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Surveyor vs surveyor instrument assistant

The differences between surveyors and surveyor instrument assistants 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 surveyor instrument assistant. Additionally, a surveyor has an average salary of $46,875, which is higher than the $43,952 average annual salary of a surveyor instrument assistant.

The top three skills for a surveyor include GPS, survey data and data collection. The most important skills for a surveyor instrument assistant are GPS, survey data, and construction sites.

Surveyor vs surveyor instrument assistant overview

SurveyorSurveyor Instrument Assistant
Yearly salary$46,875$43,952
Hourly rate$22.54$21.13
Growth rate1%1%
Number of jobs4,0875,724
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Average age4444
Years of experience66

Surveyor vs surveyor instrument assistant salary

Surveyors and surveyor instrument assistants have different pay scales, as shown below.

SurveyorSurveyor Instrument Assistant
Average salary$46,875$43,952
Salary rangeBetween $32,000 And $67,000Between $30,000 And $64,000
Highest paying CitySan Diego, CA-
Highest paying stateCalifornia-
Best paying companyThe Citadel-
Best paying industry--

Differences between surveyor and surveyor instrument assistant education

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

SurveyorSurveyor Instrument Assistant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 45%Bachelor's Degree, 50%
Most common majorBusinessCivil Engineering
Most common collegePennsylvania State UniversityMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Surveyor vs surveyor instrument assistant demographics

Here are the differences between surveyors' and surveyor instrument assistants' demographics:

SurveyorSurveyor Instrument Assistant
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 72.4% Female, 27.6%Male, 83.8% Female, 16.2%
Race ratioBlack 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, 75.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5%
LGBT Percentage7%7%

Differences between surveyor and surveyor instrument assistant 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.
  • Show more

Surveyor instrument assistant example responsibilities.

  • Set up tripods with GPS equipment clear brush areas to obtain accurate line of site data, stake targets.
  • Assist lead surveyor with surveying instruments theodolites.
  • Use of trimble M3 total station and Topcon level.
  • Prepare drawings using rough sketches, GIS and engineering data.
  • Work with and become skilled with various forms of GIS mapping systems.
  • Perform various traverse, property survey, ALTA, construction staking and mapping duties.
  • Show more

Surveyor vs surveyor instrument assistant skills

Common surveyor skills
  • GPS, 16%
  • Survey Data, 9%
  • Data Collection, 6%
  • Survey Equipment, 6%
  • Civil 3D, 6%
  • Customer Service, 5%
Common surveyor instrument assistant skills
  • GPS, 20%
  • Survey Data, 16%
  • Construction Sites, 15%
  • Boundary Surveys, 5%
  • Data Collection, 5%
  • Survey Equipment, 4%

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