Measures and maps the depth and shape of the seafloor, rivers and harbors using sonar and GPS, producing data for nautical charts, dredging and marine construction. BLS does not publish separate figures for surveyors; it counts them within surveyor (SOC 17-1022), whose median pay is $75,440 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 17-1022
- Architecture and Engineering
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Hydrographic Surveyor in four numbers
- Median pay
- $75,440a year, or $36.27/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $47KTop 10% $126K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +5.8%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+5.8%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +5.8% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 3,10052,000 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 202552K
- Projected 203555K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 52K Projected 2035 55K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- High school15.8%
- Certificate5.3%
- Some college21.1%
- Associate's10.5%
- Bachelor's47.4%
Highest education held by surveyors Segment Value High school 15.8% Certificate 5.3% Some college 21.1% Associate's 10.5% Bachelor's 47.4%
Also advertised as: Hydrographer, Certified Hydrographer, Marine Surveyor (Hydrographic), Bathymetric Surveyor, Survey Party Chief (Hydrographic).
Pay
How much do Surveyors make?
Every hydrographic surveyor in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$75,440
Middle half earn $58,170 to $98,130
- 10th
- $46,880
- 25th
- $58,170
- 75th
- $98,130
- 90th
- $125,590
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $46,880 |
| 25th | $58,170 |
| Median | $75,440 |
| 75th | $98,130 |
| 90th | $125,590 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $75,440
- Median hourly wage
- $36.27/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $80,570
- People employed
- 50,830
Versus all US occupations
At $75,440, Surveyors earn 48% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $24,460 a year.
Versus architecture and engineering occupations
Inside the Architecture and Engineering group, where the middle occupation pays $104,110, this is 28% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $125,590 or more while the bottom 10% earn $46,880, a gap of 2.7×. That is a typical spread for a US occupation.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 51% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Cost of living
California posts the highest raw median ($105,330), but once local prices are taken into account Alaska leads at $97,256 in national-average dollars.
Pay by state
Which states pay Surveyors the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1California | $105,330 | $95,132 | 4,520 |
| 2Alaska | $99,550 | $97,256 | 250 |
| 3Oregon | $97,070 | $93,914 | 530 |
| 4Massachusetts | $94,590 | $89,441 | 1,290 |
| 5Washington | $85,610 | $80,000 | 780 |
| 6Montana | $84,610 | $89,397 | 350 |
| 7Minnesota | $83,620 | $84,789 | 980 |
| 8Maine | $83,200 | $85,729 | 270 |
| 9Delaware | $82,890 | $83,049 | 120 |
| 10Nevada | $82,460 | $82,477 | 490 |
Job outlook
Is Hydrographic Surveyor a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +5.8% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Surveyors | +5.8% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Surveyors to change 5.8% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 3,000 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 3,100 openings are projected each year, 6.0% of the 52,000 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Hydrographic Surveyor
Many hydrographers hold a bachelor's degree in surveying, geomatics, ocean engineering, geology or marine science, and some programs, such as the University of New Hampshire's Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, offer specialized graduate training. Others enter as survey technicians and learn on the job.
The NSPS-THSOA Hydrographer Certification Board offers certification for experienced hydrographers, which agencies and firms use when evaluating survey contractors. NOAA's Office of Coast Survey and NOAA Corps ships provide entry points, as do private survey firms. Some states require a professional surveyor license for certain work.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
Internship/residency
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as surveyors.
- Bachelor's Degree47.4%
- Some College Courses21.1%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)15.8%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree10.5%
- Post-Secondary Certificate5.3%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 47.4% |
| Some College Courses | 21.1% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 15.8% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 10.5% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 5.3% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Hydrographic Surveyor do?
Hydrographic surveyors map what is underwater. From survey boats and ships they run multibeam and single-beam echosounders, side-scan sonar and lidar, combined with precise GPS positioning and motion sensors, to measure water depth and find hazards such as wrecks and rocks.
Back in the office they clean and process the data, correct for tides and sound speed, and produce charts, 3D surface models and reports. Their work supports NOAA nautical charts, harbor and channel dredging by the Army Corps of Engineers, port expansion, bridge and pipeline construction, offshore wind development and flood modeling. Survey teams also operate and maintain their equipment and increasingly use autonomous survey vessels.
