Geographic Information Science & Cartography

Stem Major

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2024

3,577

declining 0.279%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$8,088

growing 0.974%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$48,104

growing 9.08%

Average Wage

$121,427

growing 2.65%

People in Workforce

4.28M

growing 2.26%

Average Employee Age

43.3

growing 0.0797%

About

In 2024, the locations with the highest concentration of Geographic Information Science & Cartography degree recipients are State College, PA, Corvallis, OR, and Seattle, WA. In 2024, the locations with a relatively high number of Geographic Information Science & Cartography degree recipients are Riverton, WY, West Point, NY, and Columbia, CA. The most common degree awarded to students studying Geographic Information Science & Cartography is a certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years.

Social Sciences Geography & Cartography

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Geographic Information Science & Cartography and the types of students that study this field. Pennsylvania State University-World Campus awards the most degrees in Geographic Information Science & Cartography in the US, but Unity Environmental University and The Evergreen State College have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Geographic Information Science & Cartography.

Tuition costs for Geographic Information Science & Cartography majors are, on average, $8,088 for in-state public colleges, and $48,104 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Geographic Information Science & Cartography programs are Public, 4-year or above institutions (226 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (2,933 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Geographic Information Science & Cartography (2024)

Pennsylvania State University-World Campus
153 degrees awarded
Oregon State University
120 degrees awarded
University of Washington-Seattle Campus
108 degrees awarded

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Geographic Information Science & Cartography, is Public, 4-year or above (2,933 completions in 2024).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Geographic Information Science & Cartography programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$8,088

Median In-State Public

$48,104

Median Out of State Private

Pennsylvania State University-World Campus has the most Geographic Information Science & Cartography degree recipients, with 153 degrees awarded in 2024.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Geographic Information Science & Cartography.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Out of all institutions that offer Geographic Information Science & Cartography programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Unity Environmental University has the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Geographic Information Science & Cartography, with 4.97%.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Geographic Information Science & Cartography

Maricopa County, AZ
176 degrees awarded
Centre County, PA
170 degrees awarded
Los Angeles County, CA
162 degrees awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Geographic Information Science & Cartography by year.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Social Sciences graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Social Sciences majors is $121,427 and the most common occupations are Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, Other managers, and Chief executives & legislators.

The industry that employs the most Social Sciences majors is Elementary & secondary schools, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Prefabricated wood buildings & mobile homes.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Geographic Information Science & Cartography is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

$121,427

Average Wage in Workforce

± $1,581

2.65%

1 Year Growth

± 1.81%

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Social Sciences majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Geographic Information Science & Cartography is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Social Sciences majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Social Sciences majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Geographic Information Science & Cartography is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

The most common occupations for Social Sciences majors, by number of employees, are Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, Other managers, and Chief executives & legislators.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Geographic Information Science & Cartography is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Social Sciences majors working as Economists, Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers, and Judicial law clerks.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Geographic Information Science & Cartography is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Social Sciences majors are Surgeons, Securities, commodities, & financial services sales agents, and Magnetic resonance imaging technologists.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Geographic Information Science & Cartography is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

4.28M

2024 Workforce

± 50,076

2.26%

1 Year Growth

± 1.63%

The number of Social Sciences graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.26%, from 4.18M in 2023 to 4.28M in 2024.

The largest single share of Social Sciences graduates go on to work as Lawyers, & judges, magistrates, & other judicial workers (7.92%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Social Sciences by share of the total number of graduates.

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Geographic Information Science & Cartography is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

The most common industries that employ Social Sciences majors, by number of employees, are Elementary & secondary schools, Legal services, and Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Geographic Information Science & Cartography is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

The highest paying industries of Social Sciences majors, by average wage, are Prefabricated wood buildings & mobile homes, Metal ore mining, and Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Geographic Information Science & Cartography is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

4.28M

2024 Workforce

± 50,076

2.26%

1 Year Growth

± 1.63%

The number of Social Sciences graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 2.26%, from 4.18M in 2023 to 4.28M in 2024.

The industry which employs the most Social Sciences graduates by share is Elementary & secondary schools, followed by Legal services. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Social Sciences.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Geographic Information Science & Cartography is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Social Sciences majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Social Sciences majors.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Social Sciences in the United States.

The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Social Sciences is 43.3.

The most common degree type these workers hold is a Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years. Male employees are more likely to hold Social Sciences degrees, and White students are the most common race/ethnicty group awarded degrees in Social Sciences (2,326 students).

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Geographic Information Science & Cartography is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

43.3

Average Age in 2024

± 0.157 Years

0.0797%

1 Year Change

± 0.517%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Social Sciences. The most common ages of employees with this major are 35 and 34 years old, which represent 2.87% and 2.85% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Geographic Information Science & Cartography are Certificate of at least 1 but less than 2 academic years, Bachelors Degree, and Masters Degree.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Geographic Information Science & Cartography is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Social Sciences are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Professional degree.

Sex Imbalance for Common Institutions

Male (57.2%)

Most Common Sex with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by sex at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Geographic Information Science & Cartography.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Degrees

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
2,326 degrees awarded in 2024
Hispanic or Latino
395 degrees awarded in 2024
Non-resident Alien
303 degrees awarded in 2024

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Geographic Information Science & Cartography for each race & ethnicity.

In 2024, White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Sex

Degrees

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Sex Combination

White Male
309 degrees awarded
White Female
118 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Male
55 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by sex for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Geographic Information Science & Cartography.

White Male students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and sex.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Geographic Information Science & Cartography is from the 2 Digit Course Social Sciences.

Most Common Countries of Origin

India
54,310 degree recipients
China
46,503 degree recipients
Mexico
40,360 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Kyrgyzstan
4 times more than expected
Belgium
3.89 times more than expected
Denmark
3.88 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Kyrgyzstan that hold Social Sciences degrees (4 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is India (54,310 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Geographic Information Science & Cartography field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Geographic Information Science & Cartography majors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Geographic Information Science & Cartography majors need more than the average amount of Operation and Control, Mathematics, and Quality Control Analysis.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Geographic Information Science & Cartography majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Operation and Control is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Writing, and Mathematics are the three most important skills for people in the field.