Surveying and Mapping Technicians Salary
Architecture and Engineering Occupations · 58K employed in the U.S.
Median annual
$54,240
Median hourly
$26
Average annual
$58,000
Typical range
$37,520–$81,630
Pay distribution
10th to 90th percentile, with the median marked.
What this role pays
The median annual salary for Surveying and Mapping Technicians is $54,240 as of May 2025, based on the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. That works out to about $26 an hour at a full-time schedule.
Perform surveying and mapping duties, usually under the direction of an engineer, surveyor, cartographer, or photogrammetrist, to obtain data used for construction, mapmaking, boundary location, mining, or other purposes. May calculate mapmaking information and create maps from source data, such as surveying notes, aerial photography, satellite data, or other maps to show topographical features, political boundaries, and other features.
Most earn between $37,520 and $81,630 a year. There are roughly 58K people employed as surveying and mapping technicians in the United States. Use the state and metro pages below to see how pay changes by location, and the calculator to convert any hourly or annual figure.
Salary calculator
Convert your pay and see where it lands for Surveying and Mapping Technicians.
- Hourly
- $26.08
- Daily
- $209
- Weekly
- $1,043
- Bi-weekly
- $2,086
- Monthly
- $4,520
- Annual
- $54,240
$54,240 a year is around the 50th percentile for Surveying and Mapping Technicianss. The median is $54,240.
Highest-paying states
Median annual wage by state.
- 1California$78,110
- 2Alaska$76,970
- 3Minnesota$73,190
- 4Washington$62,720
- 5Maryland$61,600
- 6North Dakota$60,870
- 7New Jersey$60,720
- 8Montana$60,330
- 9Ohio$60,330
- 10Rhode Island$60,320
- 11Utah$59,600
- 12Wisconsin$59,080
Top-paying metro areas
Median annual wage by metro area.
- 1San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA$101,270
- 2Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA$92,700
- 3San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$84,360
- 4Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA$81,120
- 5Visalia, CA$80,680
- 6Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA$79,450
- 7Vallejo, CA$78,790
- 8San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA$78,110
- 9Anchorage, AK$76,970
- 10San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA$76,560
- 11Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI$76,140
- 12Stockton-Lodi, CA$75,990
Related job titles
Employers advertise Surveying and Mapping Technicians roles under these titles.
- Aerial Photograph Interpreter
- Aerotriangulation Specialist
- Assessment Technician
- Ax Survey Worker
- CAD Technician (Computer Aided Design Technician)
- Cartographic Aide
- Cartographic Drafter
- Cartography Technician
- Chain Carrier
- Compass Operator
- Field Crew Member
- Field Map Technician
- Field Survey Technician
- Geodetic Computator
- Geophysical Prospecting Surveying Technician
- GIS Coordinator (Geographic Information Systems Coordinator)
Related occupations
- Cartographers and Photogrammetrists$81,390
- Surveyors$75,440
- Computer Occupations, All Other$116,580
- Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians$53,350
- Architectural and Civil Drafters$66,150
- Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians$64,950
- Geographers$102,040
- Life, Physical, and Social Science Technicians, All Other$62,280
What a Surveying and Mapping Technicians does
- Position and hold the vertical rods, or targets, that theodolite operators use for sighting to measure angles, distances, and elevations.
- Check all layers of maps to ensure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections.
- Design or develop information databases that include geographic or topographic data.
- Monitor mapping work or the updating of maps to ensure accuracy, inclusion of new or changed information, or compliance with rules and regulations.
- Produce or update overlay maps to show information boundaries, water locations, or topographic features on various base maps or at different scales.
- Determine scales, line sizes, or colors to be used for hard copies of computerized maps, using plotters.
- Compile information necessary to stake projects for construction, using engineering plans.
- Identify and compile database information to create requested maps.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a Surveying and Mapping Technicians make?
- The median annual wage for Surveying and Mapping Technicians is $54,240 ($26 per hour). Pay ranges from about $37,520 at the 10th percentile to $81,630 at the 90th percentile.
- What is the average salary for a Surveying and Mapping Technicians?
- The average (mean) annual salary is $58,000, which is higher than the median because a small number of high earners pull the average up.
- Which state pays Surveying and Mapping Technicianss the most?
- California has the highest median annual wage for this occupation at $78,110.
- Is Surveying and Mapping Technicians a growing occupation?
- BLS employment data for May 2025 counts about 58K people in this occupation. Projected growth is published separately in the BLS Employment Projections program.
- What does a Surveying and Mapping Technicians do?
- Position and hold the vertical rods, or targets, that theodolite operators use for sighting to measure angles, distances, and elevations.; Check all layers of maps to ensure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections.; Design or develop information databases that include geographic or topographic data..