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The differences between survey party chiefs and survey project managers 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 survey project manager. Additionally, a survey project manager has an average salary of $60,193, 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 survey project manager are civil 3d, GPS, and project management.
| Survey Party Chief | Survey Project Manager | |
| Yearly salary | $45,923 | $60,193 |
| Hourly rate | $22.08 | $28.94 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 1% |
| Number of jobs | 15,901 | 97,606 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| 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.
A survey project manager is responsible for making measurements and determining property boundaries. You will prepare data related to the contour, location, shape, dimension, elevation, and gravitation of land or land features. Typical day-to-day duties include coordinating findings with the work of architectural and engineering personnel, clients, and other stakeholders, developing criteria for survey procedures and methods, and preparing sketches, reports, legal descriptions, and maps of surveys. As a survey project manager, you are also responsible for developing criteria for designing and modifying survey instruments.
Survey party chiefs and survey project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Survey Party Chief | Survey Project Manager | |
| Average salary | $45,923 | $60,193 |
| Salary range | Between $31,000 And $66,000 | Between $42,000 And $86,000 |
| Highest paying City | Jackson, NJ | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | New Jersey |
| Best paying company | Bowman Consulting Group | Berklee College of Music |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a survey party chief and a survey project manager in terms of educational background:
| Survey Party Chief | Survey Project Manager | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 38% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | Surveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic Technologies | Surveying, Mapping, And Hydraulic Technologies |
| Most common college | Pennsylvania State University | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between survey party chiefs' and survey project managers' demographics:
| Survey Party Chief | Survey Project Manager | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 96.7% Female, 3.3% | Male, 92.2% Female, 7.8% |
| 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, 3.4% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.9% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 7% |