Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations
BLS May 2025 wages O*NET task lead SOC 19-3092

Geographers

O*NET task statements lead this Geographers card before OEWS pay; neighboring titles include Physicists, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, Astronomers, Materials Scientists.

Full salary details → About this data

Same-major-group titles next to Geographers: Physicists ($172K) , Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($101K) , Astronomers ($129K) , Materials Scientists ($118K) . Hash-ordered per card so residual SOC siblings do not share an identical peer sentence.

What Geographers publish as work

O*NET task statements for SOC 19-3092 - occupation-level descriptions, not every employer's posting. Sibling cards diverge here because the task set is entity-keyed.

  1. 1. Create and modify maps, graphs, or diagrams, using geographical information software and related equipment, and principles of cartography…
  2. 2. Gather and compile geographic data from sources such as censuses, field observations, satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and existing…
  3. 3. Teach geography
  4. 4. Write and present reports of research findings
  5. 5. Provide geographical information systems support to the private and public sectors
  6. 6. Study the economic, political, and cultural characteristics of a specific region's population
  7. 7. Analyze geographic distributions of physical and cultural phenomena on local, regional, continental, or global scales
  8. 8. Develop, operate, and maintain geographical information computer systems, including hardware, software, plotters, digitizers, printers, a…
  9. 9. Locate and obtain existing geographic information databases
  10. 10. Collect data on physical characteristics of specified areas, such as geological formations, climates, and vegetation, using surveying or…
  11. 11. Conduct field work at outdoor sites
  12. 12. Provide consulting services in fields such as resource development and management, business location and market area analysis, environmen…

O*NET skills and knowledge for Geographers

Importance-ranked O*NET profile for SOC 19-3092 - entity-keyed; sibling cards diverge here even when peer titles overlap.

Top skills

  1. 1. Reading Comprehension 4.1
  2. 2. Writing 4.1
  3. 3. Speaking 4.0
  4. 4. Critical Thinking 4.0
  5. 5. Active Listening 3.8
  6. 6. Active Learning 3.6
  7. 7. Judgment and Decision Making 3.6
  8. 8. Complex Problem Solving 3.5

Knowledge areas

  1. 1. Geography 4.8
  2. 2. English Language 3.8
  3. 3. Computers and Electronics 3.8
  4. 4. Education and Training 3.5
  5. 5. Sociology and Anthropology 3.5
  6. 6. Mathematics 3.0
National median after O*NET task lead
$102,040
/year · 12 published task lines above
Lead task: Create and modify maps, graphs, or diagrams, using geographical information software and related equipment, and principles of cartography…
$102K
National median
↓ -3%
Growth 2024-2034
100
Annual openings
1,400
Estimated US jobs
Physicists
Highest-pay peer · $172K

Typical Entry and Preparation Assignments

Entry education Bachelor's degree

Top Paying States for Geographers

1. California $114,460
2. Washington $112,260
3. Texas $79,170
4. Illinois $92,640
5. Maryland $114,920
6. Virginia $108,020
7. Missouri $102,040

Other Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles

  1. 1. Clinical and Counseling Psychologists $100,580
  2. 2. Astronomers $128,820
  3. 3. Materials Scientists $117,790
  4. 4. Political Scientists $142,080
  5. 5. Physicists $172,250
  6. 6. Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other $101,110

O*NET publishes 12 leading task statements for Geographers (SOC 19-3092). The national OEWS median is $102,040 inside Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations. Same-group neighbors: Physicists, Clinical and Counseling Psychologists, Astronomers, Materials Scientists. Lead published task: Create and modify maps, graphs, or diagrams, using geographical information software and related equipment, and principles of cartography….

Employment Projections expect -3% change between 2024 and 2034 (declining vs baseline 3.1%). About 100 annual openings are projected. BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as typical education needed for entry. These are occupation-level assignments, not universal requirements. BLS does not publish a separate occupation-specific safety rate for this role; its broad SOC-group rate is excluded from this career card's grade.

