How to Become a Geographer
Study the land, its features and the people on it, and turn that into maps and analysis for planning and policy. It typically requires a bachelor's degree, with a median salary of $102,040 per year and declining projected job growth.
Median pay
$102,040/yr
Middle half
$80,290 to $121,870
Job growth
Declining
Openings / yr
100
Majors that lead here
Key skills
- Spatial Analysis
- GIS
- Research
- Data Analysis
Related careers
- Industrial-Organizational Psychologist$193,950 median
- Political Scientist$142,080 median
- Sociologist$106,030 median
- Historian$76,750 median
- Anthropologist / Archeologist$70,770 median
Frequently asked questions
How much does a Geographer make?
The median pay for a Geographer is $102,040 a year, and the middle half of workers earn between $80,290 and $121,870 (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025). That covers everyone in the job, not only people starting out, so newer workers sit toward the lower end.
What degree do you need to become a Geographer?
The usual entry point is a bachelor's degree. Common majors are Geography and Environmental Science.
Is Geographer a growing field?
Projected job growth for this role from 2024 to 2034 is declining (BLS projections via O*NET), with roughly 100 U.S. openings a year.
What skills does a Geographer use most?
Common skills for this role are Spatial Analysis, GIS, Research, and Data Analysis.
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Take the major quizWhere these pay figures come from
Career pay is the annual wage of everyone working in that occupation, not only recent graduates, so it includes people who have done the job for decades. The middle half is the 25th to the 75th percentile. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).
All figures are national. What you earn depends on where you work, who you work for, and how far you take the degree.
Job-growth figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and O*NET OnLine (median and percentile annual wages May 2025; employment projections 2024-2034).