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The differences between survey party chiefs 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 party chief and a professional land surveyor. Additionally, a professional land surveyor has an average salary of $47,097, which is higher than the $45,923 average annual salary of a survey party chief.
The top three skills for a survey party chief include GPS, survey party and survey equipment. The most important skills for a professional land surveyor are GPS, civil 3d, and PLS.
| Survey Party Chief | Professional Land Surveyor | |
| Yearly salary | $45,923 | $47,097 |
| Hourly rate | $22.08 | $22.64 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 15,901 | 47,350 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 52% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 6 |
Survey party chiefs are individuals distinguished from an engineering technician class. The chiefs supervise land surveys, plan, and assess the proposed field survey projects. They gather field data using the necessary equipment. Their job involves managing equipment logistics, travel-related budgets, and recruiting local staff. They perform work on several highway projects like fills and cuts, bridgework, and centerline layouts. Also, they execute data analysis and offer recommendations for the expansion of military bases and to achieve runway capabilities.
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 party chiefs and professional land surveyors have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Survey Party Chief | Professional Land Surveyor | |
| Average salary | $45,923 | $47,097 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $66,000 | Between $31,000 And $70,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jackson, NJ | Eureka, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | California |
| Best paying company | Bowman Consulting Group | Amd |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a survey party chief and a professional land surveyor in terms of educational background:
| Survey Party Chief | Professional Land Surveyor | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | 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 party chiefs' and professional land surveyors' demographics:
| Survey Party Chief | Professional Land Surveyor | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.7% Female, 3.3% | Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.6% 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% |