How to hire a geospatial analyst

How to hire a geospatial analyst, step by step

Here's a step-by-step geospatial analyst hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a geospatial analyst job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new geospatial analyst
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a geospatial analyst do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The geospatial analyst hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a geospatial analyst to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a geospatial analyst that fits the bill.

   Here's a comparison of geospatial analyst salaries for various roles:

   Type of Geospatial Analyst	Description	Hourly rate
   Geospatial Analyst	Police officers protect lives and property. Detectives and criminal investigators, who are sometimes called agents or special agents, gather facts and collect evidence of possible crimes.	$23-38
   Military Intelligence Analyst	A military intelligence analyst is responsible for evaluating national information and performing data analysis for security and safety purposes, as well as to investigate ongoing cases with the coordination of law enforcement officers. Military intelligence analysts strategize procedures for development according to the pieces of information gathered... Show more	$22-50
   All Source Intelligence Analyst	An all-source intelligence analyst is responsible for gathering and analyzing data to support various operations and business requirements. All-source intelligence analysts conduct investigations for certain people, potential threats, and other related information treated with the utmost confidentiality... Show more	$26-52

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Geospatial Data
   • Geospatial Analysis
   • Remote Sensing
   • Visualization
   • Python
   • Extraction
   • Google Earth
   • Data Collection
   • Geospatial Intelligence
   • DOD
   • Esri Arcgis
   • ArcSDE
   • Satellite Imagery
   • Intelligence Reports

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage and analyze large amounts of LiDAR data for design and construction of transmission lines and substations.
   • Implement and run python scripts and SQL queries to automate complex GIS processes and to extract specific information from data sets.
   • Consider expert level user in ESRI ArcGIS 9.3 and 10.0 and all ESRI desktop extensions.
   • Provide on-going reach back capability to NGA headquarters and the intelligence community (IC) at large.
   • Develop, manipulate, and maintain NGA digital databases over regional areas of interest using ArcGIS and ArcSDE.
   • Maintain data standards to support IC, IA, and SOF.

   More geospatial analyst duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the geospatial analyst job description is a good way to get more applicants. A geospatial analyst salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a geospatial analyst in Mississippi may be lower than in Maryland, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level geospatial analyst. Additionally, a geospatial analyst with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average geospatial analyst salary

   $62,823yearly

   $30.20 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level geospatial analyst salary

   $48,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average geospatial analyst salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Maryland	$79,762	$38
   2	Louisiana	$74,839	$36
   3	District of Columbia	$73,432	$35
   4	Hawaii	$70,303	$34
   5	Virginia	$67,461	$32
   6	Massachusetts	$67,019	$32
   7	New Jersey	$66,846	$32
   8	California	$66,726	$32
   9	New York	$65,359	$31
   10	West Virginia	$64,882	$31
   11	Illinois	$63,278	$30
   12	Pennsylvania	$62,577	$30
   13	Texas	$60,258	$29
   14	Arkansas	$59,172	$28
   15	Colorado	$59,044	$28
   16	Michigan	$58,483	$28
   17	Missouri	$58,136	$28
   18	Florida	$56,308	$27
   19	Minnesota	$55,755	$27
   20	Ohio	$55,228	$27

   Average geospatial analyst salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Gap Inc.	$79,769	$38.35
   2	SOS International	$71,946	$34.59	4
   3	Calhoun International	$66,952	$32.19	1
   4	Jacobs Engineering Group	$64,738	$31.12
   5	TechDigital	$64,374	$30.95
   6	Tarleton State University	$63,287	$30.43
   7	Merrick & Co	$63,230	$30.40
   8	Cognizant	$62,912	$30.25	6
   9	Mda Federal Inc	$62,629	$30.11
   10	*n/a*	$62,629	$30.11
   11	Science	$62,629	$30.11
   12	Huntington Ingalls Industries	$62,629	$30.11
   13	UK Power Networks	$62,618	$30.10
   14	Prescient Edge	$62,565	$30.08	1
   15	Insurance Incorporated	$62,554	$30.07
   16	Forensic Fluids Laboratories	$62,479	$30.04
   17	A & M	$62,406	$30.00
   18	Integrity Management Services, Inc.	$62,261	$29.93	1
   19	Peraton	$62,037	$29.83	4
   20	Leidos	$61,898	$29.76	5

4. Writing a geospatial analyst job description

   A geospatial analyst job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. To help get you started, here's an example of a geospatial analyst job description:

   Geospatial analyst job description example

   Journeyman position requires 3 years of experience and Apprentice position requires 1 year of experience

   Desired qualifications:

   Desired experience includes SDE; ArcGIS tools including ArcMap, Arc Catalog, ArcToolbox. Aditionally experience with NES, IEC and Active EarthScape is also highly desired.

   Why work for QSL?

   Our founders, Mel Wick and Bill Cronin, retired from storied careers in the Special Operations Forces (SOF) Community. Like many Americans and military veterans, they felt a strong desire to support the nation’s response to the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon in any way they could. They established QSL to do just that, Stay in the Fight! QSL is built on a SOF culture, emphasizing selfless-service and teamwork. Our employees work to ensure that warfighters have every possible resource and all necessary support to safely accomplish their missions in defense of our nation.

   QSL's Benefit Package

   Because we believe our employees are our most valuable asset, offering a competitive comprehensive compensation package is very important to us. It is the goal of QSL to attract and retain the highest level of experience and technical talent necessary for successful performance. In order to accomplish this, we feel that it is necessary to provide satisfying work, an excellent work environment, and we continually monitor the marketplace to ensure that our total compensation/benefit package remains competitive.

   Listed below are some of our standard benefits. We combine all traditional paid time off (Federal holidays, sick time, leave time personal days, jury duty, bereavement, etc.) into one category which allows employees flexibility in how they use their leave time and enables them to better balance their career with their personal needs.

   • Combined Paid Time Off (PTO)
   • Medical, Dental, Life Insurance
   • Disability (Short-Term and Long-Term)
   • Vision Insurance (CONUS-based employees)
   • Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
   • 401(k) Retirement Plan
   • Employee Referral Bonus Program
   • Employee Discount Programs
   • Critical Illness and Accident Insurance
   • Employee Assistance Program

   We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not and will not discriminate in employment and personnel practices based on race, sex, age, disability, veteran status, religion, national origin or any other basis prohibited by applicable law. Hiring, transferring, and promotion practices are performed without regard to the above listed items. EEO/AAP, M, F, V, D.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find geospatial analysts for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your geospatial analyst job on Zippia to find and recruit geospatial analyst candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   To successfully recruit geospatial analysts, your first interview needs to engage with candidates to learn about their interest in the role and experience in the field. You can go into more detail about the company, the role, and the responsibilities during follow-up interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new geospatial analyst

   Once you've found the geospatial analyst candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   To prepare for the new geospatial analyst first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a geospatial analyst?