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Geographer salary
Average geographer salary
$65,339
Understanding Geographer Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for a Geographer is approximately $65,339 annually or about $31 per hour. Salaries can vary significantly based on factors such as experience, location, and the industry of employment. For instance, geographers working in federal government positions tend to earn higher wages compared to those in non-profit sectors.
Where Can Geographers Earn More?
States like California, Texas, and New York often provide higher salaries for geographers, reflecting the demand for spatial analysis in urban development and environmental protection. Additionally, industries such as environmental consulting and geospatial analysis present lucrative opportunities.
Whether you’re just starting your career or seeking advancement, understanding these salary insights can guide your professional journey in geography.
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Where can a Geographer earn more?
Geographer salary estimates from across the web
Average geographer salary by state
The average geographer salary in Virginia, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts are the highest in the U.S. The lowest average geographer salary states are Wyoming, Florida, and New Mexico.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for geographers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Connecticut | $83,700 | $40.24 |
| 2 | Vermont | $81,667 | $39.26 |
| 3 | Maine | $76,655 | $36.85 |
| 4 | Virginia | $85,467 | $41.09 |
| 5 | New Hampshire | $83,673 | $40.23 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $84,311 | $40.53 |
| 7 | North Dakota | $72,819 | $35.01 |
| 8 | West Virginia | $69,651 | $33.49 |
| 9 | District of Columbia | $80,931 | $38.91 |
| 10 | California | $77,462 | $37.24 |
| 11 | Massachusetts | $84,121 | $40.44 |
| 12 | Arizona | $73,722 | $35.44 |
| 13 | Nevada | $68,713 | $33.04 |
| 14 | Delaware | $82,234 | $39.54 |
| 15 | South Carolina | $67,387 | $32.40 |
| 16 | Maryland | $81,179 | $39.03 |
| 17 | Wisconsin | $64,952 | $31.23 |
| 18 | Ohio | $68,143 | $32.76 |
| 19 | Indiana | $66,106 | $31.78 |
| 20 | Kentucky | $64,847 | $31.18 |
| 21 | Idaho | $60,401 | $29.04 |
| 22 | South Dakota | $60,241 | $28.96 |
| 23 | Washington | $61,466 | $29.55 |
| 24 | New York | $72,133 | $34.68 |
| 25 | Montana | $58,611 | $28.18 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $63,847 | $30.70 |
| 27 | Louisiana | $64,704 | $31.11 |
| 28 | New Jersey | $67,371 | $32.39 |
| 29 | North Carolina | $59,483 | $28.60 |
| 30 | Alaska | $56,960 | $27.38 |
| 31 | Mississippi | $63,086 | $30.33 |
| 32 | Colorado | $59,241 | $28.48 |
| 33 | Missouri | $60,331 | $29.01 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $59,006 | $28.37 |
| 35 | Iowa | $54,767 | $26.33 |
| 36 | Kansas | $53,807 | $25.87 |
| 37 | Illinois | $56,611 | $27.22 |
| 38 | Wyoming | $50,784 | $24.42 |
| 39 | Alabama | $55,702 | $26.78 |
| 40 | Florida | $50,509 | $24.28 |
| 41 | Georgia | $52,987 | $25.47 |
| 42 | Utah | $58,112 | $27.94 |
| 43 | Hawaii | $57,358 | $27.58 |
| 44 | Oklahoma | $49,168 | $23.64 |
| 45 | Arkansas | $49,986 | $24.03 |
| 46 | New Mexico | $50,066 | $24.07 |
| 47 | Tennessee | $51,676 | $24.84 |
| 48 | Michigan | $54,572 | $26.24 |
| 49 | Texas | $51,677 | $24.84 |
| 50 | Minnesota | $52,928 | $25.45 |
| 51 | Oregon | $48,265 | $23.20 |
Highest paying cities for geographers
The highest-paying cities for geographers are Arlington, VA, Washington, DC, and Santa Barbara, CA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arlington, VA | $86,263 | $41.47 |
| 2 | Washington, DC | $81,038 | $38.96 |
| 3 | Santa Barbara, CA | $77,079 | $37.06 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $72,425 | $34.82 |
| 5 | Morgantown, WV | $71,255 | $34.26 |
| 6 | Newark, OH | $68,741 | $33.05 |
| 7 | Lafayette, LA | $64,974 | $31.24 |
| 8 | Philadelphia, PA | $64,463 | $30.99 |
| 9 | Seattle, WA | $61,691 | $29.66 |
| 10 | Sioux Falls, SD | $60,575 | $29.12 |
| 11 | Kansas City, MO | $59,553 | $28.63 |
| 12 | Grand Junction, CO | $59,415 | $28.56 |
| 13 | Salt Lake City, UT | $58,057 | $27.91 |
| 14 | Lombard, IL | $56,631 | $27.23 |
| 15 | Oak Ridge, TN | $52,884 | $25.43 |
| 16 | Atlanta, GA | $52,871 | $25.42 |
| 17 | Houston, TX | $52,460 | $25.22 |
| 18 | Orlando, FL | $50,729 | $24.39 |
Geographer salary details
A geographer's salary ranges from $45,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $93,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a geographer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $93,000 | $7,750 | $45 |
| 75th Percentile | $78,000 | $6,500 | $38 |
| Average | $65,339 | $5,445 | $31 |
| 25th Percentile | $54,000 | $4,500 | $26 |
| 10th Percentile | $45,000 | $3,750 | $22 |
Highest paying geographer jobs
The highest paying types of geographers are gis specialist, gis analyst, and gis internship.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Technician | $39,690 | $3,308 | $19.08 | 43,079 |
| Environmental Scientist | $60,208 | $5,017 | $28.95 | 56,425 |
| Environmental Service Technician | $30,862 | $2,572 | $14.84 | 83,697 |
| GIS Analyst | $63,718 | $5,310 | $30.63 | 49,491 |
| GIS Technician | $58,307 | $4,859 | $28.03 | 8,922 |
| Gis Internship | $63,117 | $5,260 | $30.34 | 48,818 |
Top companies hiring geographers now:
Which companies pay geographers the most?
