Surveyors
Make exact measurements and determine property boundaries. Provide data relevant to the shape, contour, gravitation, location, elevation, or dimension of land or land features on or near the earth's surface for engineering, mapmaking, mining, land evaluation, construction, and other purposes.
- Median pay
- $75,440
- Doing it now
- 52,000
- By 2035
- Up 5.8%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
a year
across the country
3,100 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Prepare and maintain sketches, maps, reports, and legal descriptions of surveys to describe, certify, and assume liability for work performed.
- Verify the accuracy of survey data, including measurements and calculations conducted at survey sites.
- Direct or conduct surveys to establish legal boundaries for properties, based on legal deeds and titles.
- Record the results of surveys, including the shape, contour, location, elevation, and dimensions of land or land features.
- Calculate heights, depths, relative positions, property lines, and other characteristics of terrain.
- Prepare, or supervise preparation of, all data, charts, plots, maps, records, and documents related to surveys.
- Write descriptions of property boundary surveys for use in deeds, leases, or other legal documents.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Engineering-Related Technologies/TechniciansSee 30 colleges that teach it
- Surveying EngineeringSee 11 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Hands-on and practical
Analytical and curious
Organised and precise
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $75,440 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.