Cartographers and photogrammetrists
Salary, job outlook, AI risk & career information
Cartographers and photogrammetrists in the United States earn a median salary of $81,390 per year — about $39 per hour, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Roughly 13K people work in this occupation nationwide, with projected employment growth of +6%.
AI & Automation Risk
The core tasks of collecting, analyzing, and visualizing geospatial data are fundamentally digital and highly susceptible to AI-driven automation. Computer vision and machine learning are already significantly faster than humans at interpreting satellite imagery, LiDAR, and survey data, while generative AI can increasingly automate the design and production of both static and interactive maps.
Salary by City — What You Actually Take Home
Real purchasing power = salary adjusted for cost of living. Higher = more money in your pocket.
| City | Local Salary | Cost of Living | Real Purchasing Power |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stockton-Lodi, CABEST VALUE | $130,710 | Above avg (105.1) | $124,380 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $130,820 | Above avg (106.7) | $122,640 |
| Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | $106,000 | Below avg (92.7) | $114,355 |
| Kansas City, MO-KS | $101,810 | Below avg (92.5) | $110,014 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $125,330 | Above avg (115.6) | $108,405 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | $91,500 | Below avg (90.4) | $101,208 |
| Greeley, CO | $101,050 | Average (100.2) | $100,872 |
| Salem, OR | $101,350 | Above avg (103.6) | $97,782 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $96,390 | Average (98.6) | $97,730 |
| Reno, NV | $97,650 | Average (101.0) | $96,670 |
| Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | $96,450 | Average (100.2) | $96,243 |
| Trenton-Princeton, NJ | $98,950 | Above avg (103.2) | $95,900 |
| Boulder, CO | $100,120 | Above avg (105.2) | $95,169 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $100,550 | Above avg (106.4) | $94,465 |
| Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | $97,650 | Above avg (103.7) | $94,193 |