Surveying and Mapping Technicians
SOC 17-3031 · 2024-2034
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. May verify accuracy and completeness of maps.
How the U.S. Department of Labor describes this work. Published in English only.
The job this trains for
- Typical pay in California
- $80,297per year
- Projected openings
- 4,620
- Projected change
- +8.8%
- Usually needs
- High school diploma or equivalent
Bright Outlook — a U.S. Department of Labor designation
Rapid Growth
The Department's own designation, made from its national projections. It is not this project's assessment and it is not California's: every other figure on this page comes from California's projection, which can point the other way and for some occupations does.
Skills this work uses most
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, rates how important each of these is to this work, and they are listed in that order, most important first. The ratings themselves are not shown, because the data carries the number without the scale it was measured on. The names are as published, in English.
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Writing
- Mathematics
- Speaking
- Active Listening
Pay by region
| Region | Typical pay in California | Projected openings |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara MSA (San Benito and Santa Clara Counties) | $97,736 | 260 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Glendale MD (Los Angeles County) | $83,620 | 740 |
| San Rafael MD (Marin County) | $83,381 | 30 |
| Oakland-Fremont-Berkeley MD (Alameda and Contra Costa Counties) | $80,660 | 420 |
| San Francisco-San Mateo-Redwood City MD (San Francisco and San Mateo Counties) | $78,849 | 190 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles MSA (San Luis Obispo County) | $77,932 | 110 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara MSA (Santa Barbara County) | $77,449 | 80 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom MSA (El Dorado, Placer, Sacramento, and Yolo Counties) | $74,090 | 340 |
| Eastern Sierra-Mother Lode Region (Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, Inyo, Mariposa, Mono, and Tuolumne Counties) | $71,235 | 30 |
| Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine MD (Orange County) | $69,615 | 350 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad MSA (San Diego County) | $64,589 | 700 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura MSA (Ventura County) | $64,363 | 90 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario MSA (Riverside and San Bernardino Counties) | $63,829 | 540 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma MSA (Sonoma County) | $63,233 | 60 |
| Fresno MSA (Fresno and Madera Counties) | $61,620 | 140 |
| Modesto MSA (Stanislaus County) | $60,244 | 80 |
| Bakersfield-Delano MSA (Kern County) | $57,193 | 100 |
| North Valley-Northern Mountains Region (Colusa, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity Counties) | $53,434 | 70 |
Similar work
O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupation database, names these as occupations involving work similar to this one — its own reading of the job, not a grouping by code. They keep O*NET's order, and only those California publishes a projection for are shown.
| The job this trains for | Typical pay in California | Projected openings | Projected change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cartographers and Photogrammetrists | $105,657 | 1,090 | +6.7% |
| Surveyors | $108,278 | 3,440 | +6.4% |
| Computer Occupations, All Other | $138,203 | 59,320 | +11.1% |
| Architectural and Civil Drafters | $78,662 | 10,740 | +7% |
| Civil Engineering Technologists and Technicians | $85,827 | 6,450 | +4.1% |
Leads to — 1
Geographic Information Systems: Certificate of Achievement
Napa Valley College · Napa · $1,039