Pay by state · 52 states
Surveyor Salary by State (2026)
Surveyors earn the most in California at $105,330 a year and the least in Puerto Rico at $44,870 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The national median is $75,440. All 52 states and territories with reported data are ranked below, with a cost-of-living adjusted column.
- Highest median
- $105,330California
- National median
- $75,440BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Lowest median
- $44,870Puerto Rico
- States reporting
- 52of 54 OEWS areas
All states
Surveyor salary in every state
Sort by any column. Employment is the number of surveyors OEWS estimates in that state; blank cells are estimates BLS suppressed because the sample was too small.
| # | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CACalifornia | $105,330 | $78,500 | $134,250 | 4,520 | $95,132 |
| 2 | AKAlaska | $99,550 | $81,050 | $126,390 | 250 | $97,256 |
| 3 | OROregon | $97,070 | $78,850 | $112,260 | 530 | $93,914 |
| 4 | MAMassachusetts | $94,590 | $76,770 | $104,450 | 1,290 | $89,441 |
| 5 | WAWashington | $85,610 | $76,000 | $119,060 | 780 | $80,000 |
| 6 | MTMontana | $84,610 | $71,730 | $104,810 | 350 | $89,397 |
| 7 | MNMinnesota | $83,620 | $67,190 | $100,130 | 980 | $84,789 |
| 8 | MEMaine | $83,200 | $61,480 | $118,020 | 270 | $85,729 |
| 9 | DEDelaware | $82,890 | $73,990 | $99,580 | 120 | $83,049 |
| 10 | NVNevada | $82,460 | $76,000 | $102,900 | 490 | $82,477 |
| 11 | HIHawaii | $82,200 | $61,030 | $96,550 | 140 | $74,761 |
| 12 | WYWyoming | $81,250 | $76,690 | $102,000 | 240 | $87,657 |
| 13 | INIndiana | $80,510 | $61,080 | $100,920 | 870 | $86,265 |
| 14 | WIWisconsin | $79,650 | $65,560 | $96,690 | 610 | $84,648 |
| 15 | NDNorth Dakota | $79,360 | $74,700 | $109,260 | 250 | $89,210 |
| 16 | COColorado | $79,310 | $63,700 | $100,240 | 1,620 | $76,961 |
| 17 | NYNew York | $78,870 | $63,600 | $103,540 | 1,470 | $73,081 |
| 18 | AZArizona | $77,490 | $59,390 | $94,730 | 1,360 | $76,969 |
| 19 | SDSouth Dakota | $77,190 | $68,890 | $100,580 | 180 | $87,136 |
| 20 | NJNew Jersey | $77,160 | $65,070 | $100,490 | 900 | $70,916 |
| 21 | IAIowa | $77,090 | $68,580 | $102,220 | 450 | $87,840 |
| 22 | CTConnecticut | $76,730 | $70,880 | $95,540 | 430 | $74,057 |
| 23 | VTVermont | $76,450 | $59,670 | $80,600 | N/A | $78,044 |
| 24 | TNTennessee | $76,340 | $58,430 | $92,610 | 920 | $83,096 |
| 25 | NCNorth Carolina | $76,210 | $57,730 | $100,890 | 1,530 | $80,794 |
| 26 | ILIllinois | $75,980 | $59,940 | $100,380 | 1,710 | $76,012 |
| 27 | PAPennsylvania | $75,950 | $60,630 | $93,720 | 1,610 | $77,840 |
| 28 | KSKansas | $75,860 | $63,200 | $95,260 | 350 | $84,225 |
| 29 | NMNew Mexico | $74,230 | $53,730 | $93,480 | 290 | $80,499 |
| 30 | IDIdaho | $73,940 | $60,810 | $96,340 | 250 | $77,429 |
| 31 | UTUtah | $73,230 | $58,790 | $94,560 | 650 | $74,071 |
| 32 | MIMichigan | $72,080 | $61,130 | $78,740 | 1,050 | $74,914 |
| 33 | KYKentucky | $71,840 | $49,300 | $78,690 | 670 | $79,681 |
| 34 | VAVirginia | $71,070 | $59,860 | $94,330 | 1,360 | $70,294 |
| 35 | OHOhio | $70,620 | $57,280 | $91,070 | 1,300 | $76,120 |
| 36 | NENebraska | $68,050 | $59,500 | $80,100 | 430 | $75,525 |
| 37 | ALAlabama | $66,840 | $50,700 | $86,820 | 910 | $75,251 |
| 38 | FLFlorida | $65,480 | $57,870 | $94,530 | 4,000 | $63,318 |
| 39 | NHNew Hampshire | $65,130 | $60,170 | $80,490 | 280 | $62,526 |
| 40 | MDMaryland | $64,910 | $52,800 | $87,700 | 950 | $61,843 |
| 41 | SCSouth Carolina | $63,300 | $50,610 | $83,410 | 1,000 | $67,521 |
| 42 | LALouisiana | $63,140 | $48,660 | $91,260 | 1,460 | $71,582 |
| 43 | RIRhode Island | $62,670 | $53,500 | $79,340 | 150 | $61,273 |
| 44 | MOMissouri | $62,110 | $49,460 | $77,630 | 830 | $68,390 |
| 45 | WVWest Virginia | $61,520 | $49,340 | $80,140 | 630 | $68,740 |
| 46 | GUGuam | $61,490 | $44,080 | $62,780 | 60 | N/A |
| 47 | OKOklahoma | $61,300 | $48,850 | $85,600 | 960 | $69,784 |
| 48 | TXTexas | $61,150 | $49,660 | $81,120 | 6,410 | $63,004 |
| 49 | MSMississippi | $58,720 | $47,080 | $77,920 | 570 | $67,531 |
| 50 | GAGeorgia | $58,100 | $48,610 | $78,400 | 1,770 | $60,337 |
| 51 | ARArkansas | $51,800 | $42,660 | $65,150 | 550 | $59,583 |
| 52 | PRPuerto Rico | $44,870 | $31,640 | $58,930 | 140 | N/A |
Method
How the cost-of-living adjustment works
The adjusted column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity (RPP) and multiplies by 100. RPPs measure how much a fixed basket of goods, services and rents costs in one state relative to the national average, so the result restates local pay in national-average dollars.
For Surveyors, that changes the ranking: California leads on raw pay at $105,330, while Alaska leads once prices are taken into account at $97,256.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities by State, 2024 (public domain). The adjustment is NueCareer's calculation, not a BLS or BEA published statistic.
Questions
Surveyor pay by state: FAQ
Which state pays Surveyors the most?
California reports the highest median wage for Surveyors at $105,330 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), followed by Alaska ($99,550) and Oregon ($97,070).
Which state pays Surveyors the least?
Puerto Rico reports the lowest median for Surveyors at $44,870 a year, $60,460 below the highest-paying state (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Where do Surveyors earn the most after cost of living?
Dividing each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity puts Alaska first at $97,256 in national-average dollars, from a raw median of $99,550. BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.