17
Surveyors is a notable career in the 17 category. This page provides verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0 (2024), helping you compare Surveyors against similar careers and make data-driven decisions.
Education Administrators, All Other
11
Personal Service Managers, All Other
11
Managers, All Other
11
Buyers and Purchasing Agents
13
Business Operations Specialists, All Other
13
| soc | 17-1022 |
| title | Surveyors |
| onet code | 17-1022.00 |
| description | 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. |
| job zone | 4 |
| major group | 17 |
| tot emp | 53,080 |
| a mean | 76,730 |
| a median | 72,740 |
| a pct10 | 43,680 |
| a pct25 | 53,590 |
| a pct75 | 94,550 |
| a pct90 | 116,330 |
| h mean | 36 |
| h median | 34 |
The day-to-day work of a surveyors typically centers on direct or conduct surveys to establish legal boundaries for properties, based on legal deeds and titles. Every task listed below is classified as Core in O*NET — they collectively define the role. Task descriptions below are quoted from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET 29.0 occupation profile.
Workers in this occupation rely most on Mathematics, Reading Comprehension, and Writing. Across the top 10 skills, the average O*NET importance score is 3.56 out of 5 — highly rated for this role. Importance reflects how essential each skill is for adequate job performance.
Among working surveyors, the most common entry qualification is a Bachelor's Degree (47.4%). Bachelor's-degree-or-higher credentials are reported by 47% of incumbents. Entry pathways are mixed; a meaningful minority enters without a four-year degree.
Median annual pay is highest in California at $103,790 and lowest in Minnesota at $46,610 — a 2.2× spread. The top five states (California, New Jersey, Washington, Oregon, South Dakota) average $91,876. Figures reflect BLS OEWS May 2024 state-level wage estimates; percentiles shown are for full-time wage-earners in each state.
| State | Median | Mean | 10th % | 90th % | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $103,790 | $109,620 | $57,330 | $158,720 | 3,750 |
| New Jersey | $93,260 | $90,840 | $49,340 | $134,560 | 950 |
| Washington | $88,340 | $93,850 | $63,040 | $133,890 | 800 |
| Oregon | $87,730 | $90,990 | $61,960 | $123,360 | 580 |
| South Dakota | $86,260 | $90,100 | $65,520 | $129,990 | 170 |
| Alaska | $85,520 | $94,900 | $60,600 | $155,030 | 290 |
| Delaware | $85,350 | $88,020 | $68,800 | $115,140 | 70 |
| Massachusetts | $84,260 | $87,890 | $62,540 | $109,990 | 1,800 |
| Nevada | $82,990 | $94,180 | $63,310 | $128,740 | 570 |
| Indiana | $81,010 | $82,840 | $46,690 | $116,300 | 1,000 |
| Maine | $80,740 | $83,490 | $54,630 | $119,990 | 300 |
| Hawaii | $79,730 | $81,180 | $52,060 | $115,600 | 120 |
| Montana | $79,230 | $83,100 | $57,990 | $109,030 | 360 |
| New York | $79,050 | $86,030 | $51,490 | $126,380 | 1,570 |
| North Dakota | $78,750 | $85,980 | $59,650 | $117,930 | 310 |
| Arizona | $78,480 | $77,550 | $49,250 | $99,620 | 1,440 |
| Illinois | $77,540 | $80,020 | $47,600 | $111,260 | 1,450 |
| Wyoming | $77,320 | $80,810 | $52,000 | $107,070 | 220 |
| Colorado | $77,050 | $81,420 | $55,440 | $114,140 | 1,580 |
| Wisconsin | $76,790 | $80,390 | $52,590 | $112,790 | 660 |
| Connecticut | $76,760 | $80,340 | $59,220 | $101,320 | 530 |
| Iowa | $76,720 | $82,920 | $62,980 | $104,740 | 450 |
| New Mexico | $75,190 | $77,700 | $39,260 | $114,940 | 210 |
| Tennessee | $74,690 | $77,950 | $45,760 | $106,100 | 800 |
| Idaho | $74,270 | $74,910 | $43,770 | $109,120 | 270 |
| Pennsylvania | $73,680 | $80,090 | $48,110 | $111,130 | 1,360 |
| Virginia | $73,380 | $77,200 | $48,080 | $106,120 | 1,410 |
| Kansas | $70,820 | $74,130 | $47,330 | $102,500 | 400 |
| Michigan | $69,990 | $73,980 | $49,180 | $103,530 | 1,410 |
| Vermont | $68,510 | $70,210 | $53,020 | $81,220 | 130 |
| North Carolina | $67,870 | $75,360 | $43,990 | $124,280 | 1,660 |
| Kentucky | $67,060 | $71,040 | $39,520 | $106,120 | 580 |
| New Hampshire | $66,750 | $69,830 | $47,280 | $96,380 | 260 |
| Nebraska | $66,020 | $71,830 | $48,460 | $105,280 | 260 |
| Ohio | $65,970 | $71,950 | $37,760 | $116,300 | 1,160 |
| Utah | $64,260 | $70,010 | $40,780 | $104,360 | 660 |
| Alabama | $63,700 | $70,510 | $44,140 | $102,290 | 830 |
| South Carolina | $62,160 | $68,860 | $44,460 | $105,490 | 870 |
| Florida | $62,100 | $68,700 | $44,920 | $101,850 | 4,310 |
| Maryland | $62,100 | $68,680 | $42,930 | $99,960 | 1,150 |
| West Virginia | $61,610 | $67,010 | $37,790 | $103,260 | 520 |
| Oklahoma | $60,870 | $66,120 | $37,140 | $99,000 | 890 |
| Georgia | $60,410 | $67,720 | $40,630 | $101,720 | 1,720 |
| Louisiana | $60,020 | $65,450 | $37,190 | $97,770 | 1,360 |
| District of Columbia | $59,860 | $79,970 | $58,100 | $121,890 | — |
| Missouri | $59,500 | $62,230 | $29,200 | $95,310 | 1,150 |
| Texas | $59,450 | $67,280 | $37,820 | $103,730 | 7,530 |
| Mississippi | $57,370 | $65,000 | $35,820 | $104,170 | 590 |
| Arkansas | $57,260 | $58,720 | $29,940 | $92,080 | 520 |
| Rhode Island | $52,000 | $57,620 | $49,640 | $79,990 | 130 |
| Minnesota | $46,610 | $65,060 | $41,600 | $107,020 | 1,850 |
Recruiters and job boards use several alternate titles for surveyors. Knowing these variants widens your job search — listings for City Surveyor or Construction Surveyor frequently describe the same role. The list below is a sample of the most common industry variants.
This data helps you understand how Surveyors compares to others in the 17 category. Use it to make informed decisions based on verified data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0.
careers with the closest data values to Surveyors
The CertifyWize editorial team aggregates and verifies careers data from BLS OEWS 2024 + O*NET 29.0. Every statistic on this site is cross-referenced against the official source before publication, with quarterly re-verification cycles.
Read our full methodology or contact us with corrections.