Surveyors
Architecture and Engineering
Directs or carries out surveys that fix legal property lines from deeds and titles, then writes the descriptions used in deeds, leases, and other legal papers. Field measurements and calculations are checked for accuracy, and older survey records and land titles are searched before the work is certified. Results cover the shape, contour, location, elevation, and dimensions of the land, and they become maps, plots, and reports that certify the work and carry liability for it. Geodetic calculations are used to place features on the earth's surface. Suits people who like precise outdoor measurement, careful record search, and written work that has to hold up legally.
Typical education: Bachelor’s Degree (4-year)
Annual Median Wage in Field (2025)
$75'440
Median Wage Market Position
$75'440
What you might do
- Survey land to establish legal property boundaries
- Search deeds, titles, and older survey records
- Write boundary descriptions for deeds and leases
- Verify field measurements and the math behind them
- Record the shape, elevation, and size of land
- Prepare certified maps, sketches, and survey reports
Skills that matter
- Computing land positions and elevations
- Reading deeds and land titles
- Writing legal property descriptions
- Deciding where legal boundaries fall
- Explaining survey findings to others
- Working with a field survey crew
AI & the future of this role
Boundary staking and on-site measurement still depend on field judgment and legal accountability that tools alone struggle to carry. Software may speed mapping and calculations, yet disputes and construction handoffs keep people central.
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Includes O*NET® 30.3 Database information by USDOL/ETA under CC BY 4.0; modified by LostInCareer. Wage/outlook from BLS. Attribution details