The average salary for a geographer in California is around $114,460 per year.
Avg Salary
Geographers earn an average yearly salary of $114,460.
Wages typically start from $85,800 and go up to $144,910.
40% above national average Updated in 2025
Geographer earnings by seniority
90th percentile
Top-level geographer earnings begin at:
$69.67 per hour
$144,910 per year
75th percentile
Senior-level geographer earnings begin at:
$62.91 per hour
$130,850 per year
50th percentile
Mid-level geographer earnings begin at:
$55.03 per hour
$114,460 per year
25th percentile
Junior-level geographer earnings begin at:
$46.96 per hour
$97,680 per year
10th percentile
Starting level geographer earnings begin at:
$41.25 per hour
$85,800 per year
Approximate values based on highest and lowest earning segments.
Geographer salary by state
| State Name | Average Salary |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | $99,550 |
| Pennsylvania | $96,810 |
| Illinois | $92,640 |
| Colorado | $90,600 |
| Florida | $85,220 |
| Louisiana | $84,030 |
| Texas | $79,170 |
| Oregon | $75,800 |
| South Dakota | $70,380 |
| Minnesota | $65,180 |
| Arizona | $63,750 |
| Georgia | $63,360 |
| Oklahoma | $50,230 |
| Maryland | $114,920 |
| California | $114,460 |
| Washington | $112,260 |
| Virginia | $108,020 |
| Missouri | $102,040 |
How do geographer salaries compare to similar careers?
Geographers earn about the same as related careers in California. On average, they make less than computer programmers but more than distance learning coordinators.
| Career | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Computer programmer salary | $117K |
| Epidemiologist salary | $111K |
| Technical writer salary | $104K |
| Systems administrator salary | $106K |
| Microbiologist salary | $109K |
| Geographer salary | $114K |
| Consultant salary | $107K |
| Industrial ecologist salary | $107K |
| Zoologist salary | $99K |
| Distance learning coordinator salary | $100K |
Source: CareerExplorer (Aggregated)