Survey Technician Apprentice Salary: United States
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The median annual wage for Survey Technician Apprentice in the United States was $54,240 in May 2025 (BLS). The middle half of workers earned between $45,430 and $66,700.
Broader occupation Our title "Survey Technician Apprentice" is reported by BLS as SOC 17-3031 Surveying and Mapping Technicians. BLS groups Survey Technician Apprentice within Surveying and Mapping Technicians; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately.
Annual wages
Survey Technician Apprentice, the United States, annual wages: 10% earned less than $37,520, half earned less than the median of $54,240, 90% earned less than $81,630 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Annual wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $37,520 | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $45,430 | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $54,240 | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $66,700 | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $81,630 | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $58,000 | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Hourly wages
Survey Technician Apprentice, the United States, hourly wages: 10% earned less than $18.04, half earned less than the median of $26.08, 90% earned less than $39.24 (BLS, May 2025).
| Measure | Hourly wage | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $18.04 per hour | 10% of workers in this occupation and area earned less than this. |
| 25th percentile | $21.84 per hour | 25% earned less than this. |
| Median (50th) | $26.08 per hour | Half earned less, half earned more. |
| 75th percentile | $32.07 per hour | 75% earned less than this. |
| 90th percentile | $39.24 per hour | 90% earned less than this. |
| Mean | $27.89 per hour | Arithmetic average of reported wages. |
Employment: BLS estimates 58,010 workers in this occupation nationally.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. SOC 17-3031 Surveying and Mapping Technicians, National.
What BLS wages include. Base pay plus any guaranteed or production-based incentive pay. They leave out overtime, discretionary bonus, benefits, per diem and relocation.
BLS definitions, verbatim
wages
Base rate; cost-of-living allowances; guaranteed pay; hazardous-duty pay; incentive pay, including commissions and production bonuses; and tips are included. Excluded are overtime pay, severance pay, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer cost for supplementary benefits, and tuition reimbursements.
hours
Annual wages have been calculated by multiplying the hourly wages by 2,080 hours; for occupations where hourly wages are not published, annual wages were taken directly from the reported survey data.
Target metros
| Metro | Median | 25th to 75th percentile | Employment | Location quotient |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL | $49,180 | $41,020 to $62,350 | 950 | 0.9 |
| Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL | $46,920 | $38,150 to $61,020 | 990 | 1.83 |
| Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL | $47,320 | $39,590 to $60,990 | 720 | 1.37 |
| Raleigh-Cary, NC | $49,150 | $45,820 to $61,930 | 1,120 | 4.05 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $57,530 | $48,370 to $70,520 | 1,930 | 0.54 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | $57,530 | $48,370 to $70,520 | 1,930 | 0.54 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | $45,460 | $37,520 to $60,220 | 2,010 | 1.33 |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX | $49,570 | $44,500 to $64,860 | 2,650 | 2.16 |
| Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN | $57,470 | $48,170 to $68,640 | 790 | 0.47 |
How does Survey Technician Apprentice pay differ by industry?
These are national industry estimates for SOC 17-3031, not local offers or separate estimates for the niche title. Industry names are exactly as BLS publishes them.
| Industry | NAICS | Median | Basis | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utilities | 22 | $77,310 | Annual | 2,230 |
| Utilities | 221000 | $77,310 | Annual | 2,230 |
| Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution | 221100 | $77,310 | Annual | 1,790 |
| Natural Gas Distribution | 221200 | $78,780 | Annual | 350 |
| Water, Sewage and Other Systems | 221300 | $69,490 | Annual | 90 |
| Construction | 23 | $56,880 | Annual | 1,980 |
| Construction of Buildings | 236000 | $54,040 | Annual | 250 |
| Residential Building Construction | 236100 | $66,340 | Annual | 40 |
| Nonresidential Building Construction | 236200 | $52,160 | Annual | 210 |
| Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction | 237000 | $58,040 | Annual | 1,220 |
| Utility System Construction | 237100 | $58,160 | Annual | 660 |
| Land Subdivision | 237200 | $57,010 | Annual | 70 |
| Highway, Street, and Bridge Construction | 237300 | $58,690 | Annual | 380 |
| Other Heavy and Civil Engineering Construction | 237900 | $54,350 | Annual | 110 |
| Specialty Trade Contractors | 238000 | $53,500 | Annual | 510 |
| Foundation, Structure, and Building Exterior Contractors | 238100 | $56,880 | Annual | 50 |
| Building Equipment Contractors | 238200 | $53,300 | Annual | 180 |
| Other Specialty Trade Contractors | 238900 | $49,920 | Annual | 270 |
| Manufacturing | 31-33 | $50,440 | Annual | 160 |
| Computer and Electronic Product Manufacturing | 334000 | $50,440 | Annual | 90 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 54 | $50,010 | Annual | 38,180 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 541000 | $50,010 | Annual | 38,180 |
| Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services | 541300 | $50,340 | Annual | 35,480 |
| Computer Systems Design and Related Services | 541500 | $41,160 | Annual | Not published by BLS |
| Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services | 541600 | $58,410 | Annual | 1,000 |
| Scientific Research and Development Services | 541700 | $56,460 | Annual | 130 |
| Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 541900 | $47,250 | Annual | 470 |
Industry estimates are national. Do not combine an industry median with a local percentile to invent an industry-specific local rate.
Which metros publish the highest and lowest medians?
