In late January, OpenStreetMap US wrapped up the 2024 Community Survey! Heading into 2025 and the 15th anniversary of the organization, the OSM US team wanted to provide a space for questions, feedback on OSM US tech and programs, and insight into the community. The survey ran from October 29, 2024, to January 3, 2025 (with an additional three day run during the weekend of Mapping USA in late January), and received 128 responses. Below is an overview of survey responses, including what folks are mapping and where, who is doing that mapping, and some highlights from questions such as “What is your proudest edit or story about OSM?”.
The last OSM US Community Survey took place in 2019. If you’re interested in seeing how the 2024 responses match up, you can read the blog post reviewing the 2019 survey here.
A big thank you to everyone who participated. Your feedback, perspectives, and opinions are valued!
The following percentages represent the proportion of all 128 survey responses.
What are People Mapping?
Where in North America are OSM US community members contributing to the map? This map shows where Community Survey respondents have been editing. About 100 mappers who responded to the Community Survey chose to share their OSM usernames with us. The map shows OSM features (tagged elements) that were last edited by one of those users, aggregated into a heatmap.
Try zooming into the map! You might even be able to make out some areas where your own contributions to OSM are visible.
Mapping pedestrian infrastructure has a lot of momentum going into 2025, matching the popularity of mapping points of interest (POIs), and just barely beating out roads (68.7%)! For those 93 sidewalk mappers out there, we invite you to contribute to one of the many locally-organized pedestrian-focused OSM US Tasking Manager projects, like these ones in Kendall County, Chicago, and Richmond!
The majority of survey respondents enjoy mapping where they live/have lived (97.6%), and/or places they have traveled to (87.5%). Some of the “other” responses include “Wherever MapRoulette takes me,” “Under-mapped places like those highlighted by https://en.osm.town/@SmallTownUSA,” and a number of entries for places related to the mapper’s profession.
Most survey respondents contribute as a desktop/remote mapper (92.2%) and/or a field/mobile mapper (79%).
You can see a fairly even distribution between people who have been involved in OpenStreetMap for 1-5 years (26.6%), 5-10 years (24.2%), and 10-15 years (27.3%). An extra welcome to the 9.4% of respondents who have been involved for less than 1 year!
It appears the most widely used OSM US-supported projects are OSMCha (55.5%) and MapRoulette (66.4%) (both OSM US Charter Projects).
Demographics
California is the most-represented state in the 2024 Community Survey out of the 124 people who gave their location with 11 responses, followed closely by Virginia (10) and Washington State (9). There were 33 states represented, plus DC! Most states had more than one respondent, and if you have yet to meet that local mapping friend, join the OSM US Slack and your #local-[state] channel.
The majority of survey respondents identified as white (79.9%), male (80.5%), and between the ages of 35-39 (18.8%). This result highlights the need to continue and expand efforts to create welcoming and accessible spaces for the BIPOC, queer, and marginalized mappers, researchers, data users, community leaders, educators, and project maintainers in our community. The OpenStreetMap US team has centered this as a 2025 priority.
The largest number of respondents identified as a local community member/leader (46.1%), followed by OSM US Working Group member (17.9%) and new to the OSM community (14.1%).
Long Answer Questions
Here are some highlights from two of the long answer questions asked in the Community Survey. They represent common themes, unique stories, or funny responses that the OSM US team simply enjoyed reading. Some responses have been edited for clarity.
Frequently Asked Questions
The last survey question provided space for folks to ask questions or give additional context to prior responses. Here are the answers to the most common questions asked:
Can I join a Working Group even if I am not a member?
Yes! Anyone is welcome to join OpenStreetMap US Working Groups. For most Working Groups, just complete the Working Group Interest Form and you’ll be added to upcoming calendar invitations. You can find the Education Working Group on Meetup!
Is there anything to learn from the State of the Map US 2025 for a new person?
Definitely! This year, the first day of the conference will be entirely workshop sessions for OSM users and editors of varying skill levels. Birds of a Feather sessions and social events are also fantastic spaces to get to know people with similar interests and ask questions directly to the folks who maintain the tools and projects you use. There’s something for everyone at State of the Map US, whether you’ve mapped all the sidewalks in Chicago or just opened iD editor for the first time!
Are there any [name your city/state/area] groups active currently that I can get involved with?
Maybe! Here are the best ways to find active mapping groups in your area:
- Find relevant #local-[city/state/area] channels on the OSM US Slack.
- Check OSMCal for any online or in person events. The platform is used by local mapping groups all over the globe.
- Look at the OSM Community Index and zoom in to your location.
If you’re unable to find a group, that’s a great reason to start one yourself! OSM US is launching a microgrant program for new and existing local communities across the United States in the coming weeks. Subscribe to the OSM US monthly newsletter to be notified of when applications open!
Can OSM US leave X and get on Bluesky?
Heard! OSM US is taking a break from posting on X, but you can now find us @osmus.bsky.social!
