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AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators?
Task-level automation exposure for Stationary Engineers and Boiler Operators: 25 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
30%
weighted task index
25 of 25 tasks scored
Median Salary
$78,620 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
Medium
28,250 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+3.1%
employment change
3,200 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 52 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$47,750 – $115,780
Highest medians
Illinois $115,780
Wyoming $111,920
Hawaii $103,400
Connecticut $94,870
New York $94,070
Lowest medians
Louisiana $47,750
Puerto Rico $51,320
West Virginia $53,340
Alabama $53,470
Mississippi $53,640
State figures come from the 51-8021 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 30%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 42%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 12%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 9%
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.
Consequence of error 40/100
Moderate
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
25 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) 9%
2 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 27%
7 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 63%
16 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
#10468 · Core · 18% automatable
Operate or tend stationary engines, boilers, and auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, compressors, or air-conditioning equipment, to supply and maintain steam or heat for buildings, marine vessels, or pneumatic tools.
physical manipulation — Plant equipment operation needs hands-on control and judgment
Operate pumping systems or equipment. Operate energy production equipment.
#10471 · Core · 15% automatable
Activate valves to maintain required amounts of water in boilers, to adjust supplies of combustion air, and to control the flow of fuel into burners.
physical manipulation — Manual gas flow control adjustment
Adjust equipment controls to regulate gas flow. Adjust equipment controls to regulate flow of water, cleaning solutions, or other liquids.
#10472 · Core · 15% automatable
Monitor boiler water, chemical, and fuel levels, and make adjustments to maintain required levels.
physical manipulation — Checking fluid levels is hands-on physical work
Monitor equipment fluid levels.
#10475 · Core · 45% automatable
Analyze problems and take appropriate action to ensure continuous and reliable operation of equipment and systems.
decision support — Troubleshooting aided; hands-on diagnosis human
Troubleshoot equipment or systems operation problems.
#10469 · Core · 42% automatable
Observe and interpret readings on gauges, meters, and charts registering various aspects of boiler operation to ensure that boilers are operating properly.
visual inspection — Sensor/vision monitoring possible, but physical verification and accountability remain human
Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.
#10476 · Core · 82% automatable
Maintain daily logs of operation, maintenance, and safety activities, including test results, instrument readings, and details of equipment malfunctions and maintenance work.
data analysis — Record production data into structured logs
Record operational or production data.
#10470 · Core · 22% automatable
Test boiler water quality or arrange for testing and take necessary corrective action, such as adding chemicals to prevent corrosion and harmful deposits.
physical manipulation — Chemical/physical testing requires lab manipulation
Test chemical or physical characteristics of materials or products.
#10474 · Core · 28% automatable
Monitor and inspect equipment, computer terminals, switches, valves, gauges, alarms, safety devices, and meters to detect leaks or malfunctions and to ensure that equipment is operating efficiently and safely.
visual inspection — Malfunction detection relies on live physical observation
Watch operating equipment to detect malfunctions. Inspect production equipment.
#10478 · Core · 20% automatable
Switch from automatic to manual controls and isolate equipment mechanically and electrically to allow for safe inspection and repair work.
physical manipulation — Hands-on energy distribution equipment operation
Operate energy distribution equipment.
#10481 · Core · 10% automatable
Perform or arrange for repairs, such as complete overhauls, replacement of defective valves, gaskets, or bearings, or fabrication of new parts.
physical manipulation — Hands-on repair of production machinery
Repair production equipment or tools.
#10477 · Core · 15% automatable
Adjust controls and/or valves on equipment to provide power, and to regulate and set operations of system or industrial processes.
physical manipulation — Hands-on energy distribution equipment operation
Adjust flow of electricity to tools or production equipment. Operate energy distribution equipment.
#10479 · Core · 8% automatable
Clean and lubricate boilers and auxiliary equipment and make minor adjustments as needed, using hand tools.
physical manipulation — Manual lubrication of production equipment
Clean production equipment. Lubricate production equipment.
#10483 · Core · 60% automatable
Develop operation, safety, and maintenance procedures or assist in their development.
decision support — Sequence planning aided; production constraints human-verified
Plan production or operational procedures or sequences.
#10486 · Core · 28% automatable
Test electrical systems to determine voltages, using voltage meters.
data analysis — Electrical testing requires hands-on instrument use
Test electrical equipment or systems to ensure proper functioning.
#10485 · Core · 55% automatable
Contact equipment manufacturers or appropriate specialists when necessary to resolve equipment problems.
decision support — Diagnosis support good; physical resolution needs humans
Confer with others to resolve production problems or equipment malfunctions.
#10482 · Core · 54% automatable
Weigh, measure, and record fuel used.
data analysis — Record production data into structured logs
Measure ingredients or substances to be used in production processes. Record operational or production data.
#10489 · Core · 55% automatable
Receive instructions from steam engineers regarding steam plant and air compressor operations.
interpersonal — Colleague information exchange is relational, contextual
Exchange information with colleagues.
#10484 · Core · 4% automatable
Install burners and auxiliary equipment, using hand tools.
physical manipulation — Electromechanical assembly requires hands-on fitting
Assemble electromechanical or hydraulic systems.
#10480 · Core · 42% automatable
Check the air quality of ventilation systems and make adjustments to ensure compliance with mandated safety codes.
visual inspection — Sensor/vision monitoring possible, but physical verification and accountability remain human
Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.
#10487 · Core · 10% automatable
Provide assistance to plumbers in repairing or replacing water, sewer, or waste lines, and in daily maintenance activities.
physical manipulation — Hands-on repair of production machinery
Repair production equipment or tools. Maintain production or processing equipment.
#10473 · Supplemental · 8% automatable
Fire coal furnaces by hand or with stokers and gas- or oil-fed boilers, using automatic gas feeds or oil pumps.
physical manipulation — Physical ignition of heating equipment
Ignite fuel to activate heating equipment.
#10488 · Supplemental · 30% automatable
Supervise the work of assistant stationary engineers, turbine operators, boiler tenders, or air conditioning and refrigeration operators and mechanics.
interpersonal — Directing production operations is human supervisory authority
Direct operational or production activities.
#10491 · Supplemental · 43% automatable
Investigate and report on accidents.
interpersonal — Emergency notification needs live accountable delivery
Investigate accidents to determine causes. Notify others of emergencies, problems, or hazards.
#10492 · Supplemental · 15% automatable
Operate mechanical hoppers and provide assistance in their adjustment and repair.
physical manipulation — Hands-on equipment adjustment for performance
Adjust equipment to ensure optimal performance. Operate industrial equipment.
#10490 · Supplemental · 8% automatable
Ignite fuel in burners, using torches or flames.
physical manipulation — Physical ignition of heating equipment
Ignite fuel to activate heating equipment.
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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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