Instrument operator vs survey crew member

The differences between instrument operators and survey crew members can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a survey crew member has an average salary of $43,568, which is higher than the $43,179 average annual salary of an instrument operator.

The top three skills for an instrument operator include GPS, survey equipment and data collection. The most important skills for a survey crew member are GPS, survey equipment, and boundary surveys.

Instrument operator vs survey crew member overview

	Instrument Operator	Survey Crew Member
Yearly salary	$43,179	$43,568
Hourly rate	$20.76	$20.95
Growth rate	4%	4%
Number of jobs	29,503	74,964
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Instrument operator vs survey crew member salary

Instrument operators and survey crew members have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Instrument Operator	Survey Crew Member
Average salary	$43,179	$43,568
Salary range	Between $29,000 And $62,000	Between $29,000 And $63,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between instrument operator and survey crew member education

There are a few differences between an instrument operator and a survey crew member in terms of educational background:

	Instrument Operator	Survey Crew Member
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 42%	Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common major	Business	Business
Most common college	-	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Instrument operator vs survey crew member demographics

Here are the differences between instrument operators' and survey crew members' demographics:

	Instrument Operator	Survey Crew Member
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 93.0% Female, 7.0%	Male, 83.8% Female, 16.2%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 4.6% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.2% Asian, 3.2% White, 74.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%	Black or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 13.1% Asian, 3.2% White, 74.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.1%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between instrument operator and survey crew member duties and responsibilities

Instrument operator example responsibilities.

Train in Carlson, TDS, and EFB.
Experience with static, RTK, and DGPS using Trimble R8 or Leica systems.
Experience with TDS and Carlson survey programs.
Measure distance between survey points using a steel tape or using an EDM.
Perform physical layouts using GPS, total station, and robotic units on large and small scale civil projects.
Used robotics and Nikon total stations.

Survey crew member example responsibilities.

Collect data using a hand hold computer data collector attach to a survey rod with a prism.
Utilize Topcon autolevels and total stations.
Set up & work the surveying equipment including the total station & GPS.
Mark centerline, run level loops, and survey cross-sections of highway roads.
Set signs and cones, divert lanes of traffic and run congested intersections.
Move into instrument operator operating total stations, theodolites, distance meters and levels.

Instrument operator vs survey crew member skills

Common instrument operator skills

GPS, 19%
Survey Equipment, 12%
Data Collection, 9%
Work Ethic, 6%
Robotic, 4%
Construction Surveys, 4%

Common survey crew member skills

GPS, 31%
Survey Equipment, 18%
Boundary Surveys, 12%
Survey Data, 5%
Trimble Gps, 5%
Autocad, 5%

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Instrument Operator
Instrument Operator vs Survey Crew Member

Updated January 8, 2025

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