What Is the Pay Scale for Land Surveyors?

Land surveyors are professionals who take measurements of pieces of land and establish the locations of borders. The pay scale for surveyors varies, based on a variety of factors such as their work experience and geographic location.

Overall Pay Scale

As of May 2008, the lowest-paid 10 percent of land surveyors earned $29,600 or less, while the highest-paid 10 percent averaged $85,620 or more, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

Work Experience

Average salaries of land surveyors with one to four years of experience ranged from $28,486 to $49,352, according to January 2010 reporting by PayScale. Surveyors with 10 to 19 years of experience or more averaged $51,275 to $73,462.

Employer Type

Self-employed land surveyors earned average salaries from $40,000 to $73,585, according to January 2010 reporting on PayScale. Those who worked for public companies earned an average of $41,286 to $69,604, while those employed by private firms earned $41,362 to $67,040.

Industry

The highest-paying industries for land surveyors as of May 2008 were the federal government, foundation and exterior contractors and scientific consulting services, where average salaries ranged from $66,840 to $78,710, according to the BLS.

Geography

The highest-paying states for land surveyors to work in as of May 2008 were Oregon, New Jersey, Washington, California and Alaska, with average salaries of $65,980 to $78,370, reports the BLS.

References

• PayScale: Salary Survey for Job-Land Surveyors
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Surveyors