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Information Technology | GIS Analyst

GIS Analyst

What Does a Professional in this Career Do?

A GIS Analyst gathers data that can be used in geographic information system (GIS) maps or products. Gathers data from existing maps and reports; gathers information on people, plants, animals, buildings, natural terrain and elevation.

Job Outlook

There were 600 GIS Analyst job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 13685 in the United States.

In combination with other careers in the Geographer / GIS Specialist industry, which includes the GIS Analyst career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2015:

Salary

Many new GIS Analyst jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.

National

The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $65,111.

State

The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $65,302.

Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for GIS Analyst postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $45,837.

Education and Experience

Posted GIS Analyst jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.

Education LevelPercentage
Associate's Degree0%
Bachelor's Degree63.52%
Master's Degree18.44%
Doctoral Degree2.08%
Other9.18%

Posted GIS Analyst jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.

Years of ExperiencePercentage
0 to 2 years35.18%
3 to 5 years48.11%
6 to 8 years11.16%
9+ years5.55%

Skills

Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills GIS Analyst positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.

Baseline Skills

A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.

  • Communication (39.09%)
  • Management (31.85%)
  • Planning (27.99%)
  • Operations (21.6%)
  • Research (21.45%)
  • Problem Solving (20.07%)
  • Quality Control (19.85%)
  • Writing (18.92%)
  • Microsoft Office (18.57%)
  • Detail Oriented (16.31%)

Defining Skills

A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.

  • ArcGIS Survey123 (7.89%)
  • Map Production (12.44%)
  • ArcGIS (GIS Software) (74.93%)
  • Cartography (15.71%)
  • Computer Science (31.03%)
  • Data Management (16.18%)
  • Geospatial Databases (15.04%)
  • ArcMap (11.96%)
  • Geographic Information Systems (95.8%)
  • ArcGIS Servers (8.51%)
  • GIS Applications (20.17%)
  • Python (Programming Language) (33.82%)
  • Remote Sensing (5.59%)
  • Quantum GIS (QGIS) (4.68%)
  • Spatial Analysis (17.29%)
  • Spatial Data Infrastructures (22.25%)
  • SQL (Programming Language) (23.36%)

Necessary Skills

A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.

  • Workflow Management (19.74%)
  • Application Programming Interface (API) (11.07%)
  • Agile Methodology (3.72%)
  • JavaScript (Programming Language) (15.96%)
  • Data Analysis (17.3%)
  • Microsoft Access (9.31%)
  • Computer-Aided Design (10.2%)
  • Technical Support (7.61%)
  • Data Collection (13.8%)
  • Extract Transform Load (ETL) (4.61%)
  • Global Positioning Systems (18.92%)
  • Asset Management (6.55%)
  • Automation (11.17%)
  • AutoCAD (12.4%)
  • Metadata (9.92%)
  • Data Modeling (6.76%)
  • Dashboard (8.92%)
  • Relational Databases (8.89%)
  • Geography (16.61%)
  • R (Programming Language) (4.26%)
  • Environmental Science (8.87%)
  • Project Management (23.22%)
  • PostgreSQL (3.61%)
  • Scripting (14.36%)
  • Programming Languages (5.2%)

Distinguishing Skills

A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.

  • GPS Data (3.97%)
  • GIS Mapping (6.74%)
  • Geospatial Datasets (5.17%)
  • Arcpy (4.68%)
  • ArcSDE (5.92%)
  • Linear Referencing (3.21%)
  • Spatial Databases (3.07%)
  • Geospatial Analysis (5.32%)
  • CAD Data Exchange (1.39%)
  • Coordinate Systems (5.3%)
  • Tabular Data (4.68%)
  • Web Mapping (4.35%)
  • Georeference (1.76%)
  • Plotters (3.19%)
  • Geoprocessing (7.86%)
  • Enterprise Portal (3.34%)
  • Mobile Data (3.37%)

Salary Boosting Skills

A professional who wishes to excel in this career path may consider developing the following highly valued skills. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is listed.

  • Geospatial Datasets (6.13%)
  • Arcpy (5.54%)
  • ArcGIS (GIS Software) (88.76%)
  • ArcMap (14.16%)
  • ArcSDE (7.01%)
  • Cartography (18.61%)
  • Computer Science (36.75%)
  • Coordinate Systems (6.28%)
  • Geoprocessing (9.31%)
  • Geospatial Analysis (6.31%)
  • PostGIS (1.37%)
  • SQL (Programming Language) (27.67%)
  • Plotters (3.78%)
  • Enterprise Portal (3.96%)

Alternative Job Titles

Sometimes employers post jobs with GIS Analyst skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:

  • GIS Technician
  • Geographic Information Systems Specialist
  • GIS Specialist
  • GIS Developer
  • Geographic Information Systems Administrator
  • GIS/CAD Technician
  • GIS Manager
  • GIS Intern
  • Geographer

Similar Occupations

If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.

Common Employers

Here are the employers that have posted the most GIS Analyst jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.

United States

  • Esri (244)
  • CDM Smith (223)
  • Actalent (184)
  • Insight Global (142)
  • Stantec (128)
  • WSP Global (111)
  • AECOM (96)
  • HNTB (75)
  • Cushman & Wakefield (66)
  • Deloitte (58)

North Carolina

  • CACI International (13)
  • Esri (12)
  • Siemens Energy (10)
  • CDM Smith (10)
  • Duke Energy (10)
  • Pike Electric (9)
  • Excelraise (9)
  • Leidos (8)
  • Astyra Corporation (8)
  • State of North Carolina (8)

NC State Programs Relevant to this Career

If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!

All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from Lightcast. For more information about how Lightcast gathers data and what it represents, see Lightcast Data: Basic Overview on Lightcast's Knowledge Base website.