Top Skills for This Career
BLS identifies these as the three highest-rated skills for this detailed occupation. TrustInEd adds the plain-language explanations so visitors understand what each skill means.
Using numbers, measurements, formulas, quantitative reasoning, and mathematical concepts.
Paying close attention to accuracy, quality, instructions, and small but important details.
Using computers, software, digital systems, and technology to complete work and solve problems.
How Do You Prepare for This Career?
BLS describes the typical preparation for this occupation. Requirements can vary by employer, state, licensing rules and individual circumstances.
How to Become One
How to Become a Surveyor Along with a degree, surveyors typically need to work with a licensed surveyor. Surveyors typically need a bachelor’s degree to enter the occupation. They must be licensed before they can certify legal documents and provide surveying services to the public.
Education
Surveyors typically need a bachelor’s degree in land surveying or a related field, such as engineering or natural resources. Some colleges and universities offer programs that prepare students to become licensed surveyors. In some cases, employers may hire candidates who have an associate’s degree and additional
Training
. Training Entry-level surveyors often work under the direction of a licensed surveyor for several years before they qualify to obtain a license. This training may be in the form of an internship or apprenticeship. Work Experience in a Related Occupation Some surveyors begin as surveying technicians and become licensed surveyors after gaining many years of work experience under the direction of a licensed surveyor. Specific requirements vary by state. Check with your state’s licensing agency for more information.
Licenses, Certifications & Registrations
All 50 states and the District of Columbia require surveyors to be licensed before they can provide their services to the public. These services include certifying legal documents that show property lines or determine proper markings, such as for construction projects. Prospective licensed surveyors may need a bachelor’s degree from an accredited program in order to sit for the licensing exam. Candidates typically work for several years under the direction of a licensed surveyor to qualify for licensure. Information on state licensing board requirements is available from CareerOneStop.
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Pay
the median annual wage for all workers was $50,980.
Job Outlook
Job Outlook Employment of surveyors is projected to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations. About 3,100 openings for surveyors are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Many of those openings are expected to result from the need to replace workers who transfer to different occupations or exit the labor force, such as to retire. Employment Surveyors will continue to be needed to certify boundary lines and review sites for construction. Employment demand also will be tied to projects such as road repair and mining activities. Although drones and other advancements make some aspects of survey work more efficient, surveyors will continue to be needed to review and interpret the output of these technologies to ensure accuracy and completeness. Surveyors Percent change in employment, projected 2025–35 Surveyors 6% Architects, surveyors, and cartographers 5% Total, all occupations 3% Note: All Occupations includes all occupations in the U.S. Economy.
What They Do
What Surveyors Do
Surveyors make precise measurements to determine property boundaries. They provide data relevant to features of the Earth’s surface, such as shape and contour, for engineering, mapmaking, construction, and other purposes.
Duties
Surveyors typically do the following:
- Search legal records, survey records, and land titles to obtain information about property boundaries in areas to be surveyed
- Measure distances and angles between points on, above, and below the Earth’s surface
- Travel to locations and use known reference points to determine the exact location of important features
- Record the results of surveying and verify the accuracy of data
- Prepare or supervise preparation of plots, maps, and reports
- Present findings to clients
- Establish official land and water boundaries for deeds, leases, and other legal documents and testify in court regarding survey work
Surveyors mark and document the location of legal property lines. For example, when a house or commercial building is bought or sold, surveyors may mark property boundaries to prevent or resolve disputes.
Much of the measuring equipment surveyors use incorporates technology. For example, when taking measurements in the field, surveyors use handheld Global Positioning System (GPS) units as well as robotic total stations, instruments that automate positioning of a telescope. They also use computers to interpret and verify the results of the information they gather.
In addition, surveyors use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology to present spatial information as visualizations in maps, reports, and charts. For example, a surveyor might overlay aerial or satellite images with GIS data, such as tree density in a region, and use Computer Aided Design (CAD) software to create digital maps.
Surveyors may be part of a crew that includes surveying technicians. These crews also work with civil engineers, landscape architects, cartographers and photogrammetrists, and urban and regional planners to develop comprehensive design documents. The documents have a variety of purposes, such as to advise local governments on where to plan and build roads.
The following are examples of types of surveyors:
Boundary or land surveyors determine the legal property lines and help determine the exact locations of real estate and construction projects.
Geodetic surveyors use high-accuracy technology, including aerial and satellite observations, to measure large areas of the Earth’s surface.
Pipeline surveyors survey and record the location of existing and planned pipelines to ensure that placement complies with established requirements.
Work Environment
Work Environment
Surveyors held about 52,000 jobs in 2025. The largest employers of surveyors were as follows:
| Architectural, engineering, and related services | 71% |
| Construction | 10 |
| Government, excluding state and local education and hospitals | 9 |
| Self-employed workers | 2 |
| Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction | 1 |
Surveying involves both fieldwork and office work. Fieldwork may require working outdoors in all types of weather, walking long distances, and standing for extended periods while taking measurements. Surveyors may climb hills with heavy packs of surveying instruments. When working near hazards such as traffic, surveyors generally wear brightly colored or reflective vests to make themselves more visible. When working in underground mines, surveyors are in enclosed spaces.
Traveling is often part of the job, and surveyors may commute long distances. Those who work on resource extraction projects may be in remote areas and spend long periods away from home.
Work Schedules
Most surveyors work full time. They may have longer workdays while doing fieldwork.
Important Qualities
The following are examples of qualities that are important for these workers to perform their duties. For more information, visit the Employment Projections (EP) skills data page. Communication skills. Surveyors must provide clear instructions to team members, clients, and government officials. Both written and oral communication are important. Detail oriented. Surveyors must be precise and accurate in their work, which includes making measurements and producing maps, reports, and legally binding documents. Physical stamina. Surveyors do fieldwork outdoors, often in rugged terrain. They must be able to walk long distances, sometimes while carrying heavy equipment, and may stand for long periods. Problem-solving skills. Surveyors must reconcile discrepancies between information in documents and current conditions on the land. Time-management skills. Surveyors must be able to effectively plan their own and their team’s work schedules to meet critical deadlines. Visualization skills. Surveyors must be able to envision how terrain will look when it is moved or altered.
More Information
More Information, Including Links to O*NET
Learn more about surveyors by visiting additional resources, including O*NET, a source on key characteristics of workers and occupations.
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Start with ED →Career data and occupational profile text are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook and Employment Projections program. Education requirements are typical entry-level requirements and may vary by employer, state, occupation or individual circumstance. View the official BLS profile.