Cartographers and Photogrammetrists
Median $81,390
Occupation · SOC 17-1022
Surveyors: pay and where the jobs are
What surveyors earn in the U.S., how pay varies across workers and states, and tools to plan around it.
National pay, May 2025
$75,440 median annual wage
- Mean (average) annual wage
- $80,570
- Median hourly wage
- $36.27
- Mean hourly wage
- $38.73
- Employment
- 50,830
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-1022.
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See where your pay falls among surveyors nationally and in your state. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
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Use these numbers
How much do surveyors make?
The median annual wage for surveyors was $75,440 in May 2025, so half of workers earned more and half earned less. The lowest-paid 10% earned less than $46,880 and the highest-paid 10% more than $125,590. As an hourly rate, the median is $36.27. About 50,830 people work in this occupation nationwide. The highest state medians are in California ($105,330), Alaska ($99,550) and Oregon ($97,070). After taxes and local prices, though, a median paycheck goes furthest in Alaska.
Pay ladder
What each step of the pay range for surveyors looks like per month. Take-home here includes federal tax, Social Security and Medicare for a single filer; add your state in the paycheck calculator.
| Step | Annual | Hourly | Monthly gross | Monthly after federal tax & FICA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $46,880 | $22.54 | $3,907 | $3,321 |
| 25th percentile | $58,170 | $27.97 | $4,848 | $4,077 |
| Median | $75,440 | $36.27 | $6,287 | $5,159 |
| 75th percentile | $98,130 | $47.18 | $8,178 | $6,489 |
| 90th percentile | $125,590 | $60.38 | $10,466 | $8,092 |
Surveyors: pay by state
52 states and territories have a published median, sorted from highest to lowest. The last two columns are our estimates: the median after 2026 federal and state taxes, and that take-home restated in national-average prices.
1
$76,781 take-home in national prices
2
$72,361 take-home in national prices
3
$71,268 take-home in national prices
Where a median surveyor paycheck goes furthest after 2026 taxes and BEA price levels.
| State | Employment | Median | 10th pct. | 90th pct. | Median after tax* | In national prices† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | 4,520 | $105,330 | $59,310 | $160,430 | $76,010 | $68,650 |
| Alaska | 250 | $99,550 | $73,520 | $142,980 | $78,592 | $76,781 |
| Oregon | 530 | $97,070 | $64,880 | $131,040 | $69,645 | $67,380 |
| Massachusetts | 1,290 | $94,590 | $57,880 | $129,410 | $70,429 | $66,596 |
| Washington | 780 | $85,610 | $63,860 | $134,620 | $67,869 | $63,421 |
| Montana | 350 | $84,610 | $57,720 | $120,370 | $64,934 | $68,608 |
| Minnesota | 980 | $83,620 | $49,510 | $125,040 | $63,126 | $64,009 |
| Maine | 270 | $83,200 | $56,110 | $131,890 | $63,007 | $64,922 |
| Delaware | 120 | $82,890 | $63,200 | $126,600 | $62,682 | $62,802 |
| Nevada | 490 | $82,460 | $64,160 | $127,660 | $66,841 | $66,855 |
| Hawaii | 140 | $82,200 | $58,900 | $104,190 | $61,824 | $56,229 |
| Wyoming | 240 | $81,250 | $53,500 | $116,770 | $65,989 | $71,193 |
| Indiana | 870 | $80,510 | $48,260 | $118,760 | $63,123 | $67,635 |
