← All 785 jobsFile 17-1022
Surveyors
Lightly edited
AI performs some of this work. Most of it still needs a person. The BLS expects 5.8% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #275 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +5.8% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $75,440 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 52,000 in the US, with about 3,100 openings a year
The work, 19 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Assess characteristics of land or property29%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Direct scientific or technical activities10%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Document technical designs, procedures, or activities7%
AI performed this in about 1 in 779 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
AI does this: Evaluate the quality or accuracy of data6%
AI performed this in about 1 in 683 Copilot conversations and completed it 82% of the time.
AI helps with this: Create visual designs or displays6%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 78 conversations, and it got them there 40% of the time.
AI helps with this: Gather data about operational or development activities5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 251 conversations, and it got them there 88% of the time.
Still yours: Analyze environmental or geospatial data5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Train others on operational or work procedures5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 348 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
AI does this: Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 40 Copilot conversations and completed it 91% of the time.
Still yours: Analyze data to improve operations3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Maintain operational records3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Develop technical specifications for products or operations3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,901 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
Still yours: Coordinate activities with clients, agencies, or organizations2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Provide information or assistance to the public2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 7 Copilot conversations and completed it 86% of the time.
AI helps with this: Evaluate designs, specifications, or other technical data2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 903 conversations, and it got them there 86% of the time.
Still yours: Prepare reports of operational or procedural activities2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Present information in legal proceedings2%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance2%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 510 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time.
AI helps with this: Research technology designs or applications1%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 149 conversations, and it got them there 89% of the time.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 106 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 3,100 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 34% of the workCartographers and Photogrammetrists19% AI does, against 26% here+7.4% by 2035 · $81,390 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 25% of the workLife, Physical, and Social Science Technicians17% AI does, against 26% here+4.4% by 2035 · $62,280 · Associate’s degree
- Shares 21% of the workAgricultural Technicians11% AI does, against 26% here+5.4% by 2035 · $49,630 · Associate’s degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.15, higher than 52% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 17-1022 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
Check another job.
Know someone in this job? Send them the file.