Day-to-day tasks
- Operate multibeam and side-scan sonar systems
- Set up GPS positioning and motion sensors on survey vessels
- Plan survey lines and coverage
- Process depth data and apply tide and sound speed corrections
- Identify underwater hazards such as wrecks and obstructions
- Produce bathymetric charts, models and reports
- Maintain and calibrate survey equipment
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Hydrographic surveyors split time between survey vessels and offices. Field work ranges from day trips in harbors and rivers to weeks offshore, in all weather and sometimes with long shifts. Office work involves data processing and charting software. Employers include NOAA, the Army Corps of Engineers, ports and private survey firms.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayOutdoors in all weather at least weekly.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeStanding
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lotA lot of freedom to make decisions without checking first.
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Mathematics4.0
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Writing3.8
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Speaking3.6
- Active Listening3.5
- Active Learning3.3
- Learning Strategies3.1
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Mathematics | 4.0 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.9 |
| Writing | 3.8 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 |
| Speaking | 3.6 |
| Active Listening | 3.5 |
| Active Learning | 3.3 |
| Learning Strategies | 3.1 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Coordination3.5
- Judgment and Decision Making3.3
- Complex Problem Solving3.1
- Time Management3.1
- Social Perceptiveness3.0
- Instructing3.0
- Systems Analysis3.0
- Management of Personnel Resources2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Coordination | 3.5 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.3 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.1 |
| Time Management | 3.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 |
| Instructing | 3.0 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.0 |
| Management of Personnel Resources | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Computer aided design CAD software · in demand
- Geographic information system · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Spreadsheet software · in demand
- Word processing software · in demand
- Analytical or scientific software
- Application server software
- Data base user interface and query software
- Data conversion software
- Document management software
- Graphics or photo imaging software
- Information retrieval or search software
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Hydrographic Surveyor?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code RIC) built on O*NET's Surveyor profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Hydrographic Surveyor |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 5 |
| Investigative | 5 |
| Artistic | 2 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 2 |
| Conventional | 5 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors, combined with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data.
- Realistic5.5
- Conventional5.3
- Investigative4.9
- Artistic2.1
- Enterprising1.9
- Social1.6
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Hydrographic Surveyor
O*NET related occupations
- Architecture and Engineering
- Architecture and Engineering
- Architecture and Engineering
- Architecture and Engineering
- Architecture and Engineering
- Architecture and Engineering
Civil Engineering Technologist and Technician
$64,950median a year
Most earn $44K to $99K
+3.2%Associate's
More architecture and engineering careers
Median annual pay, with surveyors highlighted
- Aerospace Engineer$134,960
- Electrical Engineer$120,630
- Environmental Engineer$107,110
- Mechanical Engineer$104,110
- Automotive Engineer$104,110
- Industrial Engineer$102,440
- Civil Engineer$100,840
- Architect$99,280
- Hydrographic Surveyor$75,440
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Aerospace Engineer | $134,960 |
| Electrical Engineer | $120,630 |
| Environmental Engineer | $107,110 |
| Mechanical Engineer | $104,110 |
| Automotive Engineer | $104,110 |
| Industrial Engineer | $102,440 |
| Civil Engineer | $100,840 |
| Architect | $99,280 |
| Hydrographic Surveyor | $75,440 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Hydrographic Surveyor appears on
Questions
Hydrographic Surveyor: frequently asked questions
How much do Surveyors make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for surveyors. It counts them within surveyor, whose median pay is $75,440 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $58,170 and $98,130, and the top 10% earn $125,590 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Hydrographic Surveyor?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Surveyors, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. BLS also lists internship/residency as typical on-the-job training. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 47.4% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Hydrographic Surveyor a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 5.8% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 3,100 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Hydrographic Surveyor do?
Hydrographic surveyors map what is underwater. A typical task: operate multibeam and side-scan sonar systems. Employers most often ask for Computer aided design CAD software, Geographic information system, Office suite software.
Which states pay Surveyors the most?
The highest state medians for Surveyors are California ($105,330), Alaska ($99,550), Oregon ($97,070) (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Adjusted for local prices using BEA Regional Price Parities, Alaska moves to the top at $97,256.
What personality type suits a Hydrographic Surveyor?
O*NET scores Surveyors highest on the Realistic, Conventional and Investigative interest areas, so the work mixes hands-on, practical work with tools, machines or the outdoors with organising, following procedures and working precisely with data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with ISTJ personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.