Cartographer vs photogrammetrist

The differences between cartographers and photogrammetrists can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a photogrammetrist has an average salary of $75,830, which is higher than the $62,172 average annual salary of a cartographer.

The top three skills for a cartographer include GIS, data collection and extraction. The most important skills for a photogrammetrist are remote sensing, lidar, and photogrammetric.

Cartographer vs photogrammetrist overview

	Cartographer	Photogrammetrist
Yearly salary	$62,172	$75,830
Hourly rate	$29.89	$36.46
Growth rate	3%	3%
Number of jobs	390	446
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Cartographer vs photogrammetrist salary

Cartographers and photogrammetrists have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Cartographer	Photogrammetrist
Average salary	$62,172	$75,830
Salary range	Between $42,000 And $90,000	Between $39,000 And $144,000
Highest paying City	San Francisco, CA	Oakland, CA
Highest paying state	Maine	Alaska
Best paying company	Google	Sanborn
Best paying industry	Utilities	-

Differences between cartographer and photogrammetrist education

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

	Cartographer	Photogrammetrist
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 75%	Bachelor's Degree, 72%
Most common major	Geography	Geography
Most common college	Pennsylvania State University	Pennsylvania State University

Cartographer vs photogrammetrist demographics

Here are the differences between cartographers' and photogrammetrists' demographics:

	Cartographer	Photogrammetrist
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 70.7% Female, 29.3%	Male, 81.9% Female, 18.1%
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, 3.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.7% Asian, 4.9% White, 75.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between cartographer and photogrammetrist 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.

Photogrammetrist example responsibilities.

Manage various construction staking projects, as well as manage and oversee field work of various boundary, ALTA/ACSM surveys.
Educate junior compilers in 3D softcopy aerial data extraction.
Support GPS teams with collecting data require for aerial mapping.
Analyze and process LIDAR data of specific areas of survey land.
Create planimetric maps and DTMs from LiDAR data for bridge quality checks, roadway design, and drainage calculations.
Reconstruct 3D photogrammetric models for museum online/public display.

Cartographer vs photogrammetrist skills

Common cartographer skills

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

Common photogrammetrist skills

Remote Sensing, 25%
LiDAR, 18%
Photogrammetric, 17%
DEM, 7%
Extraction, 7%
GPS, 5%

Updated January 8, 2025

Browse architecture and engineering jobs