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.
- O*NET-SOC code
19-3092.00 - Preparation Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Wages
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $66,770 | $80,290 | $102,040 | $121,870 | $136,660 |
By state (8)
| State | Employment | Median annual | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 80 | $114,460 | 0.48 |
| Colorado | 90 | Not available | 3.61 |
| Illinois | 40 | $92,640 | 0.80 |
| Maryland | 210 | $114,920 | 8.35 |
| Missouri | 40 | $102,040 | 1.40 |
| Texas | 180 | $79,170 | 1.39 |
| Virginia | 130 | $108,020 | 3.63 |
| Washington | 40 | $112,260 | 1.17 |
Similar occupations
Similarity is our measure: the cosine of importance x level over all 120 O*NET skills, knowledge areas and abilities. It is not an O*NET finding. More.
Circles are the 20 most similar occupations, coloured by Job Zone. Lines join pairs where one is among the other's 10 most similar; darker lines are pairs O*NET also lists as related. Drag a circle to move it out of the way; select one to open it.
One skill away
Among the 50 occupations most similar to Geographers, those at the same Job Zone or lower, where exactly one skill rated at least 3 in importance needs a level more than 0.75 points higher (on O*NET's 0-7 level scale). Our definition. Change the thresholds.
| Occupation | Skill to build | Level gap | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | Social Perceptiveness | 1.00 | 0.932 |
| Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | Social Perceptiveness | 1.00 | 0.931 |
| Business Intelligence Analysts | Mathematics | 0.76 | 0.922 |
| Logistics Analysts | Systems Evaluation | 0.76 | 0.917 |
Software to learn next
Software used by at least 3 of the 20 occupations most similar to Geographers, excluding software Geographers already lists and any you named. Ranked by how many of them use it, weighted by how much more common it is among them than across all occupations (lift). Our ranking.
| Software | Similar jobs using it | Lift |
|---|---|---|
| Adobe Acrobat | 12 of 20 | 3.4x |
| Software development tools | 6 of 20 | 10.3x |
| Email software | 15 of 20 | 2.5x |
| ESRI ArcGIS Geostatistical Analyst | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
| RSI ENVI | 3 of 20 | 46.2x |
| Learning management system LMS | 6 of 20 | 5.9x |
| Image scanning software | 5 of 20 | 6.2x |
| Course management system software | 5 of 20 | 6.1x |
| DOC Cop | 5 of 20 | 6.1x |
| Sakai CLE | 5 of 20 | 6.1x |
Skills
From O*NET data. Importance is rated 1 to 5 and level 0 to 7.
| Skill | Type | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| Writing | Essential skill | 4.12 | 4.88 |
| Reading Comprehension | Essential skill | 4.12 | 4.75 |
| Speaking | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.38 |
| Critical Thinking | Essential skill | 4.00 | 4.00 |
| Active Listening | Essential skill | 3.75 | 4.12 |
| Active Learning | Essential skill | 3.62 | 4.12 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Transferable skill | 3.62 | 3.62 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Transferable skill | 3.50 | 3.62 |
| Science | Essential skill | 3.38 | 3.62 |
| Systems Analysis | Transferable skill | 3.38 | 3.62 |
| Learning Strategies | Essential skill | 3.12 | 3.62 |
| Instructing | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Systems Evaluation | Transferable skill | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Monitoring | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.38 |
| Mathematics | Essential skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Time Management | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Coordination | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Social Perceptiveness | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 3.00 |
| Service Orientation | Transferable skill | 3.00 | 2.88 |
| Negotiation | Transferable skill | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Persuasion | Transferable skill | 2.62 | 2.75 |
| Operations Analysis | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.75 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | Transferable skill | 2.50 | 2.50 |
| Programming | Transferable skill | 1.88 | 1.12 |
| Management of Material Resources | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 1.50 |
| Technology Design | Transferable skill | 1.75 | 0.75 |
| Management of Financial Resources | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 1.12 |
| Operations Monitoring | Transferable skill | 1.62 | 0.75 |
| Quality Control Analysis | Transferable skill | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Equipment Maintenance | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Operation and Control | Transferable skill | 1.12 | not rated |
| Equipment Selection | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Installation | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Repairing | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
| Troubleshooting | Transferable skill | 1.00 | not rated |
Knowledge (33) and abilities (52)
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Geography | 4.85 | 6.79 |
