Cartographers and Photogrammetrists Salary
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX make a median of $96,390 a year, or about $46.34 an hour. The range runs from $51K at the entry level to $173K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $97,729 in purchasing power. Rent on a 2-bedroom averages $1,573/month, or 24.4% of estimated take-home pay.
Where the paycheck goes
What $96K actually covers in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, month by month
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About cartographers and photogrammetrists
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What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands sits well above the national pay line for cartographers and photogrammetrists, local pay runs about 18% higher than the U.S. median of $81K. Housing is manageable: a 2-bedroom at the HUD median costs $1,573/month, 24.8% of take-home, well inside the 30% guideline. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. Combined with manageable housing costs, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands offers a genuinely strong financial position for cartographers and photogrammetrists at the median.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for cartographers and photogrammetrists in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $72K | $70K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $76K | $78K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $72K | $76K |
| Lubbock | $72K | $79K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level cartographers and photogrammetrists (10th percentile) start around $51K. Mid-career wages sit at $96K. Top earners bring in $173K or more, a $122K spread from bottom to top.
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Cartographers and Photogrammetrists salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $103K | +26% | 1,450 |
| Minnesota | $100K | +23% | 100 |
| Washington | $96K | +18% | 870 |
| Nevada | $94K | +15% | 180 |
| Massachusetts | $92K | +13% | 160 |
| New York | $89K | +10% | 230 |
| Alaska | $89K | +10% | 60 |
| New Jersey | $88K | +9% | 170 |
| Oregon | $88K | +8% | 640 |
| Colorado | $87K | +7% | 1,220 |
| Virginia | $87K | +6% | 860 |
| Oklahoma | $86K | +6% | 70 |
| Iowa | $85K | +4% | 90 |
| Maryland | $84K | +4% | 450 |
| Connecticut | $84K | +3% | 150 |
| Arizona | $82K | +1% | 400 |
| Nebraska | $82K | +0% | 50 |
| North Carolina | $81K | -0% | 900 |
| Florida | $80K | -2% | 610 |
| New Mexico | $79K | -3% | 70 |
| Maine | $79K | -3% | 40 |
| Missouri | $77K | -5% | 170 |
| Wisconsin | $77K | -6% | 260 |
| Utah | $75K | -8% | 150 |
| Michigan | $75K | -8% | 250 |
| Indiana | $75K | -8% | 40 |
| Texas | $74K | -9% | 1,780 |
| Pennsylvania | $73K | -10% | 140 |
| Tennessee | $73K | -10% | 150 |
| Idaho | $73K | -10% | 100 |
| South Dakota | $73K | -10% | 140 |
| South Carolina | $72K | -11% | 150 |
| Montana | $72K | -11% | 160 |
| New Hampshire | $72K | -11% | 70 |
| Kentucky | $71K | -12% | 90 |
| North Dakota | $71K | -13% | 80 |
| Ohio | $71K | -13% | 490 |
| Wyoming | $71K | -13% | 100 |
| Georgia | $63K | -23% | 490 |
| Louisiana | $60K | -26% | N/A |
| Illinois | $55K | -33% | 180 |
Showing 1–10 of 41 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track cartographers and photogrammetrists salary changes
BLS updates this data annually. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a cartographers and photogrammetrist afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Yes — at the median salary of $96K, rent takes 24.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.
What’s the entry-level salary for cartographers and photogrammetrists in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new cartographers and photogrammetrists typically earn — is $51K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $3,552/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 44% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is cartographers and photogrammetrist a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Local pay is 18% above the national median — $96K here vs. $81K nationally.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for cartographers and photogrammetrists?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $96K median vs. the U.S. average of $81K — that’s +18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $98K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do cartographers and photogrammetrists make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $96,390 a year, that works out to about $46 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $50,510, and experienced cartographers and photogrammetrists can clear $172,580. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $96K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,350/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 24.8% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.
How far does a cartographers and photogrammetrists salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median cartographers and photogrammetrists salary is worth about $97,729 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do cartographers and photogrammetrists get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.