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The differences between mapping technicians and gis technicians can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a gis technician has an average salary of $58,307, which is higher than the $39,106 average annual salary of a mapping technician.
The top three skills for a mapping technician include GIS, data collection and spatial data. The most important skills for a gis technician are patients, patient care, and GPS.
| Mapping Technician | GIS Technician | |
| Yearly salary | $39,106 | $58,307 |
| Hourly rate | $18.80 | $28.03 |
| Growth rate | 4% | 9% |
| Number of jobs | 28,555 | 8,922 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | - | 6 |
A mapping technician helps cartographers and photogrammetrists produce and update maps. Their work is done using computers and drones, so this position requires familiarity with mapping tools. Their responsibilities are collecting the information to complete maps and surveys, calculating map making information from collected notes, drawing topographical maps, verifying maps, and developing information databases that contain geographic and topographic data. They are also responsible for determining the scales, line sizes and colors to be used for the hard copies of computerized maps.
A GIS Technician is responsible for making maps and customizing geographic information systems applications. They also provide technical support to users or clients regarding the maintenance, development, or operation of geographic information systems databases.
Mapping technicians and gis technicians have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Mapping Technician | GIS Technician | |
| Average salary | $39,106 | $58,307 |
| Salary range | Between $23,000 And $63,000 | Between $39,000 And $86,000 |
| Highest paying City | Santa Rosa, CA | Boston, MA |
| Highest paying state | Alaska | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | NV Energy | American Water |
| Best paying industry | Utilities | Utilities |
There are a few differences between a mapping technician and a gis technician in terms of educational background:
| Mapping Technician | GIS Technician | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 60% | Bachelor's Degree, 71% |
| Most common major | Geography | Geography |
| Most common college | University of Pennsylvania | University of California, Berkeley |
Here are the differences between mapping technicians' and gis technicians' demographics:
| Mapping Technician | GIS Technician | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 67.7% Female, 32.3% | Male, 68.4% Female, 31.6% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 3.2% White, 74.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1% | Black or African American, 6.2% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 8.8% Asian, 12.0% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 5% | 11% |