Geographic Information Systems Technicians: Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Stan T.Career, Overview

GIS Technicians

GIS Technicians assist scientists, technologists, or related professionals in building, maintaining, modifying, or using geographic information systems (GIS) databases. May also perform some custom application development or provide user support.

Salary
$96740
Becoming One
Hard
Education
Bachelor's degree
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality
Interest Match



Job description

Geographic Information Systems Technicians assist scientists, technologists, or related professionals in building, maintaining, modifying, or using geographic information systems (GIS) databases. May also perform some custom application development or provide user support.

  • Design or prepare graphic representations of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data, using GIS hardware or software applications.
  • Analyze Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data to identify spatial relationships or display results of analyses, using maps, graphs, or tabular data.
  • Maintain or modify existing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) databases.
  • Enter data into Geographic Information Systems (GIS) databases, using techniques such as coordinate geometry, keyboard entry of tabular data, manual digitizing of maps, scanning or automatic conversion to vectors, or conversion of other sources of digital data.
Read more about what does a Geographic Information Systems Technician really do at work and what is it like being and working as one.



Salary

Average salary
$93350 per year

Average hourly wage
$45 per hour


GIS Technicians with little to no experience tend to make between $47350 and $66410 while the more experienced ones can earn over $117070 per year.

Top 5 paying states Hourly Annual
DC $57 $117,540
MD $54 $113,330
NH $54 $112,440
VA $51 $105,270
CA $50 $103,270

One of the easiest ways to increase your salary as a Geographic Information Systems Technician is to move to a higher paying state like DC. Right now, the highest paying states for GIS Technicians are DC, MD, NH, VA and CA.

However, a higher pay at DC doesn’t guarantee that you will make more because the living expenses at DC might be twice as high than where you are currently at now.

Three other factors that can increase your salary as a Geographic Information Systems Technician is the degree you hold, the industry you work in, and lastly the company you work for.


Requirements

Recommended degree level
Bachelor’s degree

We asked other GIS Technicians what degree they had when they got the job and most of them said they had a Bachelor’s Degree followed by a Master’s Degree.

Other than that, we also asked them what did they major in and here are the most popular majors that came up.

Computer and Information Sciences, General
Data Processing and Data Processing Technology/Technician
Information Science/Studies
Computer Science
Information Technology Project Management
Read more about how to become a Geographic Information Systems Technician and the degree, training and education you need.

Pros and Cons

Here are some of the pros and cons of being a Geographic Information Systems Technician.

PROS
Suitable for people who likes to solve problems mentally
Suitable for people who values achievements and are results-oriented
This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.
Very high salary (top 25% highest paid careers)
Normal working hours (40 hours per week)
CONS
Not suitable for people who likes to help and teach others
It is hard to get into this career. A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for this career.

What is the job like

Job satisfaction
70%

Is this job meaningful
46%


70% of GIS Technicians said they were satisfied with their job and 46% said they feel like their job is making other people’s lives better.


Is this right for me

Best personality for this career
The Thinkers and The Builders

You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tends to like working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally..

They also like work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They like working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.



Learn more about GIS Technicians

Summary (You are here)
Job Description
Salary
Requirements
Quiz

Related career information

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Additional resources