How to Become a Land Surveyor in Texas: Salary & Requirements (2026)
Quick answer: The median land surveyor salary in Texas is $61,150 per year - 19% below the national median of $75,440 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The career requires a 4-year degree: Bachelor’s in surveying, geomatics, or civil engineering technology.
How to Become a Land Surveyor in Texas
1. Earn a bachelor’s degree
Surveying, geomatics, or civil engineering technology; check your state board’s approved-degree list.
2. Pass the FS exam
The Fundamentals of Surveying exam starts the licensure clock as a surveyor-in-training.
3. Gain supervised field experience
Typically 4 years under a licensed professional surveyor.
4. Pass the PS exam
The Principles and Practice of Surveying exam plus any state-specific exam grants the license.
5. Advance
Party chief, project surveyor, then firm ownership or county/city surveyor roles.
Requirements in Texas
The education path is national - Bachelor’s in surveying, geomatics, or civil engineering technology - while licensing runs through the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors: State PS (Professional Surveyor) license required to certify boundaries. Verify current requirements with the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors before enrolling, as details change.
Land Surveyor Salary in Texas
| Wage level | Annual salary |
|---|---|
| Texas entry level (10th percentile) | $42,450 |
| Texas 25th-75th percentile | $49,660 - $81,120 |
| Texas median | $61,150 |
| Texas top earners (90th percentile) | $107,850 |
| U.S. median | $75,440 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. State employment: 6,410.
The Texas Job Market: Land Surveyor
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Employed in Texas | 6,410 |
| Jobs per 1,000 in the state | 0.46 |
| Concentration vs U.S. (location quotient) | 1.39 |
| Mean annual wage in Texas | $70,450 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. With a location quotient of 1.39, Texas employs land surveyors at a noticeably higher concentration than the national average: a strong local market for the credential.
Salary Nationwide
| Percentile | Annual wage |
|---|---|
| 10th | $46,880 |
| 25th | $58,170 |
| 50th (median) | $75,440 |
| 75th | $98,130 |
| 90th | $125,590 |
Job Outlook
| Year | Employment |
|---|---|
| 2024 | 56,100 |
| 2034 projected | 58,600 |
| Percent change | +4.4% |
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a land surveyor make in Texas?
The median annual wage for surveyors in Texas is $61,150 (BLS OEWS, May 2025), 19% below the national median of $75,440.
How to become a land surveyor in Texas?
The core path is the same nationwide - Bachelor's in surveying, geomatics, or civil engineering technology - with licensing through the Texas Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors: State PS (Professional Surveyor) license required to certify boundaries. See the steps on this page.
How many land surveyors work in Texas?
BLS counts about 6,410 surveyors employed in Texas (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Land Surveyor in Nearby States
- Land Surveyor in South Dakota
- Land Surveyor in Tennessee
- Land Surveyor in Utah
- Land Surveyor in Vermont
Related
Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Surveyors (SOC 17-1022), Texas and national
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
Data sources
Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.
| Data | Provider | Vintage |
|---|---|---|
| Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | May 2025 |
| Employment Projections | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics | 2024-2034 |
| Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System | National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS) | 2024 |
| College Scorecard (school-level outcomes) | U.S. Department of Education | latest release |
| College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings) | U.S. Department of Education | latest release (updated 2026-06-12) |
| Occupational licensing requirements | CareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor) | latest release (updated 2026-02-22) |
| Registered apprenticeship programs | CareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor) | latest release (updated 2025-10-25) |
| O*NET occupation profiles (skills, tasks, tools, job zones) | U.S. Department of Labor (O*NET / Employment & Training Admin.) | O*NET 29.1 (updated 2026-06-13) |