Occupational Employment Statistics

DETAILED OCCUPATION DATA

17-3031 Surveying and Mapping Technicians

Occupational Description:
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. Excludes “Surveyors" (17-1022), "Cartographers and Photogrammetrists" (17-1021), and "Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers" (19-2042).

Occupational Employment Statistics(OES) Wage Data
First Quarter 2025

Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Percentiles
Geography	Employment	Emp SE*	Mean	10th	25th	Median	75th	90th
Central Minnesota	70	11	$36.22/hr	$25.15/hr	$30.18/hr	$37.79/hr	$40.05/hr	$43.50/hr

Leading Industries for Surveying and Mapping Technicians

Industry	OES Employment (Statewide)	OES Median Wage (Statewide)
Natural Resources and Mining	N/A	N/A
Construction	40	$37.99/hr
Trade, Transportation and Utilities	100	$35.67/hr
Information	N/A	N/A
Financial Activities	N/A	N/A
Professional and Business Services	360	$30.07/hr
Public Administration	240	$37.79/hr

Other Regional Data for Surveying and Mapping Technicians

Geography	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Grand Forks ND-MN MSA	N/A	N/A	N/A
La Crosse WI-MN MSA	10	$25.37/hr	N/A
Mankato-North Mankato MN MSA	10	$30.56/hr	N/A
Northeast Balance of State	10	$29.07/hr	N/A
Southwest Balance of State	10	$36.31/hr	N/A
Fargo ND-MN MSA	30	$23.43/hr	N/A
Rochester MN MSA	30	$37.07/hr	N/A
St Cloud MN MSA	30	$38.02/hr	N/A
Southwest Minnesota	40	$32.50/hr	6.1%
Southeast Balance of State	40	$36.45/hr	N/A
Southeast Minnesota	50	$37.07/hr	0.0%
Central Minnesota	70	$37.79/hr	2.0%
Duluth MN-WI MSA	70	$29.58/hr	N/A
Northeast Minnesota	80	$29.57/hr	5.6%
Northwest Minnesota	90	$34.27/hr	4.9%
Northwest Balance of State	90	$34.27/hr	N/A
Seven County Mpls-St Paul, MN	540	$31.52/hr	5.7%
Minneapolis-St Paul-Bloomington MN-WI MSA	590	$31.67/hr	N/A
Minnesota	910	$32.22/hr	4.8%

Related Occupations

Occupations	Employment	Median Wage	Projections % Change 2022-2032
Surveyors	1,850	$22.73/hr	8.4%
Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians	N/A	$25.59/hr	5.7%
Cartographers and Photogrammetrists	120	$42.32/hr	6.8%

Task for Surveying and Mapping Technicians

Compare survey computations with applicable standards to determine adequacy of data.
Design or develop information databases that include geographic or topographic data.
Compile information necessary to stake projects for construction, using engineering plans.
Analyze aerial photographs to detect and interpret significant military, industrial, resource, or topographical data.
Identify and compile database information to create requested maps.
Check all layers of maps to ensure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections.
Position and hold the vertical rods, or targets, that theodolite operators use for sighting to measure angles, distances, and elevations.
Compile information necessary to stake projects for construction, using engineering plans.
Identify and compile database information to create requested maps.
Check all layers of maps to ensure accuracy, identifying and marking errors and making corrections.