| Wisconsin | 610 | $79,650 | $57,510 | $118,850 | $61,644 | $65,513 |
| North Dakota | 250 | $79,360 | $52,680 | $127,780 | $64,371 | $72,361 |
| Colorado | 1,620 | $79,310 | $51,220 | $115,990 | $61,494 | $59,673 |
| New York | 1,470 | $78,870 | $53,390 | $126,340 | $60,281 | $55,857 |
| Arizona | 1,360 | $77,490 | $48,940 | $110,950 | $61,801 | $61,385 |
| South Dakota | 180 | $77,190 | $59,690 | $122,560 | $63,133 | $71,268 |
| New Jersey | 900 | $77,160 | $58,240 | $132,930 | $59,872 | $55,027 |
| Iowa | 450 | $77,090 | $47,830 | $129,670 | $60,785 | $69,261 |
| Connecticut | 430 | $76,730 | $58,140 | $109,050 | $58,956 | $56,902 |
| Vermont | Not published | $76,450 | $50,640 | $83,860 | $60,071 | $61,323 |
| Tennessee | 920 | $76,340 | $48,950 | $114,400 | $62,535 | $68,069 |
| North Carolina | 1,530 | $76,210 | $46,750 | $128,200 | $59,912 | $63,516 |
| Illinois | 1,710 | $75,980 | $46,540 | $126,300 | $58,666 | $58,690 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,610 | $75,950 | $52,160 | $115,450 | $59,876 | $61,366 |
| Kansas | 350 | $75,860 | $50,320 | $100,920 | $58,764 | $65,244 |
| New Mexico | 290 | $74,230 | $42,890 | $101,230 | $58,728 | $63,688 |
| Idaho | 250 | $73,940 | $46,500 | $113,400 | $58,036 | $60,775 |
| Utah | 650 | $73,230 | $45,180 | $106,230 | $57,339 | $57,998 |
| Michigan | 1,050 | $72,080 | $51,240 | $99,940 | $56,726 | $58,956 |
| Kentucky | 670 | $71,840 | $39,000 | $101,330 | $56,973 | $63,191 |
| Virginia | 1,360 | $71,070 | $50,770 | $109,600 | $55,555 | $54,949 |
| Ohio | 1,300 | $70,620 | $48,600 | $114,440 | $57,013 | $61,453 |
| Nebraska | 430 | $68,050 | $51,660 | $103,650 | $54,486 | $60,471 |
| Alabama | 910 | $66,840 | $38,520 | $112,580 | $53,044 | $59,718 |
| Florida | 4,000 | $65,480 | $46,160 | $121,360 | $54,793 | $52,984 |
| New Hampshire | 280 | $65,130 | $58,000 | $93,560 | $54,512 | $52,332 |
| Maryland | 950 | $64,910 | $44,110 | $166,400 | $51,618 | $49,179 |
| South Carolina | 1,000 | $63,300 | $44,710 | $100,360 | $51,160 | $54,571 |
| Louisiana | 1,460 | $63,140 | $38,810 | $111,790 | $51,405 | $58,278 |
| Rhode Island | 150 | $62,670 | $44,130 | $99,270 | $50,113 | $48,996 |
| Missouri | 830 | $62,110 | $42,700 | $101,730 | $50,104 | $55,170 |
| West Virginia | 630 | $61,520 | $37,920 | $100,280 | $49,681 | $55,511 |
| Guam | 60 | $61,490 | $40,660 | $80,000 | — | — |
| Oklahoma | 960 | $61,300 | $37,510 | $103,270 | $49,222 | $56,034 |
| Texas | 6,410 | $61,150 | $42,450 | $107,850 | $51,314 | $52,870 |
| Mississippi | 570 | $58,720 | $38,840 | $96,460 | $47,745 | $54,909 |
| Georgia | 1,770 | $58,100 | $44,680 | $105,270 | $46,713 | $48,511 |
| Arkansas | 550 | $51,800 | $36,380 | $91,610 | $42,372 | $48,739 |
| Puerto Rico | 140 | $44,870 | $29,480 | $72,470 | — | — |
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (released 2026-05-15), SOC 17-1022. *Our estimate for a single filer paid biweekly with no pre-tax deductions or local tax, 2026 federal and state rules. †Take-home ÷ BEA Regional Price Parity × 100 (2024 price levels).
Sources
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25nat.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.
- OEWS May 2025 (oesm25st.zip) — U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Accessed 2026-10-09.