How To Become A Senior GIS Analyst: What It Is and Career Path

What is a senior gis analyst and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

Quoted Expert

Mark Revell

A senior GIS analyst is an expert in the knowledge and use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The senior GIS analyst then uses this information to design digital maps, verify legal deed descriptions, and make decisions on how land is utilized. As a senior GIS analyst, you will be required to lead a team of GIS analysts, especially in the design and analysis of GIS databases.

If you're wondering why this information is so useful, then think about fields like wildlife study, land demarcation, tax mapping, and transportation networks. You will also be required to conduct regular inspections to ensure all procedures and processes adhere to company standards and policies.

A senior GIS analyst earns $36.81 an hour, which amounts to about $76,558 annually. This job description requires you to be proficient in python, geospatial data, Seri, Desktop, amongst others. The most commonly required educational level is a bachelor's degree in geography, geology, or a related field.

What general advice would you give to a Senior GIS Analyst?

Mark Revell

Manager, American Association of Geographers

Geography is an extremely broad, interdisciplinary field with a wide range of career paths. Geography graduates can be found in all sectors of the workforce in diverse areas such as transportation, city planning, business and marketing, environmental conservation, foreign intelligence, academia, and a host of other industries. Because our field is so diverse, the career prospects for some geographers are very different than others. For example, with budgets tightening there may temporarily be some challenging times ahead for those pursuing work in state and local government, or other industries that have been highly impacted by the pandemic. However, the overall job prospects for geographers are excellent. Indeed, the COVID-19 pandemic has only highlighted the essential contributions of geographers working as data analysts at the state level, as well as NIH and other federal agencies and private firms where they have produced maps depicting the virus' spread. There are so many current social and environmental issues that have spatial components, geographers trained in the use of geospatial technologies are very likely to be in high demand through the foreseeable future and beyond.

ScoreSenior GIS AnalystUS Average

Salary

6.1

Avg. Salary $78,218

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

5.3

Growth Rate 9%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.5

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.19%

Asian 14.51%

Black or African American 10.41%

Hispanic or Latino 11.15%

Unknown 5.02%

White 58.72%

Gender

female 24.43%

male 75.57%

Age - 42

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 42

Stress Level

5.3

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

8.4

Complexity Level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

4.8

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a senior gis analyst

Explore senior gis analyst education requirements

Most common senior gis analyst degrees

Bachelor's

68.6 %

Master's

18.9 %

Associate

9.1 %

Start to develop specific senior gis analyst skills

Skills	Percentages
Python	10.21%
Geospatial	9.17%
Esri	6.27%
Desktop	6.16%
Infrastructure	5.55%

Complete relevant senior gis analyst training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New senior gis analysts learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a senior gis analyst based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real senior gis analyst resumes.

Research senior gis analyst duties and responsibilities

Manage and administrate SDE database and tune up database for maximum performance.
Manage administration and supervise development of logistics policies and programs to ensure they meet the changing conditions in program requirements.
Present research and provide advice and guidance to program officials involving data analysis and visualization.
Design and maintenance of department SharePoint site.

Get senior gis analyst experience

Generally, it takes 4-6 years to become a senior gis analyst. The most common roles before becoming a senior gis analyst include gis analyst, gis technician team lead and gis specialist.

Prepare your senior gis analyst resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your senior gis analyst resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a senior gis analyst resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Senior GIS Analyst Resume templates

Build a professional Senior GIS Analyst resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Senior GIS Analyst resume.

Apply for senior gis analyst jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a senior gis analyst job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do senior gis analysts rate their job?

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Senior GIS Analyst reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Oct 2023

Pros

Creativity becomes more reachable, work becomes more appreciated. Both a pro and con: A wide variety of topics are covered under GIS Developer, and so knowledge of several tools, and many years experience is needed to be successful in this role.

Cons

A wide variety of topics are covered under GIS Developer, and so knowledge of several tools, and many years experience is needed to be successful in this role.

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2019