Geographer salaries at CoreLogic and CDM Smith are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average geographer salary at companies like Cambridge Systematics and Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies (sgt) are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CoreLogic | $80,654 | $38.78 |
| 2 | CDM Smith | $79,072 | $38.02 |
| 3 | Cambridge Systematics | $78,859 | $37.91 |
| 4 | Stinger Ghaffarian Technologies (sgt) | $74,963 | $36.04 |
| 5 | ConocoPhillips | $71,581 | $34.41 |
| 6 | Sea | $66,328 | $31.89 |
| 7 | Sealaska | $65,737 | $31.60 |
| 8 | U.S. Census Bureau | $65,617 | $31.55 |
| 9 | URS E&C Holdings Inc | $65,334 | $31.41 |
| 10 | IHS Holding Inc | $65,284 | $31.39 |
| 11 | International Paper | $65,038 | $31.27 |
| 12 | United States Army Corps of Engineers | $64,653 | $31.08 |
| 13 | Chenega | $64,097 | $30.82 |
| 14 | Michael Baker | $63,443 | $30.50 |
| 15 | Woolpert | $61,317 | $29.48 |
| 16 | BAE Systems | $60,574 | $29.12 |
| 17 | UC Santa Barbara | $58,665 | $28.20 |
| 18 | West Virginia University | $57,920 | $27.85 |
| 19 | The University System of Maryland Foundation | $57,698 | $27.74 |
| 20 | Sentinel | $55,951 | $26.90 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Geographer salary by industry
The average geographer salary varies across industries:
- The average geographer salary in the government industry is $89,063, the highest of any industry.
- The average geographer salary in the finance industry is $73,985.
- Geographers in the professional industry earn an average salary of $63,374, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for geographers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Government | $89,063 | $42.82 |
| 2 | Energy | $73,985 | $35.57 |
| 3 | Start-up | $72,620 | $34.91 |
| 4 | Technology | $69,329 | $33.33 |
| 5 | Professional | $63,374 | $30.47 |
High paying geographer jobs
Geographer salary trends
The average geographer salary has risen by $8,160 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average geographer earned $57,179 annually, but today, they earn $65,339 a year. That works out to a 15% change in pay for geographers over the last decade.
Compare geographer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average geographer salary over time
Compare geographer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Geographer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $65,300 | $31.41 | +4.6% |
| 2024 | $62,400 | $29.98 | +1.5% |
| 2023 | $61,400 | $29.53 | +4.3% |
| 2022 | $58,800 | $28.26 | +3.4% |
| 2021 | $56,800 | $27.31 | 0.0% |
Recently added geographer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Wonderful Company | Geographer | Shafter, CA | 02/21/2025 | $100,000 |
| Coloradomtn | Geographer | Ione, OR | 02/16/2025 | $49,025 |
| Department of The Air Force | Geographer | Nome, TX | 12/13/2024 | $88,205 |
| Department of Defense | Geographer | Seattle, WA | 12/12/2024 | $97,376 |
| Department of Defense | Geographer (Geographic Information Systems) | Fort Bliss, TX | 12/04/2024 | $86,962 |
| Everett School District | EHS National Geographic: World of Chemistry Curriculum Implementation Team | Everett, MA | 11/21/2024 | $83,480 |
| Virtual Geomatics, Inc. | GIS Geographer | Austin, TX | 11/12/2024 | $68,400 |
| Department of Transportation | Geographer (Open To Both U.S. Citizens and Federal Employees) | Hope, IN | 10/23/2024 | $82,764 |
| Austin Community College | Geographer | Ione, OR | 10/23/2024 | $49,025 |
| Accenture | NA Geographic Tax Accounting Manager | Boston, MA | 10/17/2024 | $99,500 |
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