Career profile · 17-3031
Surveying and Mapping Technicians
Perform surveying and mapping duties, usually under the direction of an engineer, surveyor, cartographer, or photogrammetrist, to obtain data used for construction, mapmaking, boundary location, mining, or other purposes. May calculate mapmaking information and create maps from source data, such as surveying notes, aerial photography, satellite data, or other maps to show topographical features, political boundaries, and other features. May verify accuracy and completeness of maps.
What the work can involve
- Set out and recover stakes, marks, or other monumentation.
- Search for section corners, property irons, or survey points.
- Calculate latitudes, longitudes, angles, areas, or other information for mapmaking, using survey field notes or reference tables.
- Enter Global Positioning System (GPS) data, legal deeds, field notes, or land survey reports into geographic information system (GIS) workstations so that information can be transformed into graphic land descriptions, such as maps and drawings.
- Adjust and operate surveying instruments such as prisms, theodolites, electronic distance measuring equipment, or electronic data collectors.
- Check all layers of maps to ensure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections.
Selected core tasks from O*NET 31.0. Responsibilities vary by employer, specialization and experience.
Preparation and entry routes
This broad O*NET group commonly involves vocational training, related experience or an associate-level route. It does not mean every course in a related subject meets the requirements.
Check the route for the specific occupation where you plan to work. Education, employer experience requirements, occupational licensing and industry certification can be separate steps.
Understand the different credentials →Skills used in this occupation
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Mathematics
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Knowledge to build
- Geography
- Mathematics
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Customer and Personal Service
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Common work activities
- Working with Computers
- Getting Information
- Documenting/Recording Information
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
- Processing Information
Selected from the highest importance ratings available in O*NET 31.0. These describe the occupation, not a particular school's curriculum.
Training subjects to investigate
The federal education-to-occupation crosswalk connects this role to the subjects below. These links do not endorse a school or guarantee that any particular award qualifies a graduate for the job.
Working conditions to consider
These are the most common published responses to selected O*NET work-setting questions. They describe occupation-level survey findings, not every employer or a particular job.
| Work-setting question | Most common response | Share giving that response |
|---|---|---|
| Contact With Others | Occasional contact with others | 28.8%08/2026 · sample 37 |
| Exposed to Contaminants | Once a month or more but not every week | 36.8%08/2026 · sample 37 |
| Exposed to Disease or Infections | Never | 89.2%08/2026 · sample 37 |
| Exposed to Hazardous Conditions | Never | 80.2%08/2026 · sample 37 |
| Spend Time Sitting | Less than half the time | 39.6%08/2026 · sample 37 |
| Spend Time Standing | Less than half the time | 30.5%08/2026 · sample 37 |
| Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls | Continually or almost continually | 50.7%08/2026 · sample 37 |
| Time Pressure | Once a week or more but not every day | 38.6%08/2026 · sample 37 |
| Wear Common Protective or Safety Equipment such as Safety Shoes, Glasses, Gloves, Hearing Protection, Hard Hats, or Life Jackets | Once a week or more but not every day | 26.1%08/2026 · sample 37 |
| Work Schedules | Regular (established routine, set schedule) | 66.5%08/2026 · sample 37 |
O*NET 31.0 Work Context, selected topics. Only unsuppressed source responses with sample size at least 10 are shown. A most-common response need not be a majority. Sampling uncertainty applies; source dates vary. Ask employers about actual schedules, accessibility, protective equipment and working conditions.
Software used in the workplace
Use these O*NET examples to ask how a course builds practical digital skills. They are workplace examples, not a required shopping list or confirmation of a school’s curriculum.
- Analytical or scientific software: CARIS HIPS, CARIS SIPS, Coordinate geometry COGO software, Datalog with guidance DLWG software
- Categorization or classification software: PCI Geomatics eCognition
- Computer aided design CAD software: 3D Nature LLC Visual Nature Studio, 3D Nature LLC World Construction Set, Autodesk 3d Studio Viz, Autodesk AutoCAD
- Data base reporting software: MicroSurvey Star*Net
- Data base user interface and query software: Database software, Microsoft Access, Structured query language SQL
- Desktop publishing software: QuarkXPress
- Development environment software: Microsoft Visual Basic, Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition VBScript, Microsoft Visual Basic for Applications VBA, Software libraries
- Document management software: Microsoft SharePoint
- Electronic mail software: Email software, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft Outlook
- Geographic information system: ESRI ArcCatalog, ESRI ArcEditor, ESRI ArcGIS (analytical or scientific feature), ESRI ArcGIS Spatial Analyst
- Graphics or photo imaging software: Adobe FreeHand MX, Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Photoshop, Bentley GeoPak Bridge
- Internet browser software: Web browser software
Selected categories and examples from O*NET 31.0 Software Skills. Products and employer requirements change. These examples are not endorsements; check the complete official occupation profile.
