Vocational Index

Career

Cartographers and photogrammetrists

Make maps from data, photos and measurements.

$81,390
Median pay
+7.4%
Job growth, 2025–35
900
Openings a year
Bachelor's degree
Typical education
4 years
Typical time after high school

Here's what you actually need to know.

The work

What people in this job do

  • 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.

The outlook

How the forecast changed this year

2024–34 edition+6.4%2025–35 edition+7.4%
Projected 10-year growth in last year's and this year's BLS projections. 1,000 → 900 openings a year.

The deeper question

What kind of person does this path ask you to become?

What this work centers on

Information & systems
5.3
Ideas & analysis
5.2
Objects & tools
4.6
Creation & expression
3.5
People & care
1.8
Persuasion & leadership
1.6

O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.

The work

Do you want most of your days spent on information & systems, then ideas & analysis?

Responsibility

Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?

“Compile data required for map preparation, including aerial photographs, survey notes, records, reports, and original maps.”

Development

What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?

Reading Comprehension, Writing, Critical Thinking, Active Listening.

Trade-offs

What does it ask of you in exchange?

4 years of education after high school (bachelor's degree), for a median of $81,390 a year and 900 openings nationally each year.

Paths in

Degrees that lead here

  • Surveying EngineeringCIP 14.3801
  • Surveying Technology/SurveyingCIP 15.1102
  • Signal/Geospatial IntelligenceCIP 29.0203
  • Geospatial IntelligenceCIP 43.0407
  • Geographic Information Science and CartographyCIP 45.0702

Paths across

Careers that use similar skills

Ask anything about this career.

“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.

Not sure this fits who you are? Start with Vocational Finder →

Sources

  1. BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  2. BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  3. O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
  4. CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.