Surveyors

Make exact measurements and determine property boundaries. Provide data relevant to the shape, contour, gravitation, location, elevation, or dimension of land or land features on or near the earth's surface for engineering, mapmaking, mining, land evaluation, construction, and other purposes.

Most important skills

Mathematics
Reading Comprehension
Writing
Critical Thinking
Speaking
Active Listening
Coordination
Active Learning

Key knowledge

Mathematics
Engineering and Technology
Geography
Computers and Electronics
Customer and Personal Service
Design
Building and Construction
Administration and Management

What the work involves

Prepare and maintain sketches, maps, reports, and legal descriptions of surveys to describe, certify, and assume liability for work performed.
Verify the accuracy of survey data, including measurements and calculations conducted at survey sites.
Direct or conduct surveys to establish legal boundaries for properties, based on legal deeds and titles.
Record the results of surveys, including the shape, contour, location, elevation, and dimensions of land or land features.
Calculate heights, depths, relative positions, property lines, and other characteristics of terrain.
Prepare, or supervise preparation of, all data, charts, plots, maps, records, and documents related to surveys.
Write descriptions of property boundary surveys for use in deeds, leases, or other legal documents.
Plan and conduct ground surveys designed to establish baselines, elevations, and other geodetic measurements.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Conventional, Realistic, Investigative.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Bachelor's Degree (47.4% of respondents)
Related experience: Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years (25%)
On-the-job training: Over 6 months, up to and including 1 year (20%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 4: Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Surveyors is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Moderate	Lower on contact with others than 53% of occupations compared	60% of surveyed respondents chose “Constant contact with others”
Dealing with the public	High	Higher on dealing with the public than 61% of occupations compared	40% of surveyed respondents chose “Important”
Teamwork	Moderate	Higher on teamwork than 50% of occupations compared	45% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Freedom to make decisions	Low	Lower on freedom to make decisions than 63% of occupations compared	45% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	Very high	Higher on time pressure than 82% of occupations compared	70% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Conflict situations	Moderate	Higher on conflict situations than 55% of occupations compared	40% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Moderate	Higher on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 51% of occupations compared	50% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Consequence of error	High	Higher on consequence of error than 72% of occupations compared	30% of surveyed respondents chose “Fairly serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: very high
Conflict situations: moderate
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: moderate
Consequence of error: high

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions