Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
SHARE ON:
Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2021
19-3092 Geographers
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.
National estimates for Geographers
Industry profile for Geographers
Geographic profile for Geographers
National estimates for Geographers:
Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for Geographers:
| Employment (1) |
Employment
RSE (3) |
Mean hourly
wage |
Mean annual
wage (2) |
Wage RSE (3) |
| 1,440 |
4.7 % |
$ 41.70 |
$ 86,740 |
1.3 % |
Percentile wage estimates for Geographers:
| Percentile |
10% |
25% |
50%
(Median) |
75% |
90% |
| Hourly Wage |
$ 25.68 |
$ 31.13 |
$ 40.97 |
$ 49.07 |
$ 56.91 |
| Annual Wage (2) |
$ 53,410 |
$ 64,740 |
$ 85,220 |
$ 102,060 |
$ 118,380 |
Industry profile for Geographers:
Industries with the highest published employment and wages for Geographers are provided.
For a list of all industries with employment in Geographers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
Industries with the highest levels of employment in Geographers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
920 |
0.04 |
$ 45.16 |
$ 93,940 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
140 |
0.01 |
$ 34.45 |
$ 71,650 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
110 |
0.00 |
$ 34.28 |
$ 71,300 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services |
80 |
0.01 |
$ 34.10 |
$ 70,920 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
60 |
0.00 |
$ 32.28 |
$ 67,150 |
Industries with the highest concentration of employment in Geographers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
920 |
0.04 |
$ 45.16 |
$ 93,940 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services |
80 |
0.01 |
$ 34.10 |
$ 70,920 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
140 |
0.01 |
$ 34.45 |
$ 71,650 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
110 |
0.00 |
$ 34.28 |
$ 71,300 |
| Local Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
60 |
0.00 |
$ 32.28 |
$ 67,150 |
Top paying industries for Geographers:
| Industry |
Employment (1) |
Percent of industry employment |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Federal Executive Branch (OEWS Designation) |
920 |
0.04 |
$ 45.16 |
$ 93,940 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services |
(8) |
(8) |
$ 37.59 |
$ 78,180 |
| State Government, excluding schools and hospitals (OEWS Designation) |
140 |
0.01 |
$ 34.45 |
$ 71,650 |
| Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools |
110 |
(7) |
$ 34.28 |
$ 71,300 |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services |
80 |
0.01 |
$ 34.10 |
$ 70,920 |
Geographic profile for Geographers:
States and areas with the highest published employment, location quotients, and wages for Geographers are provided.
For a list of all areas with employment in Geographers, see the Create Customized Tables function.
States with the highest employment level in Geographers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Maryland |
240 |
0.10 |
9.37 |
$ 44.72 |
$ 93,010 |
| Texas |
140 |
0.01 |
1.15 |
$ 33.45 |
$ 69,580 |
| California |
100 |
0.01 |
0.60 |
$ 43.38 |
$ 90,230 |
| Colorado |
100 |
0.04 |
3.63 |
$ 42.51 |
$ 88,410 |
| Arizona |
90 |
0.03 |
3.14 |
$ 33.85 |
$ 70,410 |
States with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Geographers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Maryland |
240 |
0.10 |
9.37 |
$ 44.72 |
$ 93,010 |
| Colorado |
100 |
0.04 |
3.63 |
$ 42.51 |
$ 88,410 |
| Arizona |
90 |
0.03 |
3.14 |
$ 33.85 |
$ 70,410 |
| Virginia |
80 |
0.02 |
2.16 |
(8) |
(8) |
| Louisiana |
30 |
0.02 |
1.88 |
$ 40.25 |
$ 83,730 |
Top paying states for Geographers:
| State |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Massachusetts |
40 |
0.01 |
1.08 |
$ 45.80 |
$ 95,270 |
| Maryland |
240 |
0.10 |
9.37 |
$ 44.72 |
$ 93,010 |
| California |
100 |
0.01 |
0.60 |
$ 43.38 |
$ 90,230 |
| Colorado |
100 |
0.04 |
3.63 |
$ 42.51 |
$ 88,410 |
| Pennsylvania |
40 |
0.01 |
0.67 |
$ 42.48 |
$ 88,360 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest employment level in Geographers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
290 |
0.10 |
9.69 |
$ 48.35 |
$ 100,570 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX |
120 |
0.11 |
10.47 |
$ 31.52 |
$ 65,550 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
70 |
0.05 |
4.58 |
$ 43.12 |
$ 89,690 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
50 |
0.02 |
2.16 |
$ 36.00 |
$ 74,880 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD |
40 |
0.03 |
3.11 |
$ 37.52 |
$ 78,050 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
40 |
0.01 |
1.37 |
$ 33.27 |
$ 69,200 |
Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of jobs and location quotients in Geographers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX |
120 |
0.11 |
10.47 |
$ 31.52 |
$ 65,550 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
290 |
0.10 |
9.69 |
$ 48.35 |
$ 100,570 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
70 |
0.05 |
4.58 |
$ 43.12 |
$ 89,690 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD |
40 |
0.03 |
3.11 |
$ 37.52 |
$ 78,050 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
50 |
0.02 |
2.16 |
$ 36.00 |
$ 74,880 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
40 |
0.01 |
1.37 |
$ 33.27 |
$ 69,200 |
Top paying metropolitan areas for Geographers:
| Metropolitan area |
Employment (1) |
Employment per thousand jobs |
Location quotient (9) |
Hourly mean wage |
Annual mean wage (2) |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV |
290 |
0.10 |
9.69 |
$ 48.35 |
$ 100,570 |
| Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO |
70 |
0.05 |
4.58 |
$ 43.12 |
$ 89,690 |
| Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD |
40 |
0.03 |
3.11 |
$ 37.52 |
$ 78,050 |
| Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ |
50 |
0.02 |
2.16 |
$ 36.00 |
$ 74,880 |
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA |
40 |
0.01 |
1.37 |
$ 33.27 |
$ 69,200 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX |
120 |
0.11 |
10.47 |
$ 31.52 |
$ 65,550 |
About May 2021 National, State, Metropolitan, and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors, all metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas, and all states and the District of Columbia.
The top employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable XLS files.
The percentile wage estimate is the value of a wage below which a certain percent of workers fall.
The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median.
More about percentile wages.
(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.
(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours;
for those occupations where there is not an hourly wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.
(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.
(7) The value is less than .005 percent of industry employment.
(8) Estimate not released.
(9) The location quotient is the ratio of the area concentration of occupational employment to the national average concentration.
A location quotient greater than one indicates the occupation has a higher share of employment than average, and a location quotient less than one indicates the occupation is less prevalent in the area than average.
Other OEWS estimates and related information:
May 2021 National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Metropolitan and Nonmetropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates
May 2021 Occupation Profiles
Technical Notes
Last Modified Date: March 31, 2022
United States Department of Labor
