Land surveyor vs professional surveyor

The differences between land 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 land surveyor and a professional surveyor. Additionally, a professional surveyor has an average salary of $51,224, 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 professional surveyor are survey data, legal descriptions, and GPS.

Land surveyor vs professional surveyor overview

	Land Surveyor	Professional Surveyor
Yearly salary	$46,182	$51,224
Hourly rate	$22.20	$24.63
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	4,717	45,097
Job satisfaction	4	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Land surveyor vs professional surveyor salary

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

	Land Surveyor	Professional Surveyor
Average salary	$46,182	$51,224
Salary range	Between $31,000 And $66,000	Between $34,000 And $76,000
Highest paying City	Walnut Creek, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Adobe	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between land surveyor and professional surveyor education

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

	Land Surveyor	Professional Surveyor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 43%	Bachelor's Degree, 47%
Most common major	Civil Engineering	Surveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic Technologies
Most common college	Pennsylvania State University	University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Land surveyor vs professional surveyor demographics

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

	Land Surveyor	Professional Surveyor
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 93.9% Female, 6.1%	Male, 73.5% Female, 26.5%
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, 3.3% 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 land surveyor and professional surveyor duties and responsibilities

Land surveyor example responsibilities.

Utilize GPS technology to manage a two man robotic crew assign to residential/ commercial development projects.
Operate survey robotic instruments (Leica TPS1200), data collectors (Carlson, TDS).
Hire and train tribal members in using GPS and conventional survey equipment to assist perform field surveys of vary complexity.
Finalize plans through AutoCAD and Carlson software.
Used a Leica total station with TDS software.
Stake commodities and existing underground using Trimble GNSS equipment.

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.

Land surveyor vs professional surveyor skills

Common land surveyor skills

GPS, 21%
Data Collection, 8%
Topographic Surveys, 8%
Survey Data, 8%
Boundary Surveys, 6%
Civil 3D, 6%

Common professional surveyor skills

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