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Surveying and Mapping Technicians

Architecture and ConstructionO*NET 17-3031.00United States

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.

COMING SOON See related ASU learning
Median annual earnings
$54,082

50th percentile, United States

Projected change
+8.5%

2025 to 2035

Typical education
Associate degree

33.3% of the workforce

Employment
61.98K jobs

Growing to 67.23K by 2035

Explore this career by location

Compare nationwide estimates with state or county job-market data.

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Build the skills

ASU learning related to this career

These courses and certificates are connected through catalog career relationships and Lightcast skill tags.

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The work

What surveying and mapping technicians do

Tasks reported for this occupation, ordered by how often they come up in the role.

  • Position and hold the vertical rods, or targets, that theodolite operators use for sighting to measure angles, distances, and elevations.
  • Check all layers of maps to ensure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections.
  • Design or develop information databases that include geographic or topographic data.
  • Monitor mapping work or the updating of maps to ensure accuracy, inclusion of new or changed information, or compliance with rules and regulations.
  • Produce or update overlay maps to show information boundaries, water locations, or topographic features on various base maps or at different scales.
  • Determine scales, line sizes, or colors to be used for hard copies of computerized maps, using plotters.
  • Compile information necessary to stake projects for construction, using engineering plans.
  • Identify and compile database information to create requested maps.
  • Operate and manage land-information computer systems, performing tasks such as storing data, making inquiries, and producing plots and reports.
  • Compare survey computations with applicable standards to determine adequacy of data.
  • Analyze aerial photographs to detect and interpret significant military, industrial, resource, or topographical data.
  • Research and combine existing property information to describe property boundaries in relation to adjacent properties, taking into account parcel splits, combinations, or land boundary adjustments.
  • Calculate latitudes, longitudes, angles, areas, or other information for mapmaking, using survey field notes or reference tables.
  • Compare topographical features or contour lines with images from aerial photographs, old maps, or other reference materials to verify the accuracy of their identification.
  • Trace contours or topographic details to generate maps that denote specific land or property locations or geographic attributes.
  • Provide assistance in the development of methods and procedures for conducting field surveys.
  • Trim, align, and join prints to form photographic mosaics, maintaining scaled distances between reference points.

Pay and outlook

What the job pays and where it is heading

Annual earnings range

Reported earnings by percentile, United States

10th percentile
$36,373
25th percentile
$44,697
50th percentile
$54,082
75th percentile
$68,382
90th percentile
$88,879

The gold marker shows the median. Half earn more than $54,082 and half earn less.

Employment outlook

2025 to 2035 projection

+8.5%faster than average
202561,979 jobs
2035 projected67,227 jobs

5,248 more positions over the decade, before replacement hiring.

Preparation

Education levels

What people currently working in the career hold. These are not entry requirements.

Associate degree
33.3%
High school diploma or less
25%
Certificate
20.8%
Some college
16.7%
Bachelor's degree
4.2%

Skills

Skills employers ask for

Technical skills appearing most often in job postings for this occupation.

  • Surveying
  • AutoCAD Civil 3D
  • Project Management
  • Topography
  • AutoCAD
  • Topographic Surveying
  • Field Surveys
  • Data Collection
  • Field Notes
  • Computer-Aided Design
  • MicroStation (CAD Design Software)
  • Legal Land Description
  • Civil Engineering
  • Global Positioning Systems
  • Good Driving Record
  • Surveying Instruments
  • Construction
  • Lifting Ability
  • Workflow Management
  • Total Station

How the work gets done

Core competencies

Broad capabilities associated with strong performance in this occupation.

Reading Comprehension
Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Critical Thinking
Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.
Writing
Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Mathematics
Using mathematics to solve problems.
Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
Complex Problem Solving
Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
Active Learning
Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
Time Management
Managing one's own time and the time of others.
Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
Service Orientation
Actively looking for ways to help people.
Judgment and Decision Making
Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
Persuasion
Persuading others to change their minds or behavior.
Instructing
Teaching others how to do something.
Systems Evaluation
Identifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
Systems Analysis
Determining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
Management of Personnel Resources
Motivating, developing, and directing people as they work, identifying the best people for the job.
Learning Strategies
Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

In the market

Job titles and employers

Recent job postings in United States

Common job titles

  1. 01Survey Technicians2,062 postings
  2. 02Survey CAD Technicians891 postings
  3. 03Survey Field Technicians450 postings
  4. 04Surveying Technicians223 postings
  5. 05Land Survey Technicians217 postings
  6. 06Survey Assistants122 postings
  7. 07Hydrographic Surveyors107 postings
  8. 08Marine Surveyors74 postings
  9. 09Cartographic Technicians70 postings
  10. 10Survey Instrument Operators70 postings
  11. 11Surveyors66 postings
  12. 12Land Surveyors65 postings
  13. 13Mapping Technicians60 postings
  14. 14Survey CADD Technicians55 postings
  15. 15CAD Technicians51 postings
  16. 16Drafting Technicians44 postings
  17. 17Technicians41 postings
  18. 18Survey Project Managers36 postings
  19. 19Survey Rodmen34 postings
  20. 20CADD Technicians32 postings

Top employers

  1. 01Actalent335 postings
  2. 02GPAC105 postings
  3. 03SAM97 postings
  4. 04Bowman Consulting Group77 postings
  5. 05Heath Consultants72 postings
  6. 06Blew & Associates P.A67 postings
  7. 07Colliers Engineering & Design65 postings
  8. 08Surveying And Mapping58 postings
  9. 09Bowman & Company Llp56 postings
  10. 10Southern Cross Corporation55 postings
  11. 11Great Lakes Dredge & Dock Corporation48 postings
  12. 12Cci Systems46 postings
  13. 13Civil & Environmental Consultants41 postings
  14. 14Mckim & Creed41 postings
  15. 15Leidos40 postings
  16. 16Westwood Professional Services40 postings
  17. 17Kimley-Horn39 postings
  18. 18Topographic32 postings
  19. 19Gridhawk28 postings
  20. 20Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania27 postings

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