Geodetic surveyor vs professional land surveyor

The differences between geodetic 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 geodetic surveyor and a professional land surveyor. Additionally, a geodetic surveyor has an average salary of $73,966, which is higher than the $47,097 average annual salary of a professional land surveyor.

The top three skills for a geodetic surveyor include GPS, and . The most important skills for a professional land surveyor are GPS, civil 3d, and PLS.

Geodetic surveyor vs professional land surveyor overview

	Geodetic Surveyor	Professional Land Surveyor
Yearly salary	$73,966	$47,097
Hourly rate	$35.56	$22.64
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	2,333	47,350
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Geodetic surveyor vs professional land surveyor salary

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

	Geodetic Surveyor	Professional Land Surveyor
Average salary	$73,966	$47,097
Salary range	Between $44,000 And $121,000	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 geodetic surveyor and professional land surveyor education

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

	Geodetic Surveyor	Professional Land Surveyor
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 33%	Bachelor's Degree, 52%
Most common major	Business	Surveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic Technologies
Most common college	University of Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania State University

Geodetic surveyor vs professional land surveyor demographics

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

	Geodetic Surveyor	Professional Land Surveyor
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 86.4% Female, 13.6%	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 geodetic surveyor and professional land surveyor duties and responsibilities

Geodetic surveyor example responsibilities.

Work as a geodetic surveyor for the world's first GPS survey company.
Research utility services via GIS computer system and reference library and mark relevant utilities in specify construction areas.
Research utility services via GIS computer system and reference library and mark relevant utilities in specify construction areas.

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.

Geodetic surveyor vs professional land surveyor skills

Common geodetic surveyor skills

GPS, 100%

Common professional land surveyor skills

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

Geodetic Surveyor vs. similar jobs

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Geodetic Surveyor vs Professional Land Surveyor

Updated January 8, 2025

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