City surveyor vs professional surveyor

The differences between city surveyors and professional 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 surveyor. Additionally, a city surveyor has an average salary of $66,442, which is higher than the $51,224 average annual salary of a professional surveyor.

The top three skills for a city surveyor include legal descriptions, capital improvement projects and GPS. The most important skills for a professional surveyor are survey data, legal descriptions, and GPS.

City surveyor vs professional surveyor overview

	City Surveyor	Professional Surveyor
Yearly salary	$66,442	$51,224
Hourly rate	$31.94	$24.63
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	7,519	45,097
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

City surveyor vs professional surveyor salary

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

	City Surveyor	Professional Surveyor
Average salary	$66,442	$51,224
Salary range	Between $43,000 And $102,000	Between $34,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between city surveyor and professional surveyor education

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

	City Surveyor	Professional Surveyor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 67%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Surveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic Technologies	Surveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic Technologies
Most common college	Cornell University	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

City surveyor vs professional surveyor demographics

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

	City Surveyor	Professional Surveyor
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 84.2% Female, 15.8%	Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%
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, 10.6% Asian, 4.9% White, 75.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage	7%	7%

Differences between city surveyor and professional 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 surveyor example responsibilities.

Implement the use of GPS into the day to day survey operations.
Create and utilize geographic information systems (GIS) for various clients.
Adjust and operate surveying instruments such as prisms, theodolites, and electronicdistance-measuring equipment.
Interface with multiple legal, financial and governmental entities to meet requirements of approvals processes and finalize complex ALTA surveys.
Develop new data from photogrammetric records.

City surveyor vs professional surveyor skills

Common city surveyor skills

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

Common professional surveyor skills

Survey Data, 25%
Legal Descriptions, 22%
GPS, 21%
Civil 3D, 12%
CAD, 4%
As-Built, 4%