Geographers
What Geographers Do
Study the nature and use of areas of the Earth's surface, relating and interpreting interactions of physical and cultural phenomena. Conduct research on physical aspects of a region, including land forms, climates, soils, plants, and animals, and conduct research on the spatial implications of human activities within a given area, including social characteristics, economic activities, and political organization, as well as researching interdependence between regions at scales ranging from local to global.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- Not available
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 4 of 5Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- Geographyimportance 4.8/5
- English Languageimportance 3.8/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 3.8/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 3.5/5
- Sociology and Anthropologyimportance 3.5/5
- Mathematicsimportance 3.0/5
- History and Archeologyimportance 2.9/5
- Law and Governmentimportance 2.9/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- E-Mail4.9/5
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled4.5/5
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals4.5/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions4.4/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.3/5
- Telephone Conversations3.9/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary99% skill match
- Epidemiologists98% skill match
- Education Teachers, Postsecondary98% skill match
- Political Scientists98% skill match
- Social Work Teachers, Postsecondary98% skill match
- Compensation, Benefits, and Job Analysis Specialists98% skill match
- Management Analysts98% skill match
- Sociologists98% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 3.6/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 3.5/5
- Systems Analysisimportance 3.4/5
- Instructingimportance 3.1/5
- Systems Evaluationimportance 3.1/5
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.0/5
- Coordinationimportance 3.0/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.0/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
In-Demand Technologies
Other Software Used
- ACD Systems Canvas
- Adobe Dreamweaver
- Caliper Maptitude
- Clark Labs IDRISI Andes
- Corel CorelDraw Graphics Suite
- ESRI ArcIMS
- ESRI ArcInfo
- ESRI ArcView
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Intellectual Curiosity
- Attention to Detail
- Innovation
- Dependability
- Adaptability
- Achievement Orientation
- Tolerance for Ambiguity
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- InvestigativeHigh
- RealisticHigh
- ArtisticMedium
- ConventionalMedium
- SocialLow
- EnterprisingLow
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where geographers make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX10.11× national avg
- 2Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV9.85× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Geography Teachers, PostsecondaryCareer Change
- Atmospheric and Space ScientistsLateral Move
- SociologistsLateral Move
- Management AnalystsCareer Change
Related Education Programs
Schools that offer related fields of study, based on the NCES CIP-SOC crosswalk — not a guarantee that graduates enter this specific career.
Geospatial Intelligence
- Farmingdale State College (Farmingdale, NY)grads earn ~$60,464
- The University of Texas at Austin (Austin, TX)
- Kennesaw State University (Kennesaw, GA)
- University of Central Oklahoma (Edmond, OK)grads earn ~$54,876
- CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice (New York, NY)grads earn ~$60,416
Geographic Information Science and Cartography
- Pennsylvania State University-World Campus (University Park, PA)
- Arizona State University Digital Immersion (Scottsdale, AZ)grads earn ~$65,759
- Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR)
- University of Washington-Seattle Campus (Seattle, WA)grads earn ~$64,950
- University of California-Santa Barbara (Santa Barbara, CA)grads earn ~$67,521