Career profile · 17-1021
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists
Research, study, and prepare maps and other spatial data in digital or graphic form for one or more purposes, such as legal, social, political, educational, and design purposes. May work with Geographic Information Systems (GIS). May design and evaluate algorithms, data structures, and user interfaces for GIS and mapping systems. May collect, analyze, and interpret geographic information provided by geodetic surveys, aerial photographs, and satellite data.
What the work can involve
- Compile data required for map preparation, including aerial photographs, survey notes, records, reports, and original maps.
- Delineate aerial photographic detail, such as control points, hydrography, topography, and cultural features, using precision stereoplotting apparatus or drafting instruments.
- Prepare and alter trace maps, charts, tables, detailed drawings, and three-dimensional optical models of terrain using stereoscopic plotting and computer graphics equipment.
- Study legal records to establish boundaries of local, national, and international properties.
- Inspect final compositions to ensure completeness and accuracy.
- Revise existing maps and charts, making all necessary corrections and adjustments.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This O*NET group commonly calls for substantial preparation, often including a bachelor’s degree or considerable relevant experience. An introductory vocational course alone may not provide an entry route.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Active Listening
- Active Learning
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Geography
- Computers and Electronics
- English Language
- Design
- Mathematics
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Getting Information
- Working with Computers
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems
- Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Constant contact with others | 56.5%08/2018 · sample 16 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Never | 34.6%08/2018 · sample 16 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 99.7%08/2018 · sample 16 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Never | 85.1%08/2018 · sample 16 |
| Spend Time Sitting | Continually or almost continually | 83.3%08/2018 · sample 15 |
| Spend Time Standing | Less than half the time | 81.6%08/2018 · sample 15 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Continually or almost continually | 50.3%08/2018 · sample 15 |
| Time Pressure | Once a week or more but not every day | 45.8%08/2018 · sample 16 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Never | 68.3%08/2018 · sample 16 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 87.7%08/2018 · sample 16 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Analytical or scientific software: Boeing Kork Digital Mapping, Boeing SoftPlotter, Image analysis software, RSI ENVI
- Computer aided design CAD software: Autodesk AutoCAD, Bentley MicroStation, Cosmo Software Cosmo World, MultiGen Paradigm Vega Prime
- Data base management system software: SAP Adaptive Server Enterprise
- Data base user interface and query software: Autodesk World, Microsoft Access, Oracle Database, Structured query language SQL
- Data compression software: Arbor Image Draftsman
- Desktop publishing software: Adobe InDesign, Corporate Montage CADScript, QuarkXPress
- Development environment software: C, Microsoft Visual Basic, Software development tools, Standardized general markup language SGML
- Document management software: Adobe Acrobat, Microsoft SharePoint
- Electronic mail software: Email software, Microsoft Outlook
- Enterprise application integration software: Extensible markup language XML
- Enterprise resource planning ERP software: SAP software
- Flight control software: Leica AEROPLAN LiDAR
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for cartographers and photogrammetrists
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- Bachelor's degree
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- None
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 42 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska | $89,170 | $42.87 | 60 |
| Arizona | $82,260 | $39.55 | 400 |
| California | $102,780 | $49.41 | 1,450 |
| Colorado | $86,960 | $41.81 | 1,220 |
| Connecticut | $84,100 | $40.44 | 150 |
| Florida | $79,650 | $38.30 | 610 |
| Georgia | $62,630 | $30.11 | 490 |
| Idaho | $72,930 | $35.06 | 100 |
| Illinois | $54,680 | $26.29 | 180 |
| Indiana | $74,800 | $35.96 | 40 |
| Iowa | $84,570 | $40.66 | 90 |
| Kansas | Not published | Not published | 230 |
| Kentucky | $71,470 | $34.36 | 90 |
| Louisiana | $59,990 | $28.84 | Not published |
| Maine | $78,670 | $37.82 | 40 |
| Maryland | $84,360 | $40.56 | 450 |
| Massachusetts | $92,230 | $44.34 | 160 |
| Michigan | $75,090 | $36.10 | 250 |
| Minnesota | $99,850 | $48.00 | 100 |
| Missouri | $76,950 | $37.00 | 170 |
| Montana | $72,220 | $34.72 | 160 |
| Nebraska | $81,500 | $39.18 | 50 |
| Nevada | $93,560 | $44.98 | 180 |
| New Hampshire | $72,130 | $34.68 | 70 |
| New Jersey | $88,480 | $42.54 | 170 |
| New Mexico | $79,200 | $38.08 | 70 |
| New York | $89,290 | $42.93 | 230 |
| North Carolina | $81,080 | $38.98 | 900 |
| North Dakota | $71,070 | $34.17 | 80 |
| Ohio | $70,990 | $34.13 | 490 |
| Oklahoma | $86,410 | $41.55 | 70 |
| Oregon | $88,240 | $42.42 | 640 |
| Pennsylvania | $73,180 | $35.18 | 140 |
| South Carolina | $72,260 | $34.74 | 150 |
| South Dakota | $72,910 | $35.05 | 140 |
| Tennessee | $72,990 | $35.09 | 150 |
| Texas | $73,970 | $35.56 | 1,780 |
| Utah | $75,220 | $36.16 | 150 |
| Virginia | $86,660 | $41.66 | 860 |
| Washington | $96,100 | $46.20 | 870 |
| Wisconsin | $76,760 | $36.90 | 260 |
| Wyoming | $70,590 | $33.94 | 100 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 81 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 17-1021.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.