Surveying and Mapping Technicians in the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island Metro

BLS metro-level wage data places Surveying and Mapping Technicians pay in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL at a median of $57,200 per year ($27.50/hr), drawn from the OEWS May 2025 release for this Metropolitan Statistical Area. Compared with the national median of $54,240, the metro estimate is +5% above. OEWS reports the difference but does not identify its cause. Approximately 40 surveying and mapping technicians are employed across the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island MSA in SOC 17-3031.

The Davenport-Moline-Rock Island pay distribution spans from $47,730 at the 10th percentile to $76,210 at the 90th, a 1.6× observed spread. Differences in specialization, employer, sector, location, credentials, schedule, and experience may all contribute, but OEWS does not isolate their effects. The 25th percentile sits at $47,840 and the 75th at $67,140, so half of Davenport-Moline-Rock Island-based surveying and mapping technicians earn within that middle band.

Metro figures use establishment work location, not worker residence. BLS draws metro boundaries from the OMB MSA definitions, so Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL covers the central city plus outlying counties tied to the metro economically. OEWS includes straight-time pay, tips, commissions, incentive pay, and production bonuses. It excludes employer health and retirement benefits, overtime premiums, stock compensation, signing bonuses, and other nonproduction bonuses. The same occupation's national profile, statewide IA estimate, and peer-metro rows provide distinct geographic comparisons. A published median is a benchmark, not a prediction or ceiling for one worker.