Hiring a cartographer in Madison, WI

Do Madison residents in architecture and engineering work earn more than employers in the Madison, WI area pay?

Madison residents working in architecture and engineering occupations earn a median of $73,771 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $82,870 as the median of the 27 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Madison, WI area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 11%, with the employers figure the higher of the two.

Both sides of that figure describe the whole architecture and engineering group, not this one role. In the Madison, WI area the group covers 27 occupations BLS publishes a wage for, from calibration technologists and technicians at $62,000 to materials engineers at $111,050 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with cartographers and photogrammetrists at $90,230 inside it.

That comparison is between two different measures, not a pay gap. The two weight the same occupation group differently: the Census figure is the midpoint across the people who actually hold those jobs, so a group carrying a few very well paid occupations is pulled toward them, while the BLS figure is the midpoint across the 27 published occupation wages, which counts each of those occupations once whatever its headcount. Census also counts where people live and BLS counts where the jobs are, and the two cover different populations, Census the civilian employed population 16 and over, BLS wage-and-salary jobs only. Read the number against other cities, where the same definitional difference applies on both sides, rather than as a shortfall.

Published wages across this group in the metro run above what Madison residents in it earn, which usually means employers here draw this talent from beyond the city line rather than from inside it.

Is the talent actually in Madison?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not. O*NET OnLine, SOC 17-1021.

That matters here, because 59.2% of Madison adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501, residents of Madison aged 25 and over.

The average Madison commute runs 19.4 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 18.2% of Madison workers already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that. Census ACS 5-year 2023, place-level commuting characteristics for Madison.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In Dane County, architectural, engineering and related services employs 5,676 and turns over 4.3% a quarter, with 399 hires against 324 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $8,165 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5413.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about cartographers and photogrammetrists. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a low-churn market, where people do not move often and passive candidates are the whole game.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's $90,230 median in the Madison, WI area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would bill roughly $18,046 to $27,069 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Questions employers ask about hiring a cartographer in Madison

What does it cost to hire a cartographer in Madison?

Tier I to Tier VI, $6,240 to $54,340 per search, set by the seniority of the role and never by salary or location. A contingency firm billing 20 to 30% of this role's $90,230 median wage in the Madison, WI area (BLS OEWS, May 2025) would charge roughly $18,046 to $27,069 on the first year salary alone.

What should an offer for a cartographer in Madison look like?

Employers in the Madison, WI area pay cartographers and photogrammetrists a median of $90,230, with the middle half of the market between $69,280 and $109,300 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). A band set below $69,280 competes for the bottom quarter of that market.

Do Madison residents in architecture and engineering work earn more than employers in the Madison, WI area pay?

Madison residents working in architecture and engineering occupations earn a median of $73,771 (Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011), against $82,870 as the median of the 27 wages BLS publishes for that same occupation group in the Madison, WI area (BLS OEWS, May 2025), a difference of 11%. Both figures cover the whole occupation group rather than this one role, and one counts where people live while the other counts where the jobs are, so the percentage is not a pay gap.

Is the talent for this role already in Madison?

This is a job zone 4 occupation, which usually calls for a bachelor's degree, and 59.2% of Madison adults hold one or higher (Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501). That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role.

Related

• Hiring Cartographers and Photogrammetrists: the role, the pay, the process
• Recruiting services in Madison
• Every Wisconsin city we cover

Madison is the 2nd largest of 2 Wisconsin cities in this dataset.