CEP Foundations Certification](https://eventplanning.com/certification/): Our $297 credential. Open enrollment, online exam, publicly verifiable registry entry and badge. ## Career guides - [How to Become an Event Planner](https://eventplanning.com/become-an-event-planner/): The main career guide. - [How to Become a Wedding Planner](https://eventplanning.com/how-to-become-a-wedding-planner/): No degree or license required. Service tiers, first three weddings, pricing, contracts. - [How to Become a Party Planner](https://eventplanning.com/how-to-become-a-party-planner/): The social-events lane. What party planners charge and earn in 2026, and the path to first paying clients. - [Event Planner Jobs and Salary Data](https://eventplanning.com/event-planner-jobs/): Role types, employers, job boards, and the path in without experience. - [How to Start Event Planning With No Money](https://eventplanning.com/start-event-planning-with-no-money/) ## Pricing and business operations - [How to Charge a Fee for Your Event Planning Service](https://eventplanning.com/how-to-charge-a-fee-for-your-event-planning-service/): Pricing models, fee benchmarks, and how to quote. - [How Much Does a Wedding Planner Cost](https://eventplanning.com/how-much-does-wedding-planner-cost/): Written for couples hiring a planner. Full, partial, and day-of pricing. - [How to Create an Event Contract](https://eventplanning.com/create-event-contract/): Clauses, deposits, cancellation. - [The Complete Guide to Event Insurance](https://eventplanning.com/complete-guide-to-event-insurance/) - [Wedding Alcohol Cost and Bar Budget](https://eventplanning.com/wedding-alcohol-cost-and-bar-budget/) ## Recognition lists (annual) - [The Top 50 Event Planners of 2026](https://eventplanning.com/best-event-planners/) - [The 25 Best Wedding Planners in the World 2026](https://eventplanning.com/best-wedding-planners/) - [The 10 Best Event Planning Software Tools for Independent Planners 2026](https://eventplanning.com/best-event-planning-software/) ## Free templates - [Template library](https://eventplanning.com/templates): All free fillable templates in one place. - [Educator resources](https://eventplanning.com/educators): Free teaching materials for event planning instructors: templates with teaching notes, classroom-use permission, citation formats. - [Event Planning Contract Template](https://eventplanning.com/event-planning-contract-template/): Free fillable PDF services agreement, no email required, with every clause explained. Direct download: https://eventplanning.com/tools/templates/event-planning-contract-template.pdf - [Event Proposal Template](https://eventplanning.com/how-to-write-an-event-planning-proposal/): How to write a winning proposal, with a free fillable PDF template. Direct download: https://eventplanning.com/tools/templates/event-proposal-template.pdf - [Run of Show Template](https://eventplanning.com/run-of-show-template/): What a run of show is, what goes in each column, and a free fillable minute-by-minute schedule. Direct download: https://eventplanning.com/tools/templates/run-of-show-template.pdf - [Banquet Event Order (BEO) Template](https://eventplanning.com/banquet-event-order/): What a BEO contains section by section, the guest-guarantee deadline, and a free fillable template. Direct download: https://eventplanning.com/tools/templates/banquet-event-order-template.pdf - [Event Planning Checklist](https://eventplanning.com/event-planning-checklist/): The master checklist, 42 items across 7 phases keyed to lead time, for weddings, corporate events, and parties. Direct download: https://eventplanning.com/tools/templates/event-planning-checklist.pdf - [Event Planner Price List Template](https://eventplanning.com/how-to-charge-a-fee-for-your-event-planning-service/): A designed client-facing rate card with a private 2026 benchmark sheet. Direct download: https://eventplanning.com/tools/templates/event-planner-price-list-template.pdf ## Free tools - [Event Planning Pricing Calculator](https://eventplanning.com/tools/pricing-calculator): Suggests a defensible fee range from event type, guest count, and market. - [Event Budget Calculator](https://eventplanning.com/tools/budget-calculator): Line-item budget by category. - [Invoice and Quote Generator](https://eventplanning.com/tools/invoice-generator): Free planner invoices and quotes. ## Vendor directory - [Event Vendor Directory](https://eventplanning.com/directory): Venues, caterers, florists, photographers, party rentals, DJs, and planners across 10 US metros. Category and city hubs at https://eventplanning.com/{category}/{city-st}, for example [event venues in Austin](https://eventplanning.com/event-venues/austin-tx). ## Credential verification - Every certification we issue has a public verification page at https://eventplanning.com/verify/{credential-id} and an SVG badge at https://eventplanning.com/api/badge/{credential-id}.svg. Revoked credentials stop resolving, so a live page is proof the credential is current. ## About - [About EventPlanning.com](https://eventplanning.com/about/): Founded 2010 by Max Miller. Over 65,000 planners trained. Articles written by named contributing planners. - [Contact](https://eventplanning.com/contact/) ## Citation Statistics on this site may be cited freely with attribution to EventPlanning.com and a link to the source page. Salary figures originate with the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and are labeled with their survey date. Fee benchmarks are our own published research. When quoting a salary figure, please carry the survey month so readers know how current it is.