$Who Earns What

How much does a surveyor make in Japan?

Surveying Engineers

Answer: The average surveyor in Japan makes $36,203 (¥5.43M) a year (monthly pay × 12 plus bonus, 2025, Japan's Basic Survey on Wage Structure).

Average yearly pay of people doing this job in Japan
$36,203 (¥5.43M)

Monthly pay $2,416 × 12 + bonus $7,211. Average age 46.1; about 30,000 people work in this job. About the same as the Japan-wide average ($33,720).

Surveyor pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex)

Surveyor pay in Japan (2025, averages by company size and sex) — Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025
Company sizeEveryoneMenWomenAge
Any size$36,203$37,266$30,83546.1
Big company$27,699$30,709$22,75849.4
Mid-size$37,908$39,091$29,26742.1
Small company$36,948$37,423$34,24346.7

Why does pay differ?

In Japan, pay can vary with experience, qualifications, and responsibility: Surveyors plan measurements, while assistant surveyors follow those plans; some specialists use drones or GIS. Employer type and size, region, and work schedule matter too, since some site surveys happen during construction breaks or holidays.

What if you were…

In Japan, age and company size matter most

Pick a company size, sex or age to see that group's average here.

How it changes with age

Tap an age to update the number above (Any company size, men and women combined)

How it changes with company size

Any size$36,203
Big company$27,699
Mid-size$37,908
Small company$36,948
Men$37,266
Women$30,835

What does a surveyor do?

What's a typical day like?

They plan a survey, then set up tripods and instruments at a road or building site to measure land positions and heights. Back at the office, they check the figures and turn them into maps or drawings crews can use.

How to get this job

In Japan, study surveying at a university or approved college, or take the Surveyor Assistant exam, open to all ages and school levels. Gain field experience, then qualify as a Surveyor by an approved route or exam and register with GSI.

Did you know?

Japan’s land is always shifting: the Geospatial Information Authority checks daily position changes at about 1,300 satellite-tracking stations.

What about the US?

Nearly the same job
Surveyor (average)
$36,203
US
Surveyor (typical)
$75,440

Japan's figure is the average and the US figure is the median. Prices and exchange rates matter too, so it's a rough comparison.

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Sources and data

Source: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 (regular workers, by occupation) (e-Stat). Yearly pay = monthly contractual cash earnings × 12 + annual bonus. Averages for regular workers at firms with 10+ employees. Public employees (teachers, police, firefighters) and company executives are not in this survey. e-stat.go.jp

Pages used for the text

Data: MHLW Basic Survey on Wage Structure 2025 · 1 USD = 150 JPY