Published in: Career Opportunities

Find about the Quantity Surveyor Salary and Profession

Author Proresumes Team

Published on: February 26, 2026

Do you know that 68% of quantity surveyors in the US have acquired a bachelor’s degree? The majority of the quantity surveyors in the US live and work in the state of Ohio.

According to the job results on the Indeed platform, there are more than 2K jobs available for quantity surveyors. LinkedIn shows more than 100 job vacancies for US quantity surveyors.

Are you good at financial management and negotiating well with people around you?

In this guide, we will share the quantity surveyor salary range, professional duties, career roadmap, certifications, and technical skills.

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What is the average quantity surveyor salary in 2026?

The quantity surveyor salary in the US is around $89,188 on a yearly basis. The lowest point of the quantity surveyor’s salary is estimated to be around $31,500. Meanwhile, the highest estimate for the quantity surveyor’s salary is approximately $160,000.

Moreover, according to Glassdoor, the yearly quantity surveyor salary can be increased with commissions or increments. Such salary rewards range between $13,000 to $24,000 on an annual basis.

The quantity surveyors in the United States make up to $7,432 per month. Moreover, the weekly quantity surveyor salary is around $1,715 as per salary estimates.

In New York, the quantity surveyor’s salary for experts with more than five years of experience is $47,000 annually. Moreover, in Austin, the quantity surveyors earn up to $81,000 a year with 3 years of work experience.

What are the professional duties of a quantity surveyor?  

Quantity surveyors are financial experts who work for clients or construction companies and ensure project development in an estimated budget. They collaborate with architects and civil or structural engineers to ensure seamless development of design.

Moreover, quantity surveyors also oversee material supply expenses to ensure that they don’t exceed the set budget. The main job duties of a quantity surveyor include:

• They understand the client or construction company’s requirements to plan the project budget.
• They analyze the expenses for the project involving material supplies, sub-contractor payments, and laborers’ wages to calculate estimates.
• Quantity surveyors manage the budget by tracking financial records and suggesting feasible and cost-effective changes.
• These professionals also analyze the risk related to a project and work on plans to minimize or eliminate it.
• Quantity surveyors are involved in the entire process of project development. They ensure that the project gets finished within set deadlines and according to requirements.
• These experts are also involved in quality assurance of the project and suggest changes to meet the stakeholder criteria.
• They create budget reports throughout the project development and submit them to the clients or supervisors.

How to become a quantity surveyor?

Wondering about the career roadmap to follow and start the journey to pursue a quantity surveyor career?

Here’s how you can become a quantity surveyor in 2026:

• Obtaining a bachelor’s degree in the programs of building science, construction management, and quantity surveying is crucial.
• Moreover, you can also acquire a post-graduate degree in quantity surveying to gain industry knowledge.
• Students who don’t want to acquire a degree must gain knowledge about construction, financial management, and project management through courses.

Moreover, you can gain practical experience and build expertise to shift to a quantity surveyor position later in your career.

• Since quantity surveyors handle project management, they need to be efficient in the use of software like Microsoft Office.
• You can enhance your knowledge and understanding by obtaining these quantity surveying certifications, including:
• Certified Estimating Professional (CEP)
• Certified Cost Technician Certification
• Certified Cost Professional (CCP)
• Earned Value Professional (EVP)
• Certified Scheduling Technician Certification
• It is essential to socialize with engineering professionals and construction teams to build a professional network. Moreover, professionals without a degree can leverage this opportunity for career advancement.

Quantity surveyor’s salary by state

The quantity surveyor salary in the state of Michigan is around $71,413 per year. These professionals earn up to $82,176 on an annual basis in Georgia. Meanwhile, the quantity surveyor’s salary in Illinois is nearly $146,806 a year.

In California, the quantity surveyors earn up to $141,806 on a yearly basis. Moreover, the quantity surveyor’s salary in Florida is almost $124,027 per year.

