Engineering and architecture
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.
Median pay
$54,240
Growth to 2035
+6%
about as fast as average
Openings a year
6,900
Time to qualify*
6 months
* From a bachelor's degree in an unrelated field.
Pay
Surveying and mapping technicians
Getting in
- Typical entry education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- On-the-job training
- Moderate-term on-the-job training
- Prior experience
- None
What the work is like
Dealing with the public
Unpleasant or angry people
Time pressure
Cost of a mistake
Freedom to make decisions
Repeating the same tasks
Time sitting
Time standing
Outdoors in all weather
Surveying and mapping technicians: 52% usually work over 40 hours a week
Core tasks
- 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.
- Collect information needed to carry out new surveys, using source maps, previous survey data, photographs, computer records, or other relevant information.
- Record survey measurements or descriptive data, using notes, drawings, sketches, or inked tracings.
Also called: Field Surveyor · Land Survey Technician (Land Survey Tech) · Land Surveyor · Mapping Editor · Mapping Technician (Mapping Tech) · Photogrammetric Technician (Photogrammetric Tech) · Rodman · Stereoplotter Operator
Outlook and AI
Surveying and mapping technicians held 58,800 jobs in 2025. BLS projects 62,200 by 2035 (+6%, about as fast as average; all jobs: +3.5%).
Compare with
- Surveying and mapping technicians vs. Cartographers and photogrammetrists
- Surveying and mapping technicians vs. Surveyor
- Surveying and mapping technicians vs. Computer occupations, all other
- Surveying and mapping technicians vs. Geological technicians, except hydrologic technicians
- Surveying and mapping technicians vs. Architectural and civil drafters
- Surveying and mapping technicians vs. Civil engineering technologists and technicians
- Surveying and mapping technicians vs. Life, physical, and social science technicians, all other
- Surveying and mapping technicians vs. Physical scientists, all other
- Surveying and mapping technicians vs. Geographer