Prevailing Wage for Surveyors
Prevailing wage for Surveyors, the DOL occupational category covering Land Surveyors, Licensed Land Surveyors, and City Surveyors, is set by the Department of Labor across four experience levels. The floor varies significantly by worksite city, so a County Surveyor offer that clears the threshold in one metro may fall short in another.
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Level 1 covers entry-level surveyors who perform tasks under close supervision, typically with limited field experience and a recently completed degree in surveying or geomatics. Independent judgment is minimal and assignments follow established procedures.
Level 2 is the most common filing level for Surveyors. It applies to qualified professionals who work with moderate supervision, have some years of field experience, and handle routine boundary, topographic, or construction survey projects with limited guidance.
Level 3 applies to experienced surveyors who routinely exercise independent judgment, manage complex projects such as ALTA/NSPS surveys or subdivision plats, and may provide technical direction to junior staff without holding a formal supervisory title.
Level 4 covers fully competent senior surveyors, typically licensed Professional Land Surveyors who lead project teams, sign and seal legal survey documents, and are responsible for the technical quality and legal compliance of all deliverables.
Prevailing Wage for Surveyors by OES area
Each shape is a DOL OES area, the unit prevailing wage is published for.
What’s an OES area?
The Department of Labor publishes prevailing wages for geographic zones called OES areas. Every U.S. county belongs to exactly one, and the wage floor applies across the whole area. A worker in Oakland gets the San Francisco metro wage, not a separate Oakland wage.
Top 10 cities · Level 1
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See which U.S. employers are actively hiring for Surveyors and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Confirm your license status maps to the right level
A Professional Land Surveyor license typically signals Level 3 or 4 because it carries independent signing authority over legal documents. Employers filing at Level 2 for a licensed PLS may be understating the role, which creates compliance exposure on the LCA.
Watch for field-office versus headquarters wage mismatches
Surveyors frequently work on project sites in different cities than their employer's headquarters. DOL requires the LCA wage to reflect the actual worksite location, not the home office, so a rural construction project can carry a lower floor than the employer's metro address suggests.
Check California metros separately before evaluating any offer
Surveying wages in California metros run well above the national median at every level. An offer that looks competitive compared to national figures may still fall short of the local prevailing wage floor in Sacramento, San Jose, or the San Francisco Bay Area.
Use Migrate Mate to find employers with Surveyors sponsorship history
Migrate Mate shows which employers have sponsored Surveyors roles in the past and lets you filter by location and visa type, so you can focus on firms that have already navigated DOL requirements for this occupation rather than starting from scratch.
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Find Jobs for SurveyorsPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 17-1022.00 alongside Surveyors, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
City Surveyor Prevailing Wage
City Surveyor Prevailing Wage
City Surveyor positions fall under SOC 17-1022.00 (Surveyors). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
County Surveyor Prevailing Wage
County Surveyor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a County Surveyor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 17-1022.00 (Surveyors). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Land Surveyor Prevailing Wage
Land Surveyor Prevailing Wage
Land Surveyor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 17-1022.00 (Surveyors). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Licensed Land Surveyor Prevailing Wage
Licensed Land Surveyor Prevailing Wage
Licensed Land Surveyor positions fall under SOC 17-1022.00 (Surveyors). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Mine Surveyor Prevailing Wage
Mine Surveyor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Mine Surveyor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 17-1022.00 (Surveyors). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Professional Land Surveyor Prevailing Wage
Professional Land Surveyor Prevailing Wage
Professional Land Surveyor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 17-1022.00 (Surveyors). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Registered Land Surveyor Prevailing Wage
Registered Land Surveyor Prevailing Wage
Registered Land Surveyor positions fall under SOC 17-1022.00 (Surveyors). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Staff Land Surveyor Prevailing Wage
Staff Land Surveyor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Staff Land Surveyor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 17-1022.00 (Surveyors). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
State Surveyor Prevailing Wage
State Surveyor Prevailing Wage
State Surveyor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 17-1022.00 (Surveyors). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for Surveyors?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to set prevailing wages for each SOC code, including SOC 17-1022 for Surveyors. The Office of Foreign Labor Certification publishes these figures by metropolitan and nonmetropolitan area. Employers access the current figures through the OFLC Wage Search tool when filing a Labor Condition Application or PERM application.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I identify mine?
DOL assigns Level 1 to entry-level workers under close supervision, Level 2 to qualified workers with moderate independence, Level 3 to experienced workers who exercise significant judgment, and Level 4 to fully competent senior professionals. For Surveyors, holding a Professional Land Surveyor license, signing authority over legal documents, or leading a project team generally points to Level 3 or 4. The level on the LCA must match actual job duties, not just the title.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same Surveyors role vary so much by city?
DOL derives prevailing wages from regional OES surveys, so local labor market conditions drive the figures. A dense construction market in California produces higher survey wages than a rural Southern market. The LCA must reflect the specific worksite address, not the employer's billing office, so a surveyor assigned to a project in a lower-cost region is governed by that region's floor even if the firm is headquartered elsewhere.
What happens if a job offer falls below the prevailing wage for a sponsored position?
An employer cannot certify a Labor Condition Application at a wage below the applicable prevailing wage floor. If an offer is below the floor, OFLC will not certify the LCA, which blocks the H-1B or E-3 petition entirely. For PERM-based green card cases, DOL will deny certification. The employer must either raise the offered wage to meet the floor or refile at the correct level before any visa petition can proceed.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for Surveyors in a specific U.S. location?
The OFLC Wage Search tool lets you look up current prevailing wages by SOC code and metropolitan area. Enter SOC 17-1022 and the worksite metro to see all four wage levels. You can cross-reference occupational data using O*NET. For sponsored job opportunities, Migrate Mate lists employers with a verified history of sponsoring Surveyors roles, which you can filter by location and visa type to narrow your search.
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