Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2003

17-3031 Surveying and Mapping Technicians

Perform surveying and mapping duties, usually under the direction of a 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. May verify accuracy and completeness of topographical maps. Exclude "Surveyors" (17-1022), "Cartographers and Photogrammetrists" (17-1021), and "Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers" (19-2042).

National estimates for this occupation
Industry profile for this occupation
State profile for this occupation
Metropolitan area profile for this occupation

National estimates for this occupation: Top

Employment estimate and mean wage estimates for this occupation:

Employment (1) Employment
RSE (3)
Mean hourly
wage
Mean annual
wage (2)
Wage RSE (3)
57,740 1.9 % $15.39 $32,000 0.7 %

Percentile wage estimates for this occupation:

Percentile 10% 25% 50%
(Median)
75% 90%
Hourly Wage $8.95 $10.97 $14.19 $19.00 $24.04
Annual Wage (2) $18,610 $22,820 $29,520 $39,510 $50,000

Industry profile for this occupation: Top

Industries with the highest levels of employment in this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Architectural and engineering services 38,440 $14.33 $29,820 1 33
Local government (OES designation) 7,430 $17.09 $35,540 2 16
State government (OES designation) 1,770 $16.42 $34,140 3 21
Federal government (OES designation) 1,670 $18.45 $38,380 4 12
Power generation and supply 1,230 $19.93 $41,450 5 5

Top paying industries for this occupation:

Industry Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Employment rank Wage rank
Natural gas distribution (6) $26.34 $54,790 (6) 1
Pipeline transportation of natural gas 140 $22.60 $47,000 15 2
Metal ore mining 40 $22.26 $46,300 32 3
Oil and gas extraction 270 $20.60 $42,850 11 4
Power generation and supply 1,230 $19.93 $41,450 5 5

State profile for this occupation: Top

States with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
Florida 7,440 $13.32 $27,700 0.103% 465
Alaska 290 $21.03 $43,750 0.099% 220
Wyoming 230 $15.10 $31,400 0.095% 253
West Virginia 620 $13.56 $28,200 0.091% 368
New Mexico 620 $16.07 $33,420 0.084% 280

Top paying States for this occupation:

State Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of State employment Wage rank within State
California 3,500 $22.10 $45,970 0.024% 302
Alaska 290 $21.03 $43,750 0.099% 220
Massachusetts 840 $19.06 $39,640 0.026% 349
Colorado 1,110 $18.09 $37,630 0.053% 317
Connecticut 450 $18.06 $37,560 0.027% 357

Metropolitan area profile for this occupation: Top

Metropolitan areas with the highest concentration of workers in this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
Panama City, FL MSA 140 $11.88 $24,720 0.228%
Punta Gorda, FL MSA 80 $11.59 $24,100 0.197%
Tuscaloosa, AL MSA 140 $13.19 $27,440 0.186%
Tyler, TX MSA 150 $12.65 $26,310 0.178%
Naples, FL MSA 190 $16.13 $33,550 0.168%

Top paying Metropolitan areas for this occupation:

MSA Employment Hourly mean wage Annual mean wage Percent of MSA employment
San Jose, CA PMSA 230 $27.25 $56,670 0.026%
Oakland, CA PMSA 260 $27.07 $56,300 0.026%
San Francisco, CA PMSA 300 $25.21 $52,430 0.031%
Stockton-Lodi, CA MSA 30 $24.66 $51,290 0.015%
Vallejo-Fairfield-Napa, CA PMSA 120 $24.63 $51,230 0.064%

About May 2003 National, State, and Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

To see profiles of other occupations, select from the major groups below:

These estimates are calculated with data collected from employers in all industry sectors in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas in every State and the District of Columbia. The top five employment and wage figures are provided above. The complete list is available in the downloadable Excel files(XLS).

Percentile wage estimates show the percentage of workers in an occupation that earn less than a given wage and the percentage that earn more. The median wage is the 50th percentile wage estimate—50 percent of workers earn less than the median and 50 percent of workers earn more than the median. More about percentile wages.


(1) Estimates for detailed occupations do not sum to the totals because the totals include occupations not shown separately. Estimates do not include self-employed workers.

(2) Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly mean wage by a "year-round, full-time" hours figure of 2,080 hours; for those occupations where there is not an hourly mean wage published, the annual wage has been directly calculated from the reported survey data.

(3) The relative standard error (RSE) is a measure of the reliability of a survey statistic. The smaller the relative standard error, the more precise the estimate.

(6) Estimates not released.

All Architecture and Engineering Occupations

2003 May National Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May State Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May Metropolitan Area Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

2003 May National Industry-Specific Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates

List of Occupations in SOC Code Number Order

List of Occupations in Alphabetical Order

Download May 2003 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates in Zipped Excel files

Technical notes

 

Last Modified Date: May 7, 2004