Skip to main content
Department of Geography, Geology, and the Environment

Careers in Geography

What can you do with a geography degree from Illinois State University? Just about anything.

Geography is the science of place and space. Geographers ask where things are located on the surface of the earth, why they are located where they are, how places differ from one another, and how people interact with the environment. Geography is unique in linking the social sciences and natural sciences together.

Our graduates become:

  • Surveyors
  • Cartographers and photogrammetrists
  • Urban and regional planners
  • Natural resource managers
  • Environmental analysts and consultants
  • Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysts
  • Remote sensing analysts
  • Teachers and professors
  • Surveying and mapping technicians

Where geographers work

The largest employers of geographers in 2020 were: federal government excluding postal service (62%), educational services including state/local/private (15%), state government excluding education and hospitals (8%), professional/scientific/technical services (7%), and other (8%). Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Geographers, accessed February 16, 2022

What geographers make

For more information on the outlook for geographers and related occupations, visit the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.

  • The median annual wages for geographers and related occupations in May 2020 was: geographers ($85,430), social scientists and related workers ($82,280). The total for all U.S. occupations was $41,950. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Geographers, accessed February 16, 2022.
  • The median annual wages for urban and regional planners and related occupations in May 2020 was: social scientists and related workers ($82,280), urban and regional planners ($75,950). The total for all U.S. occupations was $41,950. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Urban and Regional Planners, accessed February 16, 2022.
  • The median annual wages for cartographers and photogrammetrists and related occupations in May 2020 was: architects, surveyors, and cartographers ($76,190), cartographers and photogrammetrists ($68,380). The total for all U.S. occupations was $41,950. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Cartographers and Photogrammetrists, accessed February 16, 2022.
  • The median annual wages for surveying and mapping technicians and related occupations in May 2020 was: drafters, engineering technicians, and mapping technicians ($58,900), surveying and mapping technicians ($46,200). The total for all U.S. occupations was $41,950. Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Surveying and Mapping Technicians, accessed February 16, 2022.

Learn more about Careers in Geography from the American Association of Geographers.