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The differences between survey managers 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 survey manager and a professional land surveyor. Additionally, a survey manager has an average salary of $50,706, which is higher than the $47,097 average annual salary of a professional land surveyor.
The top three skills for a survey manager include GPS, civil 3d and data collection. The most important skills for a professional land surveyor are GPS, civil 3d, and PLS.
| Survey Manager | Professional Land Surveyor | |
| Yearly salary | $50,706 | $47,097 |
| Hourly rate | $24.38 | $22.64 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 2,935 | 47,350 |
| Job satisfaction | 4 | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Survey managers lead the team on survey plans associated with engineering or construction projects and oversee construction sites. Their responsibilities include preparing contracts and reports, presenting right-of-way plans, and performing fieldwork. They need to take measurements of property boundaries. They research the history of the land for survey records, legal records, and information about the property. Additionally, managers provide construction crew, contractors, and clients with a detailed description of a land's characteristics and features. They must be skilled at using mapping programs and computers.
Professional land surveyors have skills in reading comprehension, mathematics, listening, speaking, and time management, as well as a keen attention to detail. These traits are needed for the tasks of this chosen career, which include updating boundary lines for construction in order to prevent legal disputes. Land surveyors also oversee the provision of relevant data on the shape and contour of the surface of the Earth for projects ranging from engineering to mapmaking to construction.
Survey managers and professional land surveyors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Survey Manager | Professional Land Surveyor | |
| Average salary | $50,706 | $47,097 |
| Salary range | Between $33,000 And $76,000 | Between $31,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Eureka, CA |
| Highest paying state | New Jersey | California |
| Best paying company | Bowman Consulting Group | Amd |
| Best paying industry | Professional | Technology |
There are a few differences between a survey manager and a professional land surveyor in terms of educational background:
| Survey Manager | Professional Land Surveyor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 54% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Most common major | Surveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic Technologies | Surveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic Technologies |
| Most common college | Pennsylvania State University | Pennsylvania State University |
Here are the differences between survey managers' and professional land surveyors' demographics:
| Survey Manager | Professional Land Surveyor | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 88.1% Female, 11.9% | Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.5% 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% |