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Cartographers and Photogrammetrists vs Industrial Engineer: what changes?

Consider Cartographers and Photogrammetrists if you want to research, study, and prepare maps and other spatial data in digital or graphic form for one or more purposes, such as legal, social, political, educational, and design purposes. Consider Industrial Engineer if you would rather design, develop, test, and evaluate integrated systems for managing industrial production processes, including human work factors, quality control, inventory control, logistics and material flow, cost analysis…. Both list bachelor's degree; compare training and prior experience separately.

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Cartographers and Photogrammetrists and Industrial Engineer. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences
What this means in practice

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Start with earnings, the route into the job, training, available openings, and a day-to-day reality.

Cartographers and Photogrammetrists

National median pay (2025)
$81,390
Route into the job
Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate
Compile data required for map preparation, including aerial photographs, survey notes, records, reports, and original maps.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
900
Know before you choose

This is a small national occupation (14,700 jobs in 2025), so location and employer concentration can matter more than the national median suggests.

See the full Cartographers and Photogrammetrists brief

Industrial Engineer

National median pay (2025)
$102,440
Route into the job
Bachelor's degree
Prior related experience
No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing
BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate
Estimate production costs, cost saving methods, and the effects of product design changes on expenditures for management review, action, and control.
Annual openings (2025–2035)
23,100
Know before you choose

Review the full career brief for day-to-day working conditions.

See the full Industrial Engineer brief
See scores, detailed data, and how the comparison works

How the national numbers differ

1

Industrial Engineer has the edge on annual openings

Industrial Engineer is at 23,100 annual openings, compared with 900 annual openings for Cartographers and Photogrammetrists.

2

Industrial Engineer has the edge on median pay

Industrial Engineer is at $102,440, compared with $81,390 for Cartographers and Photogrammetrists.

3

Industrial Engineer has the edge on projected growth

Industrial Engineer is at 12.4% projected growth, compared with 7.4% projected growth for Cartographers and Photogrammetrists.

52.5/ 100

Cartographers and Photogrammetrists

vs
77.1/ 100

Industrial Engineer

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Cartographers and Photogrammetrists vs Industrial Engineer

DimensionCartographers and PhotogrammetristsIndustrial Engineer
Median pay (2025)$81,390$102,440
Pay percentile73.8 percentile84.5 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)7.4%12.4%
Annual openings (2025–2035)90023,100
2025 employment14,700365,100
How you qualifyBachelor's degreeBachelor's degree
O*NET preparation groupJob Zone 4Job Zone 4
Related work experienceNo prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
On-the-job trainingBLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Cartographers and Photogrammetrists briefRead Industrial Engineer brief

Try another comparison

Cartographers and Photogrammetrists vs Landscape Architects

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Cartographers and Photogrammetrists
$81,390 · 7.4% growth
Landscape Architects
$79,870 · 4.4% growth
Compare careers →

Industrial Engineer vs Mechanical Engineer

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Industrial Engineer
$102,440 · 12.4% growth
Mechanical Engineer
$104,110 · 11.2% growth
Compare careers →

Industrial Engineer vs Data Scientist

Compare pay, growth, education, and the tradeoffs that affect the decision.

Industrial Engineer
$102,440 · 12.4% growth
Data Scientist
$120,230 · 34.6% growth
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ChooseField compares fields using public labor-market and professional sources.