Surveyor vs quantity surveyor

The differences between surveyors and quantity 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 surveyor and a quantity surveyor. Additionally, a quantity surveyor has an average salary of $71,438, 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 a quantity surveyor are construction projects, QS, and cost estimates.

Surveyor vs quantity surveyor overview

	Surveyor	Quantity Surveyor
Yearly salary	$46,875	$71,438
Hourly rate	$22.54	$34.35
Growth rate	1%	1%
Number of jobs	4,087	2,128
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	6	6

Surveyor vs quantity surveyor salary

Surveyors and quantity surveyors have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Surveyor	Quantity Surveyor
Average salary	$46,875	$71,438
Salary range	Between $32,000 And $67,000	Between $44,000 And $114,000
Highest paying City	San Diego, CA	Cheshire, CT
Highest paying state	California	New Jersey
Best paying company	The Citadel	Air Products
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between surveyor and quantity surveyor education

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

	Surveyor	Quantity Surveyor
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 45%	Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common major	Business	Civil Engineering
Most common college	Pennsylvania State University	Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Surveyor vs quantity surveyor demographics

Here are the differences between surveyors' and quantity surveyors' demographics:

	Surveyor	Quantity Surveyor
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 72.4% Female, 27.6%	Male, 81.6% Female, 18.4%
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, 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%

Differences between surveyor and quantity surveyor duties and responsibilities

Surveyor example responsibilities.

Utilize GPS technology to manage a two man robotic crew assign to residential/ commercial development projects.
Assist the PLS with ALTAs, B2, legals, exhibits, topo s and plats drawing and field work.
Set up and run instruments.
Work with Trimble GNSS surveying systems.
Survey of proposal access roads by RTK method.
Create alignment sheets in Carlson from survey base files.

Quantity surveyor example responsibilities.

Prepare shop drawings using AutoCAD software.
Update contract BOQ base on contractors approve shop drawings to submit update BOQ and expect cost of completion.
Base: UK, UAE, Trinidad
Assist in the preparation of tenders for new contracts including pre-contract measurements and pricing.
Follow and maintain the drawing set using AutoCAD and release them to supervisors for assign tasks.
Check the quantities in BOQ during site handover for the contractor and match them with the implemented quantities at the site.

Surveyor vs quantity surveyor skills

Common surveyor skills

GPS, 16%
Survey Data, 9%
Data Collection, 6%
Survey Equipment, 6%
Civil 3D, 6%
Customer Service, 5%

Common quantity surveyor skills

Construction Projects, 18%
QS, 12%
Cost Estimates, 6%
Contractual Claims, 6%
Cost Analysis, 6%
Cost Control, 6%