Cartographer vs cartography technician

The differences between cartographers and cartography technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a cartographer has an average salary of $62,172, which is higher than the $44,114 average annual salary of a cartography technician.

The top three skills for a cartographer include GIS, data collection and extraction. The most important skills for a cartography technician are GIS, map generation, and garmin.

Cartographer vs cartography technician overview

	Cartographer	Cartography Technician
Yearly salary	$62,172	$44,114
Hourly rate	$29.89	$21.21
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	390	29,486
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 86%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Cartographer vs cartography technician salary

Cartographers and cartography technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cartographer	Cartography Technician
Average salary	$62,172	$44,114
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $90,000	Between $24,000 And $78,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	-
Highest paying state	Maine	-
Best paying company	Google	-
Best paying industry	Utilities	-

Differences between cartographer and cartography technician education

There are a few differences between a cartographer and a cartography technician in terms of educational background:

	Cartographer	Cartography Technician
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 86%
Most common major	Geography	Geography
Most common college	Pennsylvania State University	Stanford University

Cartographer vs cartography technician demographics

Here are the differences between cartographers' and cartography technicians' demographics:

	Cartographer	Cartography Technician
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3%	Male, 79.2% Female, 20.8%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 4.9% White, 75.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 2.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 4.2% White, 78.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between cartographer and cartography technician duties and responsibilities

Cartographer example responsibilities.

Provide geographic-based services, support and expertise to numerous divisions in GTNP using ESRI ArcGIS software.
Support cartographic map production through digital extraction and correlation of terrain and environmental features.
Create and teach tutorials regarding spatial methodology relate to spatial analysis for statewide agency GIS users.
Experience in production of NGA mapping products.
Conduct field surveys using GPS and other survey equipment.
Perform FDC/QC/FDV; select for dedicate QC and audit.

Cartography technician example responsibilities.

Manage client relations and coordinate the project effectively between onsite and offshore.
Facilitate in designing the navigational system for self-driving cars using GIS software and LiDar data.
Conduct testing and evaluation of Garmin cartography products.
Compose written reports of data collect from patient evaluation and present to department chief for thorough analysis of patient diagnosis.
Create DTM and DEM for various mapping projects using stereoplotter and soft-copy machines.

Cartographer vs cartography technician skills

Common cartographer skills

GIS, 18%
Data Collection, 11%
Extraction, 11%
Remote Sensing, 8%
GPS, 6%
Bathymetric, 6%

Common cartography technician skills

GIS, 44%
Map Generation, 30%
Garmin, 26%

Updated January 8, 2025

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