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.
Surveyors make exact measurements and determine property boundaries. The role reports a median annual salary of $72,740 in the US and is projected to grow 4% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Entry typically requires a Bachelor's degree, and shows moderate AI exposure (0.49 on a 0-1 scale) — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. The most in-demand skills for the role include geomatics, surveying, engineering principles, cartography, mathematics.
Pay in the UK
UK: median £46,184 a year for Chartered surveyors (ONS ASHE 2025, full-time)
Middle half of full-time jobs: £37,504 to £57,670 a year
UK jobs are grouped differently; this is the closest UK occupation group (ONS SOC 2020 2454). ONS rates this estimate reasonably precise. 2025 provisional figures; ONS revises them a year later. Source: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (Open Government Licence)
Pay in India (occupation group)
Average monthly earnings of salaried employees in the occupation group “Professionals” in India, from the Government of India's Periodic Labour Force Survey (January–December 2025). It covers everyone in this group, not only Surveyors, and it is not US pay converted to rupees.
Source: MoSPI (Government of India), Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2025, Table 51 — average wage/salary earnings of regular wage/salaried employees, NCO-2015 division 2. Official India data gives one average per occupation group: there are no official India figures for single careers, experience levels or cities. Read the report
How to get here in India
The usual route into this career in India. Each step links to the official page it comes from.
- 1 · Qualification ITI trade 'Surveyor' (2 years, after Class 10) under the Craftsmen Training Scheme[1][2]
- 2 · Certification Pass the all-India trade test to get the National Trade Certificate (NTC) from DGT[1]
- 3 · First role Topographical surveyor[1]
Rules change: check the exam body's and regulator's current notice before you apply.
- DGT — Surveyor trade syllabus (Craftsmen Training Scheme) (read on 2026-09-27)
- DGT — List of CTS courses (read on 2026-09-27)
Top skills
Knowledge you'll build
- Mathematics
- Engineering and Technology
- Geography
- Computers and Electronics
- Design
- Customer and Personal Service
- Building and Construction
- Administration and Management
A day in the life
You start the morning at your desk searching land records, old survey plans and title deeds for a plot whose owners disagree about where the boundary lies. Then you head out with your field assistant, set up the survey instrument over a known control point and spend hours taking measurements, hunting for old boundary marks half buried in the ground. The sun and the constant walking back and forth make fieldwork tiring, and a missing mark means retracing your steps. After lunch you return to the office and check the field data, recalculating angles and distances until everything closes within tolerance. You then plot the boundary on a map showing its shape and levels, and write a precise legal description that can go into the deed. Before leaving you review a draft plan prepared by a junior colleague. It is satisfying to hand over a clear, certified survey that settles an argument with facts rather than opinions.
In India: In India much boundary and land-record surveying is done by government surveyors in the land revenue departments, while private surveyors mostly work on construction, infrastructure and mapping projects.
Illustrative: one typical day, written from the O*NET task statements for this occupation. Real days vary by employer and seniority.
What you'd actually do
- Direct or conduct surveys to establish legal boundaries for properties, based on legal deeds and titles.
- Prepare and maintain sketches, maps, reports, and legal descriptions of surveys to describe, certify, and assume liability for work performed.
- Write descriptions of property boundary surveys for use in deeds, leases, or other legal documents.
- Verify the accuracy of survey data, including measurements and calculations conducted at survey sites.
- Search legal records, survey records, and land titles to obtain information about property boundaries in areas to be surveyed.
- Record the results of surveys, including the shape, contour, location, elevation, and dimensions of land or land features.
Tools & technology you'd use
Frequently asked questions
What does Surveyors do?
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.
What does a typical day look like in Surveyors?
You start the morning at your desk searching land records, old survey plans and title deeds for a plot whose owners disagree about where the boundary lies. Then you head out with your field assistant, set up the survey instrument over a known control point and spend hours taking measurements, hunting for old boundary marks half buried in the ground. The sun and the constant walking back and forth make fieldwork tiring, and a missing mark means retracing your steps.
How much does Surveyors earn?
The median annual salary for Surveyors in the US is $72,740.
What is the job outlook for Surveyors?
The role is projected to grow 4% over the next decade (about as fast as average). Current US employment is approximately 56,100 workers.
How do I become a surveyors?
The typical entry education is a Bachelor's degree. Building a foundation in the top skills below will strengthen your application.
What skills does Surveyors need?
The most in-demand skills for this role include geomatics, surveying, engineering principles, cartography, mathematics, technical drawings. These are the skills O*NET identifies as most important for competent performance.
Will AI replace Surveyors?
Our AI-durability model gives Surveyors a score of 0.49 on a 0-1 scale (higher = more exposure). That places it at moderate AI exposure — some tasks are being automated but the role adapts. Learning to work with AI tools rather than against them is the path forward.
How hard is it to enter this field?
Surveyors has moderate barrier to entry — moderately gated — a bachelor's degree or equivalent training is typically required.