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The differences between surveyors and architects can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 4-6 years to become a surveyor, becoming an architect takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, an architect has an average salary of $86,635, which is higher than the $46,875 average annual salary of a surveyor.
The top three skills for a surveyor include GPS, survey data and data collection. The most important skills for an architect are cloud, java, and infrastructure.
| Surveyor | Architect | |
| Yearly salary | $46,875 | $86,635 |
| Hourly rate | $22.54 | $41.65 |
| Growth rate | 1% | 3% |
| Number of jobs | 4,087 | 94,621 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 3 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Average age | 44 | 45 |
| Years of experience | 6 | 4 |
A surveyor is responsible for measuring the physical boundaries of a property based on the design documents. Surveyors' duties include determining reference points using special measuring equipment, analyzing land records, evaluating the stability of the property location, verifying data to property agencies and other organizations, responding to the client's inquiries, processing legal property documents, and finalizing boundary lines and maps. A surveyor must have a broad knowledge of the land and property processes, as well as excellent research and analytical skills.
Architects are licensed professionals who specialize in art and science of design, building constructions, and structures. They play a vital role in the construction and not only responsible for the appearance but also the safety of users. They ensure that every structure is functional, safe, cost-effective, and suit the needs of the future occupants. They closely monitor the working progress to make sure that the project is built according to plan. Some architects are focused mainly on creating designs while some are exclusive in the production of building plans or "blueprints".
Surveyors and architects have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Surveyor | Architect | |
| Average salary | $46,875 | $86,635 |
| Salary range | Between $32,000 And $67,000 | Between $54,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Diego, CA | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | California | Alaska |
| Best paying company | The Citadel | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Technology |
There are a few differences between a surveyor and an architect in terms of educational background:
| Surveyor | Architect | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 45% | Bachelor's Degree, 67% |
| Most common major | Business | Architecture |
| Most common college | Pennsylvania State University | Cornell University |
Here are the differences between surveyors' and architects' demographics:
| Surveyor | Architect | |
| Average age | 44 | 45 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 72.4% Female, 27.6% | Male, 76.7% Female, 23.3% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 3.3% Unknown, 4.8% Hispanic or Latino, 10.6% Asian, 4.9% White, 76.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% | Black or African American, 2.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 11.8% Asian, 16.0% White, 65.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3% |
| LGBT Percentage | 7% | 15% |