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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Hydrologic Technicians?
Task-level automation exposure for Hydrologic Technicians: 16 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
51%
weighted task index
16 of 16 tasks scored
Median Salary
$64,790 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Low
2,840 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
-1.3%
employment change
400 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 29 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$30,780 – $88,400
Highest medians
Texas $88,400
Washington $85,240
New Mexico $79,710
Missouri $79,440
Massachusetts $73,820
Lowest medians
Tennessee $30,780
West Virginia $48,230
Ohio $52,120
Virginia $52,190
Illinois $52,870
State figures come from the 19-4044 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 51%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 19%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 56%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 13%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Constituent Task Mix
16 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 50%
8 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 25%
4 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 25%
4 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Constituent Tasks
#22292 · Core · 72% automatable
Analyze ecological data about the impact of pollution, erosion, floods, and other environmental problems on bodies of water.
data analysis — Statistical analysis of environmental datasets is automatable
Analyze environmental data.
#22293 · Core · 65% automatable
Answer technical questions from hydrologists, policymakers, or other customers developing water conservation plans.
information retrieval — Environmental advice is knowledge-based with review
Advise others about environmental management or conservation.
#22294 · Core · 50% automatable
Apply research findings to minimize the environmental impacts of pollution, waterborne diseases, erosion, or sedimentation.
decision support — Synthesizes research; field application and validation human
Apply knowledge or research findings to address environmental problems.
#22295 · Core · 6% automatable
Assist in designing programs to ensure the proper sealing of abandoned wells.
physical manipulation — Physical assisting of skilled trades on site
Assist skilled construction or extraction personnel.
#22296 · Core · 8% automatable
Collect water and soil samples to test for physical, chemical, or biological properties, such as pH, oxygen level, temperature, and pollution.
situated mobility — Environmental sampling needs field presence and hands
Collect environmental data or samples.
#22297 · Core · 50% automatable
Develop computer models for hydrologic predictions.
data analysis — Models drafted; empirical calibration human
Develop mathematical models of environmental conditions.
#22298 · Core · 70% automatable
Estimate the costs and benefits of municipal projects, such as hydroelectric power plants, irrigation systems, and wastewater treatment facilities.
data analysis — Cost-benefit analysis from given inputs; human reviews
Analyze costs and benefits of proposed designs or projects.
#22299 · Core · 72% automatable
Investigate complaints or conflicts related to the alteration of public waters by gathering information, recommending alternatives, or preparing legal documents.
data analysis — Environmental data compilation, human validates sources
Compile environmental or climatological data. Advise others about environmental management or conservation.
#22300 · Core · 55% automatable
Investigate the properties, origins, or activities of glaciers, ice, snow, or permafrost.
information retrieval — Literature synthesis aided; field hydrology needs humans
Research hydrologic features or processes.
#22301 · Core · 70% automatable
Locate and deliver information or data as requested by customers, such as contractors, government entities, and members of the public.
information retrieval — Search files and references for info
Search files, databases or reference materials to obtain needed information. Communicate with the public on environmental issues.
#22302 · Core · 22% automatable
Measure the properties of bodies of water, such as water levels, volume, and flow.
physical manipulation — Hands-on depth/level measurement in field
Measure the level or depth of water or other liquids.
#22303 · Core · 78% automatable
Perform quality control checks on data to be used by hydrologists.
data analysis — Data quality profiling automated, human sets standards
Evaluate data quality.
#22304 · Core · 8% automatable
Prepare, install, maintain, or repair equipment used for hydrologic study, such as water level recorders, stream flow gauges, and water analyzers.
physical manipulation — Cleaning parts for repair needs hands-on dexterity
Clean equipment, parts, or tools to repair or maintain them in good working order. Install gauges or controls.
#22305 · Core · 45% automatable
Provide real time data to emergency management and weather service personnel during flood events.
decision support — Emergency advice needs situated judgment and authority
Advise others on management of emergencies or hazardous situations or materials.
#22306 · Core · 72% automatable
Write groundwater contamination reports on known, suspected, or potential hazardous waste sites.
text generation — Reports/evaluations drafted; human owns judgment
Write reports or evaluations.
#22307 · Core · 72% automatable
Write materials for research publications, such as maps, tables, and reports, to disseminate findings.
visual inspection — Creates data graphics; accuracy and design review human
Prepare graphics or other visual representations of information. Write reports or evaluations.
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How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
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