What Does a Surveyor Do?
Before a fence goes up or a foundation is poured, someone has to find where the property line really runs, and that is a surveyor's job. Surveyors measure land with total stations and GPS receivers out on sites, then draw up maps and signed plats in the office for builders, lenders and planners. Most work for surveying and engineering firms or government agencies.
Other Job Titles for This Work
Workers in this occupation report titles such as City Surveyor, County Surveyor, Land Surveyor, Licensed Land Surveyor, Mine Surveyor, Professional Land Surveyor, Registered Land Surveyor, Staff Land Surveyor.
Surveyor Duties and Responsibilities
The primary responsibilities of a surveyor include:
- Measure distances, angles and elevations with total stations, GPS receivers and digital levels.
- Research deeds, plats and title records before heading out to a site.
- Locate and set property corners, boundary monuments and survey control points.
- Stake out building corners, grades and utility lines for construction crews.
- Process field data in CAD and GIS software to produce maps and surface models.
- Prepare signed plats, legal descriptions and survey reports for clients and county records.
- Resolve conflicts between recorded descriptions and the evidence found on the ground.
- Supervise field crews of survey technicians and instrument operators.
- Maintain base maps and as-built records of buildings, roads and buried utilities.
- Testify in boundary disputes and explain findings to attorneys, owners and neighbors.
Required Skills and Qualifications
To succeed as a surveyor, you will need the following skills and qualifications:
- Professional Land Surveyor (PLS) license, required to certify surveys
- Total stations, GPS receivers and field data collectors
- AutoCAD Civil 3D and GIS software
- Geometry, trigonometry and coordinate systems
- Reading deeds, plats and legal descriptions
- Stamina for long days on your feet in heat, cold and rough terrain
- Neat, complete field notes
- Plain explanations for owners, lawyers and contractors
Education and Training
States require surveyors who certify boundaries to be licensed. To become licensed, in many states you will need a degree, supervised experience and passing scores on national and state exams to qualify to sign surveys. Most future surveyors study surveying, geomatics or civil engineering, but some start out by working on a survey crew and taking courses as they go.
Salary and Job Outlook
Typical pay: $58,170 - $98,130 per year, with a median of $75,440.
The range covers the middle half of earners nationwide. Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, Surveyors.
Employment of surveyors should grow about 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, according to BLS projections. That adds up to roughly 3,100 openings a year in a fairly small profession. Hiring tends to follow construction and land development, so a graduate who keeps moving toward a license should have steady prospects.
Outlook source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035, Surveyors.
Surveyor Pay Range
| Earners | Annual pay |
|---|---|
| Bottom 10% earn less than | $46,880 |
| Bottom 25% earn less than | $58,170 |
| Median (half earn more, half less) | $75,440 |
| Top 25% earn more than | $98,130 |
| Top 10% earn more than | $125,590 |
Highest-Paying States for Surveyors
The states with the highest median pay for this occupation are California ($105,330), Alaska ($99,550), Oregon ($97,070), Massachusetts ($94,590), Washington ($85,610). Pay is lowest in Mississippi ($58,720), Georgia ($58,100), Arkansas ($51,800).
Median pay in all 50 states with BLS data
| State | Median annual pay |
|---|---|
| Alabama | $66,840 |
| Alaska | $99,550 |
| Arizona | $77,490 |
| Arkansas | $51,800 |
| California | $105,330 |
| Colorado | $79,310 |
| Connecticut | $76,730 |
| Delaware | $82,890 |
| Florida | $65,480 |
| Georgia | $58,100 |
| Hawaii | $82,200 |
| Idaho | $73,940 |
| Illinois | $75,980 |
| Indiana | $80,510 |
| Iowa | $77,090 |
| Kansas | $75,860 |
| Kentucky | $71,840 |
| Louisiana | $63,140 |
| Maine | $83,200 |
| Maryland | $64,910 |
| Massachusetts | $94,590 |
| Michigan | $72,080 |
| Minnesota | $83,620 |
| Mississippi | $58,720 |
| Missouri | $62,110 |
| Montana | $84,610 |
| Nebraska | $68,050 |
| Nevada | $82,460 |
| New Hampshire | $65,130 |
| New Jersey | $77,160 |
| New Mexico | $74,230 |
| New York | $78,870 |
| North Carolina | $76,210 |
| North Dakota | $79,360 |
| Ohio | $70,620 |
| Oklahoma | $61,300 |
| Oregon | $97,070 |
| Pennsylvania | $75,950 |
| Rhode Island | $62,670 |
| South Carolina | $63,300 |
| South Dakota | $77,190 |
| Tennessee | $76,340 |
| Texas | $61,150 |
| Utah | $73,230 |
| Vermont | $76,450 |
| Virginia | $71,070 |
| Washington | $85,610 |
| West Virginia | $61,520 |
| Wisconsin | $79,650 |
| Wyoming | $81,250 |
What the Work Is Like
O*NET surveys people who work as surveyors about their daily conditions. Of those surveyed:
- 100% use email every day
- 100% say being exact and accurate is very or extremely important
- 90% say teamwork is very or extremely important in their job
- 75% are on the phone every day
- 65% use their hands on tools, objects or controls for more than half the day
- 60% work outdoors in all kinds of weather every day
- 47% work indoors in a climate-controlled space every day
Education Workers Say the Job Needs
| Education level | Share of workers |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's degree | 47% |
| Some college | 21% |
| High school diploma or GED | 16% |
| Associate's degree | 11% |
Tools and Software Surveyors Use
Tools and equipment
Software
Is This Job a Good Fit for You?
People who do well in this job tend to enjoy organized work with data, records and clear procedures as well as hands-on work with tools, machines or the outdoors.
Skills O*NET rates most important: Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Active Listening.
Knowledge areas used most: Mathematics, Engineering and Technology, Geography, Computers and Electronics, Customer and Personal Service.
Preparation: O*NET places this occupation in Job Zone 4 of 5, which means considerable preparation.
Related Careers
These jobs use similar skills, according to O*NET's related-occupation data:
Applying for a Surveyor Job
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2025 to 2035.
- O*NET 30.1 Database, occupation 17-1022.00 (Surveyors). View on O*NET OnLine.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. The Job Explorer has modified some of the information; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these changes.