This ranking uses the May 2025 annual median for Surveying and Mapping Technicians. It is not adjusted for living costs. A metro is a BLS statistical area, not just the city limits. Top-coded or suppressed medians are not ranked.
| Metro | Median | Employment | Location quotient | Trade median / all-occupations median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA | $101,270 | 40 | 0.89 | 1.99 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA | $92,700 | 860 | 0.37 | 1.66 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA | $84,360 | 360 | 0.41 | 1.14 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA | $81,120 | 250 | 0.61 | 1.36 |
| Visalia, CA | $80,680 | 40 | 0.56 | 1.79 |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA | $79,450 | 50 | 0.69 | 1.40 |
| Vallejo, CA | $78,790 | 40 | 0.83 | 1.34 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $78,110 | 440 | 0.77 | 1.33 |
| Anchorage, AK | $76,970 | 220 | 3.32 | 1.28 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | $76,560 | 140 | 0.34 | 0.91 |
| Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | $43,740 | 280 | 1.72 | 0.94 |
| Ocala, FL | $43,220 | 50 | 1.06 | 0.98 |
| Bowling Green, KY | $42,880 | 90 | 2.91 | 0.95 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | $42,480 | 50 | 0.87 | 1.16 |
| Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | $41,600 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS | 1.10 |
| Florence, SC | $41,430 | Not published by BLS | Not published by BLS | 0.95 |
| Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | $41,160 | 30 | 1.46 | 1.04 |
| Tyler, TX | $40,060 | 130 | 3.01 | 0.94 |
| Laredo, TX | $37,350 | 40 | 1.1 | 1.00 |
| San Juan-Bayamon-Caguas, PR | $33,860 | 80 | 0.3 | 1.15 |
The wage ratio is simple arithmetic: this occupation's median divided by the all-occupations median in the same area and unit. It is not a cost-of-living measure. Location quotient describes the concentration of employment, not relative pay. Neither predicts what a particular candidate will accept.
What do these published wages mean for an offer?
Skilled Trades Headhunters reads the May 2025 figures for Survey Technician Apprentice in National as an offer reference, not a quote for a particular candidate. For Survey Technician Apprentice in National, the published median for SOC 17-3031, Surveying and Mapping Technicians, is $54,240 per year. The middle half of the Survey Technician Apprentice in National wage distribution runs from $45,430 to $66,700, a width of $21,270 per year; that spread shows how much published pay varies within the occupation and area, without assigning experience levels.
For the national Survey Technician Apprentice comparison, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX reports $49,570 per year while Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX reports $45,460 per year; these are the largest-employment metros with published medians for the occupation, rather than neighboring places to a national estimate. The United States Survey Technician Apprentice figure pools markets with different work scopes and schedules, so use the area table before setting a local offer.
The highest published medians among the selected national industry rows for Surveying and Mapping Technicians, read alongside Survey Technician Apprentice in National, are Natural Gas Distribution at $78,780 per year (NAICS 221200); Utilities at $77,310 per year (NAICS 22); Utilities at $77,310 per year (NAICS 221000). Those Survey Technician Apprentice in National industry comparisons are national cross-sections, not local industry estimates; BLS does not give us a metro-by-industry wage cut here, and overlapping industry groups should not be added together.
The Survey Technician Apprentice in National median was $51,940 per year in May 2024, compared with $54,240 in May 2025, a published difference of $2,300. That Survey Technician Apprentice in National comparison is between separate BLS releases, not the raise paid to the same workers or a projection of next year's offer. Read the $51,940 and $54,240 Survey Technician Apprentice in National estimates with both dates visible, because the employers and workers represented by the survey can change.
Before offering $54,240 per year for Survey Technician Apprentice in National, separate on-call duties, overtime, travel reimbursement, tool replacement and any truck allowance separately; prevailing wage and union requirements must be checked against the actual assignment. The Survey Technician Apprentice in National BLS comparison includes ordinary wages and qualifying incentive pay, but leaves overtime, discretionary bonuses, benefits and relocation outside this wage figure. A candidate's take-home pay and the employer's total cost for Survey Technician Apprentice in National can therefore differ from the median without either number being an error.
The mapping for Survey Technician Apprentice in National is broader: BLS groups Survey Technician Apprentice within Surveying and Mapping Technicians; it does not publish this niche title or credential level separately. For a Survey Technician Apprentice in National opening, establish the equipment, license requirements and responsibility before deciding which people the pay range should attract. A broader occupation can combine jobs that a Survey Technician Apprentice in National buyer would screen separately, which is why the badge and SOC remain beside the figures.
Questions about this occupation and area
What does the middle-half band tell a Survey Technician Apprentice in National buyer?
Survey Technician Apprentice in National has a published middle-half band of $45,430 to $66,700, a width of $21,270 per year, with median $54,240. An offer inside that Survey Technician Apprentice in National band is not automatically competitive for every scope; match the required work and the separate pay terms first.
Which areas should I compare before hiring Survey Technician Apprentice in National?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX and Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX are the largest-employment comparison markets used for Survey Technician Apprentice in National. Comparing those Surveying and Mapping Technicians tables with the $54,240 Survey Technician Apprentice in National median does not measure commuting costs or predict what a particular applicant will accept.
Are the industry figures local to Survey Technician Apprentice in National?
Survey Technician Apprentice in National uses national industry rows for SOC 17-3031, not local sector-specific wages. Natural Gas Distribution leads the selected sortable rows at $78,780 per year, but that national industry figure is not a quoted offer for Survey Technician Apprentice in National.
What changed between the releases for Survey Technician Apprentice in National?
Survey Technician Apprentice in National moved from $51,940 in May 2024 to $54,240 in May 2025. These Survey Technician Apprentice in National published medians do not describe an individual raise or establish a future wage trend.
What changed since May 2024
SOC 17-3031. Published annual median: $51,940 (May 2024) and $54,240 (May 2025). These are two BLS releases, not a projection.