| English Language | 3.84 | 4.75 |
| Computers and Electronics | 3.75 | 5.00 |
| Education and Training | 3.55 | 5.35 |
| Sociology and Anthropology | 3.45 | 4.95 |
| Mathematics | 3.00 | 4.10 |
| History and Archeology | 2.90 | 3.60 |
| Law and Government | 2.85 | 3.20 |
| Communications and Media | 2.80 | 3.60 |
| Biology | 2.68 | 3.40 |
| Administration and Management | 2.65 | 3.70 |
| Administrative | 2.63 | 3.90 |
| Customer and Personal Service | 2.50 | 2.85 |
| Design | 2.47 | 3.05 |
| Personnel and Human Resources | 2.40 | 3.00 |
| Engineering and Technology | 2.32 | 2.45 |
| Telecommunications | 2.32 | 1.65 |
| Psychology | 2.26 | 2.70 |
| Transportation | 2.21 | 2.35 |
| Physics | 2.11 | 2.50 |
| Public Safety and Security | 2.11 | 2.10 |
| Economics and Accounting | 2.05 | 1.60 |
| Philosophy and Theology | 2.00 | 2.70 |
| Foreign Language | 2.00 | 2.10 |
| Chemistry | 1.95 | 1.95 |
| Production and Processing | 1.58 | 1.25 |
| Sales and Marketing | 1.55 | 1.45 |
| Building and Construction | 1.45 | 0.85 |
| Therapy and Counseling | 1.45 | 0.85 |
| Mechanical | 1.35 | 0.85 |
| Fine Arts | 1.35 | 0.70 |
| Medicine and Dentistry | 1.21 | not rated |
| Food Production | 1.15 | not rated |
| Name | Importance | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Written Expression | 4.12 | 4.88 |
| Written Comprehension | 4.12 | 4.75 |
| Inductive Reasoning | 4.12 | 4.25 |
| Oral Expression | 4.00 | 5.00 |
| Oral Comprehension | 4.00 | 4.75 |
| Deductive Reasoning | 4.00 | 4.12 |
| Near Vision | 3.88 | 4.00 |
| Speech Clarity | 3.75 | 4.38 |
| Information Ordering | 3.75 | 4.00 |
| Speech Recognition | 3.75 | 3.75 |
| Category Flexibility | 3.62 | 4.12 |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.62 | 3.75 |
| Fluency of Ideas | 3.25 | 3.50 |
| Flexibility of Closure | 3.12 | 3.50 |
| Originality | 3.12 | 3.38 |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.12 | 3.12 |
| Far Vision | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Mathematical Reasoning | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Number Facility | 3.00 | 3.25 |
| Visualization | 3.00 | 3.12 |
| Selective Attention | 2.88 | 2.88 |
| Memorization | 2.75 | 2.88 |
| Visual Color Discrimination | 2.75 | 2.75 |
| Speed of Closure | 2.50 | 2.62 |
| Time Sharing | 2.50 | 2.38 |
| Trunk Strength | 1.88 | 1.25 |
| Auditory Attention | 1.75 | 1.50 |
| Hearing Sensitivity | 1.75 | 1.38 |
| Depth Perception | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Dynamic Strength | 1.50 | 0.50 |
| Finger Dexterity | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Wrist-Finger Speed | 1.38 | 0.38 |
| Manual Dexterity | 1.25 | not rated |
| Spatial Orientation | 1.25 | not rated |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 1.12 | not rated |
| Control Precision | 1.12 | not rated |
| Extent Flexibility | 1.12 | not rated |
| Glare Sensitivity | 1.12 | not rated |
| Dynamic Flexibility | 1.00 | not rated |
| Explosive Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Gross Body Equilibrium | 1.00 | not rated |
| Multilimb Coordination | 1.00 | not rated |
| Night Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Peripheral Vision | 1.00 | not rated |
| Rate Control | 1.00 | not rated |
| Reaction Time | 1.00 | not rated |
| Response Orientation | 1.00 | not rated |
| Sound Localization | 1.00 | not rated |
| Speed of Limb Movement | 1.00 | not rated |
| Stamina | 1.00 | not rated |
| Static Strength | 1.00 | not rated |
Software used
Examples from O*NET data. "Hot" and "in demand" are O*NET flags for technologies often listed in job postings.
- Autodesk AutoCAD in demand
- ESRI ArcGIS software in demand
- Python in demand
- Structured query language SQL in demand
- Geographic information system GIS software in demand
- Geographic information system GIS systems in demand
- Adobe Photoshop hot
- IBM SPSS Statistics hot
- Microsoft Excel hot
- Microsoft Office software hot
- Microsoft Outlook hot
- Microsoft PowerPoint hot
- Microsoft Word hot
- R hot
- SAS hot
- The MathWorks MATLAB hot
- ACD Systems Canvas
- Adobe Dreamweaver
- Caliper Maptitude
- Clark Labs IDRISI Andes
- Corel CorelDraw Graphics Suite
- ESRI ArcIMS
- ESRI ArcInfo
- ESRI ArcView
- Geographic resources analysis support system GRASS
- Golden Software Grapher
- Golden Software Surfer
- Google Earth Pro
- Groundwater Vistas
- HydroSOLVE AQTESOLV
All 45
- ITT Visual Information Solutions ENVI
- Leica Geosystems ERDAS IMAGINE
- Lemkesoft GraphicConverter
- MODPATH
- MapInfo MapMarker
- Martin D Adamiker's TruFlite
- Microsoft Internet Explorer
- Minitab
- Pattern searching software
- RIVERMorph
- RockWare ArcMap
- RockWare MODFLOW
- Systat Software SigmaPlot
- Trimble Pathfinder Office
- Wolfram Research Mathematica
Where it concentrates
Metro areas ranked by BLS location quotient: the occupation's share of the area's jobs divided by its share of all US jobs. Above 1 means more concentrated than the nation. Metros employing fewer than 100 are left out.
| Metro area | Employment | Location quotient | Median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 120 | 10.11 | $76,000 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 280 | 9.85 | $118,290 |