Vocational Index

Career

Geographers

Study places, regions and how people shape them.

$102,040
Median pay
-2.1%
Job growth, 2025–35
100
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school

Here's what you actually need to know.

The work

What people in this job do

  • Create and modify maps, graphs, or diagrams, using geographical information software and related equipment, and principles of cartography, such as coordinate systems, longitude, latitude, elevation, topography, and map scales.
  • Gather and compile geographic data from sources such as censuses, field observations, satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and existing maps.
  • Teach geography.
  • Write and present reports of research findings.
  • Provide geographical information systems support to the private and public sectors.

The outlook

How the forecast changed this year

2024–34 edition-3.1%2025–35 edition-2.1%
Projected 10-year growth in last year's and this year's BLS projections. 100 → 100 openings a year.

The deeper question

What kind of person does this path ask you to become?

What this work centers on

Ideas & analysis
6.7
Objects & tools
5.1
Creation & expression
3.7
Information & systems
3.7
People & care
2.7
Persuasion & leadership
2.1

O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.

The work

Do you want most of your days spent on ideas & analysis, then objects & tools?

Responsibility

Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?

“Create and modify maps, graphs, or diagrams, using geographical information software and related equipment, and principles of cartography, such as coordinate systems, longitude, latitude, elevation, topography, and map scales.”

Development

What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?

Reading Comprehension, Writing, Speaking, Critical Thinking.

Trade-offs

What does it ask of you in exchange?

4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $102,040 a year and 100 openings nationally each year.

Paths in

Degrees that lead here

  • Climate ScienceCIP 30.3501
  • Earth Systems ScienceCIP 30.3801
  • Environmental GeosciencesCIP 30.4101
  • Geography and Environmental StudiesCIP 30.4401
  • Geospatial IntelligenceCIP 43.0407
  • GeographyCIP 45.0701

Paths across

Careers that use similar skills

Ask anything about this career.

“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.

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Sources

  1. BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  2. BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  3. O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  4. CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.