Careers / Cartographers and Photogrammetrists
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists — Career Decision Dashboard
United States
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Report generated from official BLS OEWS and O*NET data — United States.
Median annual wage
$81,390
United States, 2025
Employment
14,260
United States, 2025
Typical education
Post-Secondary Certificate
Job Zone 4
Skills identified
35
10 related careers
Career overview
Research, study, and prepare maps and other spatial data in digital or graphic form for one or more purposes, such as legal, social, political, educational, and design purposes. May work with Geographic Information Systems (GIS). May design and evaluate algorithms, data structures, and user interfaces for GIS and mapping systems. May collect, analyze, and interpret geographic information provided by geodetic surveys, aerial photographs, and satellite data.
- O*NET code
- 17-1021.00
- Job zone
- 4
- Experience required
- None
Typical tasks
- Compile data required for map preparation, including aerial photographs, survey notes, records, reports, and original maps.
- Delineate aerial photographic detail, such as control points, hydrography, topography, and cultural features, using precision stereoplotting apparatus or drafting instruments.
- Prepare and alter trace maps, charts, tables, detailed drawings, and three-dimensional optical models of terrain using stereoscopic plotting and computer graphics equipment.
- Study legal records to establish boundaries of local, national, and international properties.
- Inspect final compositions to ensure completeness and accuracy.
- Revise existing maps and charts, making all necessary corrections and adjustments.
- Identify, scale, and orient geodetic points, elevations, and other planimetric or topographic features, applying standard mathematical formulas.
- Collect information about specific features of the Earth, using aerial photography and other digital remote sensing techniques.
Choose a location
Salary analysis — United States
10th percentile
$53,740
25th percentile
$65,670
75th percentile
$101,960
90th percentile
$126,950
Most important skills
- Reading Comprehension4.0
- Critical Thinking3.5
- Writing3.5
- Active Listening3.4
- Active Learning3.3
- Judgment and Decision Making3.1
- Speaking3.1
- Complex Problem Solving3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Social Perceptiveness3.0
- Coordination3.0
- Time Management3.0
What skills do you need?
Select the skills you already have
Skills listed are those O*NET rates at importance 3.0 or above for this occupation. Set your own level on the same 0–7 O*NET scale.
Skill coverage
0%
0 of 12 identified skills
Matched
0
Missing
12
Your selected skills cover approximately 0% of the skills identified for this occupation in O*NET. This is a coverage measure of listed skills only — it is not a qualification, hiring or interview outcome.
Skills to develop
| Skill | Importance | Required level | Your level | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reading Comprehension | 4.0 | 4.1 | Not selected | 4.1 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.5 | 3.8 | Not selected | 3.8 |
| Writing | 3.5 | 3.6 | Not selected | 3.6 |
| Active Listening | 3.4 | 3.5 | Not selected | 3.5 |
| Active Learning | 3.3 | 3.4 | Not selected | 3.4 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Speaking | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Time Management | 3.0 | 3.1 | Not selected | 3.1 |
| Coordination | 3.0 | 3.0 | Not selected | 3.0 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 | 2.9 | Not selected | 2.9 |
Ordered by required level gap multiplied by O*NET importance. No prediction or recommendation is implied.
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Compare with Cartographers and PhotogrammetristsHow salary varies by location
| Location | Median | Employment | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | $130,820 | 200 | 2025 |
| Stockton, CA | $130,710 | 30 | 2025 |
| San Francisco, CA | $125,330 | 330 | 2025 |
| Dayton, OH | $106,000 | 40 | 2025 |
| CA | $102,780 | 1,450 | 2025 |
| Kansas City, MO | $101,810 | 160 | 2025 |
| Los Angeles, CA | $101,480 | 300 | 2025 |
| Salem, OR | $101,350 | 60 | 2025 |
| Greeley, CO | $101,050 | 40 | 2025 |
| Riverside, CA | $100,550 | 130 | 2025 |
| Boulder, CO | $100,120 | 80 | 2025 |
| Seattle, WA | $100,080 | 430 | 2025 |
| MN | $99,850 | 100 | 2025 |
| Trenton, NJ | $98,950 | 70 | 2025 |
| Minneapolis, MN | $97,820 | 60 | 2025 |
| Olympia, WA | $97,650 | 50 | 2025 |
| Reno, NV | $97,650 | 30 | 2025 |
| Las Vegas, NV | $96,450 | 110 | 2025 |
| Houston, TX | $96,390 | 520 | 2025 |
| WA | $96,100 | 870 | 2025 |
Career transition paths
Compare the skills of a career you hold today with Cartographers and Photogrammetrists to see shared skills, target-only skills and skill overlap.
Build a transition comparisonCareer and skills data: O*NET 31.0.
Salary and employment data: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS, 2025 (May 2025 release).
Figures are periodic published survey snapshots, not real-time market rates.