Geography degree: salary, jobs & colleges
Bachelor's graduates in geography earn a median $57,751 four years after finishing, across 116 U.S. colleges. At ages 25-34, people whose degree is in geography earn $62,968, $919 more than all bachelor's holders. The most common job is computer occupations, all other (12%).
Median across 116 colleges; middle half $54,656–$65,228.
College Scorecard field of study (graduates who received federal aid)
Middle half $41,763–$91,304. 1,271 survey respondents.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; field "Geography"; EducationGuide calculation
- All bachelor's, 25-34$62,049
- High school, 25-34$35,638
- This degree vs high school+$27,330/yr
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school
Median across colleges reporting.
College Scorecard field of study
Jobs geography graduates hold
What employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in geography actually do, with U.S. wages and the outlook for each job. The first column comes from the Census survey; wages and growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
| Job | Share of graduates | U.S. median wage | Jobs growth 2025-35 | Typical entry | Interests |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer Occupations, All Other | 12% | $116,580 | +5.1% | Bachelor's degree | CIE |
| Project Management Specialists | 3% | $102,320 | +6.7% | Bachelor's degree | EC |
| Surveyors, Cartographers, And Photogrammetrists | 3% | $76,910 | +6.1% | — | — |
| Software Developers | 3% | $135,980 | +10.2% | Bachelor's degree | IC |
| Other Managers | 3% | — | — | — | — |
| General And Operations Managers | 2% | $105,770 | +5.0% | Bachelor's degree | EC |
| Surveying And Mapping Technicians | 2% | $54,240 | +5.8% | High school diploma or equivalent | RCI |
| Accountants And Auditors | 2% | $83,680 | +5.0% | Bachelor's degree | CEI |
These 8 jobs account for 29% of employed graduates: people with this degree spread across many kinds of work.
Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata (ages 25-34, bachelor's as highest degree, employed); BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35; O*NET 31.0 interest codes (R realistic, I investigative, A artistic, S social, E enterprising, C conventional).
Geography earnings by state
Two views of pay: recent graduates of the state's colleges four years out (College Scorecard), and everyone ages 25-34 living in the state with this field of degree (Census). States show a figure only with at least 3 colleges or 100 survey respondents.
| State | Graduates, 4 yrs (colleges) | Ages 25-34 (respondents) |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $49,269 (3) | — |
| California | $66,863 (11) | $73,463 (183) |
| Colorado | $57,677 (5) | — |
| Connecticut | $76,851 (6) | — |
| Florida | $54,944 (3) | — |
| Illinois | $62,504 (5) | — |
| Massachusetts | $53,840 (5) | — |
| Michigan | $56,515 (5) | — |
| Minnesota | $54,844 (4) | — |
| Missouri | $56,191 (3) | — |
| New Jersey | $56,979 (3) | — |
| New York | $68,176 (5) | — |
| North Carolina | $56,370 (4) | — |
| Ohio | $56,381 (8) | — |
| Pennsylvania | $60,242 (4) | — |
| Texas | $60,646 (7) | — |
| Virginia | $63,660 (6) | — |
| Wisconsin | $58,776 (4) | — |
College Scorecard field of study (median of each college's graduates); Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata; EducationGuide calculations.
Colleges where geography graduates earn the most
In the states we cover so far (Florida, Virginia, California): 8 in Florida, 8 in Virginia, 24 in California offer this major. Open a college to see cost to finish and payback for your income.
| # | College | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California State University-SacramentoCA | $75,234 | $15,881 |
| 2 | George Mason UniversityVA | $74,692 | $22,000 |
| 3 | California State University-ChicoCA | $69,500 | $19,250 |
| 4 | California State University-NorthridgeCA | $69,323 | $8,250 |
| 5 | University of California-Santa BarbaraCA | $67,521 | $13,750 |
| 6 | University of FloridaFL | $67,276 | $18,600 |
| 7 | University of California-Los AngelesCA | $67,193 | $13,969 |
| 8 | California State University-FresnoCA | $66,863 | — |
| 9 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State UniversityVA | $65,259 | $20,500 |
| 10 | James Madison UniversityVA | $63,768 | $19,800 |
| 11 | San Francisco State UniversityCA | $63,590 | $13,768 |
| 12 | Radford UniversityVA | $63,552 | $26,500 |
College Scorecard field of study. Colleges meeting our core-data standard; online campuses left out.
Related degrees
Geography degree questions
How much do Geography graduates make?
Geography graduates earn a median $57,751 four years after finishing, across 116 U.S. colleges that report it (the middle half of colleges: $54,656 to $65,228; College Scorecard, graduates who received federal aid). Among all workers ages 25-34 whose bachelor's degree is in geography, the median is $62,968 (Census ACS 2020-2024).
Is a Geography degree worth it?
At ages 25-34, people with a bachelor's in geography earn a median $62,968: $919 more than all bachelor's degree holders ($62,049) and $27,330 more than high school graduates ($35,638). EducationGuide calculation from Census ACS 2020-2024 microdata, workers not in school.
What jobs do Geography graduates get?
Among employed 25-34-year-olds whose bachelor's is in geography, the most common jobs are computer occupations, all other (12%), project management specialists (3%), surveyors, cartographers, and photogrammetrists (3%). Computer Occupations, All Other earn a U.S. median $116,580.
How much do Geography graduates earn in Florida?
Across 3 Florida colleges reporting, Geography graduates earn a median $54,944 four years after graduating.
Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey microdata; Bureau of Labor Statistics; O*NET 31.0 (U.S. Department of Labor, CC BY 4.0). Method
Data: JSON · Markdown · all degrees
Cite this: “Geography degree: salary, jobs and colleges,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/degrees/geography.