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The differences between land surveyors and civil engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a land surveyor and a civil engineer. Additionally, a civil engineer has an average salary of $70,950, which is higher than the $46,182 average annual salary of a land surveyor.
The top three skills for a land surveyor include GPS, data collection and topographic surveys. The most important skills for a civil engineer are civil 3d, engineering design, and cost estimates.
| Land Surveyor | Civil Engineer | |
| Yearly salary | $46,182 | $70,950 |
| Hourly rate | $22.20 | $34.11 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 4,717 | 26,803 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Land surveyors are skilled professionals who measure land areas to determine the boundaries of properties and present findings to their clients and government agencies. To make the precise boundary calculations, these surveyors are required to use sophisticated field equipment such as high order global positioning system (GPS), theodolites, and aerial or terrestrial scanners. They must record the results of their surveying and establish official land and water boundaries for deeds, leases, and other legal documents. Land surveyors must also provide relevant data that shape and contour the surface of the earth for engineering, mapmaking, and construction projects.
A civil engineer designs and supervises the construction of large-scale public works projects such as buildings, roads, tunnels, highways, airports, bridges, dams, and other substantial infrastructure. Most civil engineers work in the private industry, but some work for a government organization. Their output is almost everywhere. Many of them specialize in a specific project or practice a target profession such as in transportation, structural engineering, or geotechnical engineering. They oftentimes work at project sites, as they monitor the ongoing construction.
Land surveyors and civil engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Land Surveyor | Civil Engineer | |
| Average salary | $46,182 | $70,950 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $66,000 | Between $51,000 And $97,000 |
| Highest paying City | Walnut Creek, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Adobe | The Citadel |
| Best paying industry | - | Construction |
There are a few differences between a land surveyor and a civil engineer in terms of educational background:
| Land Surveyor | Civil Engineer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 43% | Bachelor's Degree, 77% |
| Most common major | Civil Engineering | Civil Engineering |
| Most common college | Pennsylvania State University | University of Michigan - Ann Arbor |
Here are the differences between land surveyors' and civil engineers' demographics:
| Land Surveyor | Civil Engineer | |
| Average age | 44 | 41 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 93.9% Female, 6.1% | Male, 83.6% Female, 16.4% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 3.8% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.2% Asian, 15.6% White, 64.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 5% |