Work Environment

Surveyors held about 46,000 jobs in 2020. The largest employers of surveyors were as follows:

• Architectural, engineering, and related services - 71%
• Government - 10%
• Construction - 7%
• Self-employed workers - 5%
• Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction - 2%

Depending on the specific job duties, surveying involves both fieldwork and office work. Fieldwork involves working outdoors in all types of weather, walking long distances, and standing for extended periods while taking measurements. Surveyors sometimes climb hills with heavy packs of surveying instruments. When working near hazards such as traffic, surveyors generally wear brightly colored or reflective vests so they may be seen more easily. When working in underground mines, surveyors work in enclosed spaces.

Traveling is often part of the job, and surveyors may commute long distances or stay at a project location for an extended period of time. Those who work on resource extraction projects may work in remote areas and spend long periods away from home.

Work Schedules

Surveyors usually work full time. When construction activity is high, they may work more hours than usual.

Job Outlook

Employment of surveyors is projected to grow 2 percent from 2020 to 2030, slower than the average for all occupations.

Despite limited employment growth, about 4,000 openings for surveyors are projected each year, on average, over the decade. Most 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, work on resource extraction projects, and review sites for construction. However, the use of drones and other technologies is expected to increase worker productivity and may therefore limit employment growth.

Earnings

The median annual wage for surveyors was $61,600 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $37,360, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $101,240.

In May 2021, the median annual wages for surveyors in the top industries in which they worked were as follows:

• Government - $77,460
• Mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction - $64,150
• Construction - $60,980
• Architectural, engineering, and related services - $60,980

Surveyors usually work full time. When construction activity is high, they may work more hours than usual.