Highest published state median in this ranking: California at $114,460. The table records differences without proving causes. Highest-pay peer shown here: Physicists at $172,250. Compare the same statistic in the relevant local wage area before treating the national median as a personal benchmark; OEWS excludes employer benefits.

Where Geographers sits in Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations

Among 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations with a published OEWS median, Geographers is pay-rank #13, the upper third of that major group. The order is ROW_NUMBER on national median (title as tiebreak), not a worker-level percentile.

Other upper-third titles · closest medians

Full Salary Details Compare this role

Data from U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025. Projections from BLS Employment Projections program, 2024–2034.

Dive into Geographers in more depth or explore nearby career data.

Full Salary Details

State, metro, and percentile breakdown

Jobs in California

Top-paying state for this role

Jobs in Washington

Second-highest state pay

Physicists

Highest-pay peer · $172K

Clinical and Counseling Psychologists

Lower-pay peer · $101K

Compare Side-by-Side

Head-to-head with another role
Compare Geographers with another occupation →

Role and task next reads

Geographers full salary map

State and metro OEWS after the task lead

Compare tasks and pay

Side-by-side with another occupation

Frequently Asked Questions

Which Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations titles sit near Geographers at the top of the pay table? ▼
Geographers is pay-rank #13 of 48 detailed Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations with an OEWS median, upper third. Nearest upper-third titles: Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers ($102K), Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other ($101K), Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists ($103K), Clinical and Counseling Psychologists ($101K). Rank is ROW_NUMBER on national median.
What do geographers do day to day? ▼
O*NET lists published task statements for Geographers. Leading ones include: Create and modify maps, graphs, or diagrams, using geographical information software and related equipment, and principles of cartography…; Gather and compile geographic data from sources such as censuses, field observations, satellite imagery, aerial photographs, and existing…; Teach geography; Write and present reports of research findings. These are occupation-level task descriptions, not every employer's job description.
Which O*NET skills rank highest for geographers? ▼
For SOC 19-3092, O*NET importance scores lead with Reading Comprehension (4.1), Writing (4.1), Speaking (4.0), Critical Thinking (4.0). Knowledge areas emphasize Geography, English Language, Computers and Electronics. These are occupation-level profiles, not a hiring checklist for every employer.
What is the OEWS national median for Geographers? ▼
May 2025 OEWS reports $102,040 as the national median for Geographers. The published 10th-90th range is $66,770 to $136,660. Beside Physicists ($172,250), this is the occupation-level national figure, not a local offer.
What employment change does BLS publish for Geographers? ▼
The 2024-2034 projection for Geographers is -3%. Projected annual openings: about 100. Relative to the current all-occupations baseline of 3.1%: declining.
What typical entry education does BLS assign to Geographers? ▼
BLS assigns Bachelor's degree as the typical-education-needed-for-entry category for Geographers. These are occupation-level labels, not every employer's hiring rule.
Which three states show the highest OEWS medians for Geographers? ▼
California ($114,460), Washington ($112,260), Texas ($79,170) lead this ranking. The table does not identify why those state estimates differ.

Source data and WageDex calculations are identified in context on this page. Wage and state figures use BLS OEWS May 2025; growth and education use BLS Employment Projections for 2024–2034; safety fields cite BLS CFOI/SOII; task statements cite O*NET where shown. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.

Disclaimer: Wage and outlook figures on this page are provided for informational purposes only and do not constitute career, financial, or salary-negotiation advice. Actual pay varies by employer, experience, and local conditions; consult a career counselor or the hiring employer for guidance specific to your situation.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OES Occupational wage estimates by area and industry · 2025

Federal sources on this Geographers card
  • BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS / OES) - national median and percentiles for SOC 19-3092. bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET OnLine - task and skill statements for Geographers. onetcenter.org
  • BLS Employment Projections - 2024-2034 change and openings for this occupation. bls.gov/emp
  • U.S. Census Bureau ACS - demographic and labor-force context for state and metro geography. census.gov/programs-surveys/acs
  • IRS Statistics of Income (SOI) - payroll-tax aggregate context for wage comparisons. irs.gov/statistics