The annual quantity surveyor salary in Texas is $92,684 meanwhile the make $146,806 yearly in Chicago. In the state of Colorado, the quality surveyor’s salary is approximately $121,651 on a yearly basis.

Moreover, quantity surveying professionals make around $128,749 annually in New York. The quantity surveyor’s salary in Washington is approximately $34,678 a year.

In Los Angeles, the quantity surveyor’s salary is estimated to be $118,594 per year. Meanwhile, the quantity surveyor’s salary in Ohio is around $120,974 on a yearly basis.

Salary by country for a quantity surveyor

The quantity surveyor salary in the UAE is AED 83,791 on a yearly basis. However, such professionals in the US earn 98 percent more than quantity surveyors in the United Arab Emirates.

The quantity surveyor salary in the Netherlands is around €57,000 per year. However, the salary difference between the Netherlands and the US is around 26 percent.

The quantity surveyors in the United Kingdom earn up to £52,013 on an annual basis. However, their salary is 23% lower than the American annual average.

In Australia, the quantity surveyor salary is approximately 79,423 Australian dollars per year. However, the difference between the Australian salary and the US salary shows 42% decline.

The quantity surveyor salary in Sri Lanka is around Rs 580,650 on a yearly basis. The quantity surveyors in Sri Lanka earn 98% less than similar professionals in the US.

The annual quantity surveyor salary in Germany is almost €70,000. However, in comparison with the US average salary, the German salary is 9% below.

Best Quantity Surveyor Soft and Technical Skills for 2026

The quantity surveyors are the professionals who work in the construction industry and manage contracts and budgets. These professionals are expected to have excellent negotiation skills and financial knowledge to manage structural projects.

It is important for a quantity surveyor to understand health and safety regulations, and stakeholder requirements to manage a project. The quantity surveyor should build their expertise with the following skills, like:

1. Contract Negotiation
2. Contract Management
3. Mathematic skills
4. Construction Knowledge
5. Attention-to-detail
6. Analytical Thinking
7. Project Management
8. Budgeting
9. Risk Management
10.  Problem-solving
11.  Collaboration
12.  Financial Knowledge
13.  Time Management
14.  Understanding of Building Regulations
15.  Leadership skills
16.  Procurement and Tendering
17.  Computer Literacy
18.  Financial reporting
19.  Commercial Management
20.  Interpersonal Communication

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Quantity surveyor’s Work environment

The quantity surveyors work either in the offices or at construction sites. The workplace of the quantity surveyor depends on their role and experience within the industry.

Senior level quantity surveyors mostly work in office settings and deal with contract negotiations and project cost estimations. Meanwhile, most of the quantity surveyors work at construction sites and analyze the progress of the project.

These professionals mostly work for more than 37 to 40 hours a week. However, the majority of these professionals work more than the average work hours to meet the project deadlines.

Moreover, quantity surveyors work under an organization as a part of project management teams or as independent worker.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. What are the types of quantity surveyors?

There are four types of quantity surveyors, including:

1. Sub-trade Quantity Surveyor: Deals with cost estimation roles for specialized projects like electricity or plumbing.
2. Private Practice Quantity Surveyor (PPQS): They are involved in all stages of project development to ensure the quality and costs as per the client’s requirements.
3. Senior Quantity Surveyor: They lead the team of junior quantity surveyors to ensure that a project is built according to required standards. Moreover, they deal with project budgeting, stakeholder negotiation, and more.
4. Contractor’s Quantity Surveyor (CQS): These quantity surveyors work with construction companies and oversee project development, budget, and more.

Q. How to differentiate a quantity surveyor from an engineer?

The engineers are typically responsible for the design, analysis, and maintenance of infrastructural projects. They ensure the quality and safety of a structure according to industry requirements.

Meanwhile, the quantity surveyor is a professional who manages the budget of the construction project and negotiates as required. The quantity surveyors are involved in financial reporting, procurement, and tendering.