AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 15-1242.00
Will AI replace Database Administrators?
Database Administrators: AI can already handle 7 of 18 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 18 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Database Administrators, from most to least exposed. 7 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Train users and answer questions. | Observed | Standard | |
| Modify existing databases and database management systems or direct programmers and analysts to make changes. | Observed | Frontier | |
| Write and code logical and physical database descriptions and specify identifiers of database to management system, or direct others in coding descriptions. | Observed | Frontier | |
| Identify, evaluate and recommend hardware or software technologies to achieve desired database performance. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Review procedures in database management system manuals to make changes to database. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Identify and evaluate industry trends in database systems to serve as a source of information and advice for upper management. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Review workflow charts developed by programmer analyst to understand tasks computer will perform, such as updating records. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Plan, coordinate, and implement security measures to safeguard information in computer files against accidental or unauthorized damage, modification or disclosure. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Plan and install upgrades of database management system software to enhance database performance. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Approve, schedule, plan, and supervise the installation and testing of new products and improvements to computer systems, such as the installation of new databases. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Develop standards and guidelines for the use and acquisition of software and to protect vulnerable information. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Develop data models describing data elements and how they are used, following procedures and using pen, template, or computer software. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Specify users and user access levels for each segment of database. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Test changes to database applications or systems. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Test programs or databases, correct errors, and make necessary modifications. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Provide technical support to junior staff or clients. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Select and enter codes to monitor database performance and to create production databases. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Revise company definition of data as defined in data dictionary. | Estimated | Frontier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 3 of 18 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 15 of 18. Importance is O*NET's 1 to 5 rating of how central the task is. Model tier is the lowest tier that can do the task under the published rubric; "No tier" marks hands-on work.
The model tier this role needs
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 100% of the work is something AI can address at some tier.
Efficient, standard and frontier tiers come from the JobRoute model tier reference. The recommended tier is the lowest one that covers 80% of the work AI can address. How the method works.
Wages, employment and outlook
- US employment
- 69,990
- Median annual wage
- $104,620
- Middle half of earners
- $79,610 to $135,460
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- -0.7%
Employment and wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, national. Projection: BLS Employment Projections 2024 to 2034.
Adjacent roles
The occupations that reuse the most of this role's skills, with the usual time to move. These are the first places to look when you plan to redeploy or retrain people in this role.
- Database Architects 75% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure53
- Network and Computer Systems Administrators 65% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure44
- Web Administrators 64% skill overlap, about 13 months to move Exposure55
- Computer Systems Analysts 61% skill overlap, about 14 months to move Exposure67
- Business Intelligence Analysts 59% skill overlap, about 15 months to move Exposure65
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Database Administrators and AI
Will AI replace Database Administrators?
AI already handles 7 of the 18 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 56 out of 100. JobRoute scores tasks, not whole jobs, so the score shows how much of the work changes rather than whether the job disappears. BLS projects employment to change by -0.7% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Database Administrators?
56 out of 100 on JobRoute's task exposure measure, the importance-weighted average of the role's O*NET task scores. Higher means more of the work is AI-doable today. 3 of the 18 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 15 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Database Administrators tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Train users and answer questions; Modify existing databases and database management systems or direct programmers and analysts to make changes; Write and code logical and physical database descriptions and specify identifiers of database to management system, or direct others in coding descriptions. They are three of the 7 tasks that reach 60 or more.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A frontier-tier model or lower covers 100% of the role's importance-weighted task work. JobRoute assigns each task the lowest tier that can do it under a published rubric and recommends the lowest tier that covers 80% of the work AI can address.
How many people work as Database Administrators, and what do they earn?
69,990 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $104,620 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -0.7% from 2024 to 2034.
How to cite
Data version 2026-11-02, JobRoute method v1.0.0. Download all occupations or this occupation as JSON. Methodology.
JobRoute (2026). AI exposure: Database Administrators. Data version 2026-11-02, method v1.0.0. Built on O*NET 30.3, BLS OEWS May 2025 and the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026). CC BY 4.0. https://www.jobroute.ai/jobs/database-administrators
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