Pay & employment outlook
Salary estimates for surveying and mapping technicians
The median divides workers into two equally sized groups by pay. It is not a starting salary, a school’s graduate outcome or a promise of employment. Lower percentiles are not automatically new graduates.
National outlook: 2025–2035
- Typical education for entry
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Related work experience
- None
- Typical on-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
BLS national employment projections, 2025–2035. Openings include people leaving occupations or the labor force; these are not advertised vacancies. Education categories describe typical entry, not legal eligibility or a guarantee that any specific program is sufficient.
Compare wages across 50 state/DC estimates
| State | Annual median | Hourly median | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $46,450 | $22.33 | 1,320 |
| Alaska | $76,970 | $37.01 | 300 |
| Arizona | $54,080 | $26.00 | 700 |
| Arkansas | $46,370 | $22.29 | 810 |
| California | $78,110 | $37.55 | 3,340 |
| Colorado | $57,890 | $27.83 | 2,340 |
| Connecticut | $58,900 | $28.32 | 380 |
| Delaware | $57,130 | $27.47 | 180 |
| Florida | $48,040 | $23.10 | 4,810 |
| Georgia | $48,810 | $23.46 | 1,890 |
| Hawaii | $55,580 | $26.72 | 140 |
| Idaho | $52,630 | $25.30 | 450 |
| Illinois | $57,470 | $27.63 | 1,110 |
| Indiana | $56,440 | $27.13 | 1,060 |
| Iowa | $58,950 | $28.34 | 390 |
| Kansas | $50,900 | $24.47 | 730 |
| Kentucky | $46,050 | $22.14 | 920 |
| Louisiana | $49,440 | $23.77 | 930 |
| Maine | $56,470 | $27.15 | 220 |
| Maryland | $61,600 | $29.62 | 470 |
| Massachusetts | $58,730 | $28.24 | 640 |
| Michigan | $50,340 | $24.20 | 690 |
| Minnesota | $73,190 | $35.19 | 1,060 |
| Mississippi | $47,320 | $22.75 | 550 |
| Missouri | $51,700 | $24.86 | 720 |
| Montana | $60,330 | $29.00 | 430 |
| Nebraska | $48,080 | $23.11 | 770 |
| Nevada | $58,790 | $28.27 | 680 |
| New Hampshire | $57,290 | $27.55 | 260 |
| New Jersey | $60,720 | $29.19 | 750 |
| New Mexico | $56,210 | $27.02 | 610 |
| New York | $57,360 | $27.58 | 2,540 |
| North Carolina | $53,160 | $25.56 | 4,100 |
| North Dakota | $60,870 | $29.26 | 160 |
| Ohio | $60,330 | $29.01 | 1,350 |
| Oklahoma | $46,760 | $22.48 | 810 |
| Oregon | $55,790 | $26.82 | 1,280 |
| Pennsylvania | $58,270 | $28.02 | 1,340 |
| Rhode Island | $60,320 | $29.00 | 110 |
| South Carolina | $43,740 | $21.03 | 1,420 |
| South Dakota | $50,050 | $24.06 | 110 |
| Tennessee | $50,370 | $24.22 | 1,340 |
| Texas | $47,680 | $22.93 | 8,720 |
| Utah | $59,600 | $28.66 | 360 |
| Vermont | $56,460 | $27.14 | 40 |
| Virginia | $56,760 | $27.29 | 2,440 |
| Washington | $62,720 | $30.15 | 1,030 |
| West Virginia | $48,530 | $23.33 | 370 |
| Wisconsin | $59,080 | $28.40 | 660 |
| Wyoming | $58,220 | $27.99 | 150 |
Metropolitan and nonmetropolitan wages
Search the 309 published local-area estimates for this occupation. Metropolitan areas can cross state lines; a city’s postal name is not necessarily the statistical area’s name.
Sources: BLS May 2025 OEWS public downloads and 2025–2035 employment projections, retrieved September 9, 2026. Unpublished estimates stay unavailable. “+” means BLS’s upper reporting threshold ($239,200 annually or $115 hourly). Wages exclude self-employment and nonwage benefits. How to interpret these figures.
Compare the route and prepare for work
Questions to test the fit
- What does an entry-level working day look like, and how does it differ from the experienced role described here?
- Which tasks, work environments and schedules would I enjoy or find difficult?
- What education, supervised practice and credentials do local employers actually request?
- Can I speak with someone in the occupation or arrange a suitable workplace visit?
- How does the complete training cost compare with my realistic budget and available routes?
Related occupations to compare
Related through shared training-subject mappings. Entry requirements can differ substantially.
Sources and attribution
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. Trade School Guides selects and organizes the material and adds explanatory guidance. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. Occupation code: 17-3031.00.
Training connections: CIP 2020–SOC 2018 crosswalk. Snapshot: September 8, 2026. See the methodology.