Surveyors pay in the U.S.
$80,570avg. a year
$38.73 an hour · 50,830 employed
Surveyors in the U.S. earn an average of $80,570 a year and a median of $75,440. Pay is highest in California ($110,220) and lowest in Arkansas ($58,160).
$75,440Median pay
$38.73Average hourly
+15%Avg. pay since 2020
50,830Jobs in the U.S.
Top-paying states for surveyors
Average pay by state. Swipe to see the top 10.
14,520 jobs
California
$110,220
$52.99 an hour
2250 jobs
Alaska
$104,340
$50.16 an hour
3530 jobs
Oregon
$96,920
$46.60 an hour
4780 jobs
Washington
$95,530
$45.93 an hour
5490 jobs
Nevada
$92,420
$44.43 an hour
61,290 jobs
Massachusetts
$92,110
$44.28 an hour
7270 jobs
Maine
$90,520
$43.52 an hour
8120 jobs
Delaware
$89,340
$42.95 an hour
9250 jobs
North Dakota
$89,210
$42.89 an hour
10350 jobs
Montana
$87,770
$42.20 an hour
Why people trust JobPayFacts
Official government dataEvery number comes from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics wage survey of employers, not self-reported salaries.
Every state and city830 jobs across all 50 states, D.C. and 199 large metro areas.
Updated every yearNew figures each spring when BLS releases them. This site uses May 2025 data.
Surveyors pay, charted
Pay over time
United States, annual wage, May of each year
AverageMedian
Where the jobs are
Employment by state, May 2025
Average pay by state
May 2025 · tap a state
AKMEWIVTNHWAIDMTNDMNILMINYMAORNVWYSDIAINOHPANJCTRICAUTCONEMOKYWVVAMDDEAZNMKSARTNNCSCDCOKLAMSALGAHITXFL
Under $72k$72k–$79k$79k–$87k$87k+
Top-paying metro areas
Average pay, May 2025 (areas with 100+ jobs)
| Metro area | Avg. pay | Hourly |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $126,380 | $60.76 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $120,210 | $57.79 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $116,770 | $56.14 |
| Fresno, CA | $110,060 | $52.92 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $108,630 | $52.23 |
| Anchorage, AK | $107,460 | $51.66 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA | $106,490 | $51.20 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA | $106,390 | $51.15 |
Related jobs
- Architects, Except Landscape and Naval$106,260
- Landscape Architects$88,780
- Cartographers and Photogrammetrists$86,690
- Civil Engineers$108,670
- Industrial Engineers$109,900
- Mechanical Engineers$113,610
Average U.S. pay, May 2025
Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS
Surveyors pay in every state
States without a figure had too few jobs or too little survey data for BLS to publish.
| State | Avg. pay | Median | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $71,980 | $66,840 | 910 |
| Alaska | $104,340 | $99,550 | 250 |
| Arizona | $78,630 | $77,490 | 1,360 |
| Arkansas | $58,160 | $51,800 | 550 |
| California | $110,220 | $105,330 | 4,520 |
| Colorado | $82,630 | $79,310 | 1,620 |
| Connecticut | $82,710 | $76,730 | 430 |
| Delaware | $89,340 | $82,890 | 120 |
| Florida | $76,490 | $65,480 | 4,000 |
| Georgia | $69,720 | $58,100 | 1,770 |
| Hawaii | $82,320 | $82,200 | 140 |
| Idaho | $78,680 | $73,940 | 250 |
| Illinois | $81,660 | $75,980 | 1,710 |
| Indiana | $83,000 | $80,510 | 870 |
| Iowa | $86,740 | $77,090 | 450 |
| Kansas | $79,070 | $75,860 | 350 |
| Kentucky | $70,020 | $71,840 | 670 |
| Louisiana | $72,810 | $63,140 | 1,460 |
| Maine | $90,520 | $83,200 | 270 |
| Maryland | $78,670 | $64,910 | 950 |
| Massachusetts | $92,110 | $94,590 | 1,290 |
| Michigan | $72,420 | $72,080 | 1,050 |
| Minnesota | $86,390 | $83,620 | 980 |
| Mississippi | $65,510 | $58,720 | 570 |
| Missouri | $67,640 | $62,110 | 830 |
| Montana | $87,770 | $84,610 | 350 |
| Nebraska | $71,950 | $68,050 | 430 |
| Nevada | $92,420 | $82,460 | 490 |
| New Hampshire | $71,120 | $65,130 | 280 |
| New Jersey | $86,060 | $77,160 | 900 |
| New Mexico | $75,490 | $74,230 | 290 |
| New York | $87,640 | $78,870 | 1,470 |
| North Carolina | $82,130 | $76,210 | 1,530 |
| North Dakota | $89,210 | $79,360 | 250 |
| Ohio | $75,480 | $70,620 | 1,300 |
| Oklahoma | $68,290 | $61,300 | 960 |
| Oregon | $96,920 | $97,070 | 530 |
| Pennsylvania | $80,270 | $75,950 | 1,610 |
| Rhode Island | $69,750 | $62,670 | 150 |
| South Carolina | $70,580 | $63,300 | 1,000 |
| South Dakota | $86,630 | $77,190 | 180 |
| Tennessee | $79,090 | $76,340 | 920 |
| Texas | $70,450 | $61,150 | 6,410 |
| Utah | $75,790 | $73,230 | 650 |
| Vermont | $70,990 | $76,450 | – |
| Virginia | $76,510 | $71,070 | 1,360 |
| Washington | $95,530 | $85,610 | 780 |
| West Virginia | $67,780 | $61,520 | 630 |
| Wisconsin | $84,980 | $79,650 | 610 |
| Wyoming | $87,190 | $81,250 | 240 |
Metro areas with the most jobs
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
$72,690
1,960 jobsDallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX
$74,580
1,400 jobsNew York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ
$93,290
1,300 jobsChicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN
$83,940
1,140 jobsAtlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA
$69,710
1,100 jobsBoston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
$92,290
1,070 jobsLos Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
$105,400
970 jobsPhoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
$81,090
970 jobsQuestions and answers
How much do surveyors make?
The average is $80,570 a year across the U.S. Half earn more than $75,440 and half earn less (the median).
What is the hourly pay?
The average hourly wage is $38.73, and the median is $36.27 an hour.
Which state pays surveyors the most?
California, with an average of $110,220 a year. The best-paying metro area is San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA at $126,380.
What is the pay range?
The lowest-paid 10% earn under $46,880 a year, and the top 10% earn over $125,590.
Sources and notes. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 (trend: May 2020–May 2025), occupation code 17-1022. Wages are gross pay before taxes and don't include overtime premiums, tips, bonuses or benefits; self-employed workers aren't included. Year-to-year changes can partly reflect survey method changes, so treat the trend as a guide. How we use the data. JobPayFacts isn't affiliated with BLS.