Python appears in 27% of all geospatial job postings — more than double any other single skill. It is the closest thing this industry has to a lingua franca. But here’s the paradox: the most demanded skills aren’t always the highest paid.

Brown’s 2025 GIS Career Panel brought together professionals working in transportation, utilities, government, environmental planning, research and GIS management. The panel included a senior data analyst, GIS manager, researcher, state GIO and GIS specialist.