Perform surveying and mapping duties, usually under the direction of an engineer, surveyor, cartographer, or photogrammetrist, to obtain data used for construction, mapmaking, boundary location, mining, or other purposes. May calculate mapmaking information and create maps from source data, such as surveying notes, aerial photography, satellite data, or other maps to show topographical features, political boundaries, and other features. May verify accuracy and completeness of maps. Excludes “Cartographers and Photogrammetrists” (17-1021), “Surveyors" (17-1022), and “Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers” (19-2042).
National median · BLS
$54,240
▲ +4.43%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$58,000
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
58,010
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Surveying and Mapping Technicians
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$37,520
25th
$45,430
Median (50th)
$54,240
75th
$66,700
90th — top pay
$81,630
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
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Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Surveying and Mapping Technicians
BLS projects employment of surveying and mapping technicians to grow 5.8% from 2025 to 2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 6,900 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
58,800 → 62,200
+3,400 jobs
Projected change
+5.8%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
6,900
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Moderate-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
1.1% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 3)
Medium Preparation Needed. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Surveying and Mapping Technicians salaries by state
BLS state medians, plus the same figure adjusted for local prices (BEA Regional Price Parities). Tap a state for its full range and H-1B pay.
State
Median
Jobs
Cost-adjusted
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Surveying and Mapping Technicians salaries by metro area
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Metro area
Median
Jobs
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Profile
Skills & tools
Skills needed for Surveying and Mapping Technicians
How important each skill and knowledge area is for this job, rated by O*NET on a 1–5 scale from surveys of workers and occupational analysts.
Top skills
Reading Comprehension3.6
Critical Thinking3.5
Complex Problem Solving3.3
Mathematics3.3
Active Listening3.1
Monitoring3.1
Time Management3.1
Judgment and Decision Making3.0
Speaking3.0
Active Learning2.9
Top knowledge areas
Geography4.1
Mathematics4.0
English Language3.5
Computers and Electronics3.4
Customer and Personal Service3.4
Design3.3
Education and Training3.2
Engineering and Technology3.1
Software and technology used
Autodesk AutoCADAutodesk AutoCAD Civil 3DBentley MicroStationESRI ArcGIS softwareMicrosoft ExcelMicrosoft Office softwareMicrosoft OutlookGeographic information system GIS systemsAdobe IllustratorAdobe PhotoshopHypertext markup language HTMLJavaScriptMicrosoft AccessMicrosoft PowerPointMicrosoft SharePointMicrosoft VisioMicrosoft Visual BasicMicrosoft Visual Basic for Applications VBA
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 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.
About the job
What surveying and mapping technicians do
Set out and recover stakes, marks, or other monumentation.
Search for section corners, property irons, or survey points.
Calculate latitudes, longitudes, angles, areas, or other information for mapmaking, using survey field notes or reference tables.
Enter Global Positioning System (GPS) data, legal deeds, field notes, or land survey reports into geographic information system (GIS) workstations so that information can be transformed into graphic land descriptions, such as maps and drawings.
Adjust and operate surveying instruments such as prisms, theodolites, electronic distance measuring equipment, or electronic data collectors.
Check all layers of maps to ensure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections.
Collect information needed to carry out new surveys, using source maps, previous survey data, photographs, computer records, or other relevant information.
Record survey measurements or descriptive data, using notes, drawings, sketches, or inked tracings.
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Surveying and Mapping Technicians, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $54,240.
