City surveyor vs professional land surveyor

The differences between city surveyors and professional land surveyors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a city surveyor and a professional land surveyor. Additionally, a city surveyor has an average salary of $66,442, which is higher than the $47,097 average annual salary of a professional land surveyor.

The top three skills for a city surveyor include legal descriptions, capital improvement projects and GPS. The most important skills for a professional land surveyor are GPS, civil 3d, and PLS.

City surveyor vs professional land surveyor overview

	City Surveyor	Professional Land Surveyor
Yearly salary	$66,442	$47,097
Hourly rate	$31.94	$22.64
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	7,519	47,350
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

City surveyor vs professional land surveyor salary

City surveyors and professional land surveyors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	City Surveyor	Professional Land Surveyor
Average salary	$66,442	$47,097
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $102,000	Between $31,000 And $70,000
Highest paying City	-	Eureka, CA
Highest paying state	-	California
Best paying company	-	Amd
Best paying industry	-	Technology

Differences between city surveyor and professional land surveyor education

There are a few differences between a city surveyor and a professional land surveyor in terms of educational background:

	City Surveyor	Professional Land Surveyor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Surveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic Technologies	Surveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic Technologies
Most common college	Cornell University	Pennsylvania State University

City surveyor vs professional land surveyor demographics

Here are the differences between city surveyors' and professional land surveyors' demographics:

	City Surveyor	Professional Land Surveyor
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8%	Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 2.8% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 9.2% Asian, 4.2% White, 78.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%	Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between city surveyor and professional land surveyor duties and responsibilities

City surveyor example responsibilities.

Collect, processes, analyzes and manages field data using GIS and spatial technologies.
Complete field work by inspecting dams, setting grade stakes, and updating property records using a Trimble R8 GNSS system.
Perform excellent outside sales serving thousands of Medicare and Medicaid members in multiple states promoting free delivery of prescription medications.

Professional land surveyor example responsibilities.

Manage various construction staking projects, as well as manage and oversee field work of various boundary, ALTA/ACSM surveys.
Complete field to finish boundary and topographic surveys utilizing conventional and GPS methods.
Map leases and contracts using various GIS programs.
Record survey measurements and descriptive data using total station and GPS equipment.
Formulate custom cad templates and drawing formats for all types of survey applications.
Compile satellite imagery, elevation, GIS vector data, and 3D models into terrain databases.

City surveyor vs professional land surveyor skills

Common city surveyor skills

Legal Descriptions, 35%
Capital Improvement Projects, 28%
GPS, 20%
Construction Surveys, 12%
Engineering Projects, 6%

Common professional land surveyor skills

GPS, 18%
Civil 3D, 10%
PLS, 10%
Survey Projects, 7%
Trimble Gps, 6%
Carlson, 5%

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City Surveyor vs Professional Land Surveyor

Updated January 8, 2025

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