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Land survey technician vs surveyor

The differences between land survey technicians and surveyors can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a surveyor has an average salary of $46,875, which is higher than the $45,850 average annual salary of a land survey technician.

The top three skills for a land survey technician include GPS, CAD and civil 3d. The most important skills for a surveyor are GPS, survey data, and data collection.

Land survey technician vs surveyor overview

Land Survey TechnicianSurveyor
Yearly salary$45,850$46,875
Hourly rate$22.04$22.54
Growth rate4%1%
Number of jobs10,6344,087
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Average age4444
Years of experience-6

What does a land survey technician do?

A land survey technician is responsible for monitoring and inspecting different construction sites. Their job is to take measurements and gather other data. They need to have an inventory of different locations or sites and gather essential information for development purposes. They must also identify possible barriers to development in the area, including who will be affected by conducting a thorough land survey. Often, they work for a mapping or engineering company.

What does a surveyor do?

A surveyor is responsible for measuring the physical boundaries of a property based on the design documents. Surveyors' duties include determining reference points using special measuring equipment, analyzing land records, evaluating the stability of the property location, verifying data to property agencies and other organizations, responding to the client's inquiries, processing legal property documents, and finalizing boundary lines and maps. A surveyor must have a broad knowledge of the land and property processes, as well as excellent research and analytical skills.

Land survey technician vs surveyor salary

Land survey technicians and surveyors have different pay scales, as shown below.

Land Survey TechnicianSurveyor
Average salary$45,850$46,875
Salary rangeBetween $31,000 And $67,000Between $32,000 And $67,000
Highest paying CitySacramento, CASan Diego, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companySouthern California EdisonThe Citadel
Best paying industry--

Differences between land survey technician and surveyor education

There are a few differences between a land survey technician and a surveyor in terms of educational background:

Land Survey TechnicianSurveyor
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 54%Bachelor's Degree, 45%
Most common majorBusinessBusiness
Most common collegeStanford UniversityPennsylvania State University

Land survey technician vs surveyor demographics

Here are the differences between land survey technicians' and surveyors' demographics:

Land Survey TechnicianSurveyor
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 62.4% Female, 37.6%Male, 72.4% Female, 27.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.5% Unknown, 3.8% Hispanic or Latino, 13.0% Asian, 3.2% White, 74.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 1.3%Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 4.9% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage5%7%

Differences between land survey technician and surveyor duties and responsibilities

Land survey technician example responsibilities.

  • Work closely with GIS department to determine land locations.
  • Load documents into the database using a custom GIS application.
  • Provide topographic data through leverage of the photogrammetric process at an archeological dig in Spain.
  • Aid in the completion of natural gas pipeline layouts and in grind location projects through multiple GPS techniques.
  • Perform calculations necessary to prepare individual residential lot permit and as-built plans necessary for township approval.
  • Job types include residential, commercial/industrial staking, water management elevations and wetland location.

Surveyor example responsibilities.

  • Utilize GPS technology to manage a two man robotic crew assign to residential/ commercial development projects.
  • Assist the PLS with ALTAs, B2, legals, exhibits, topo s and plats drawing and field work.
  • Set up and run instruments.
  • Work with Trimble GNSS surveying systems.
  • Survey of proposal access roads by RTK method.
  • Create alignment sheets in Carlson from survey base files.
  • Show more

Land survey technician vs surveyor skills

Common land survey technician skills
  • GPS, 15%
  • CAD, 11%
  • Civil 3D, 10%
  • Boundary Surveys, 7%
  • Survey Data, 7%
  • Legal Descriptions, 6%
Common surveyor skills
  • GPS, 16%
  • Survey Data, 9%
  • Data Collection, 6%
  • Survey Equipment, 6%
  • Civil 3D, 6%
  • Customer Service, 5%

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