AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 19-4044.00
Will AI replace Hydrologic Technicians?
Hydrologic Technicians: AI can already handle 2 of 16 tasks; the work mostly needs a frontier-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 16 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Hydrologic Technicians, from most to least exposed. 2 reach 60 or more, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Locate and deliver information or data as requested by customers, such as contractors, government entities, and members of the public. | Observed | Standard | |
| Investigate complaints or conflicts related to the alteration of public waters by gathering information, recommending alternatives, or preparing legal documents. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Analyze ecological data about the impact of pollution, erosion, floods, and other environmental problems on bodies of water. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Apply research findings to minimize the environmental impacts of pollution, waterborne diseases, erosion, or sedimentation. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Collect water and soil samples to test for physical, chemical, or biological properties, such as pH, oxygen level, temperature, and pollution. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Investigate the properties, origins, or activities of glaciers, ice, snow, or permafrost. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Measure the properties of bodies of water, such as water levels, volume, and flow. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Perform quality control checks on data to be used by hydrologists. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Provide real time data to emergency management and weather service personnel during flood events. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Write groundwater contamination reports on known, suspected, or potential hazardous waste sites. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Answer technical questions from hydrologists, policymakers, or other customers developing water conservation plans. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Assist in designing programs to ensure the proper sealing of abandoned wells. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Develop computer models for hydrologic predictions. | Estimated | Frontier | |
| Estimate the costs and benefits of municipal projects, such as hydroelectric power plants, irrigation systems, and wastewater treatment facilities. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Write materials for research publications, such as maps, tables, and reports, to disseminate findings. | Observed | Standard | |
| Prepare, install, maintain, or repair equipment used for hydrologic study, such as water level recorders, stream flow gauges, and water analyzers. | Estimated | Efficient |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 2 of 16 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 14 of 16. 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
- 2,840
- Median annual wage
- $64,790
- Middle half of earners
- $52,040 to $84,680
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- -2.1%
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.
- Hydrologists 76% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure56
- Hydroelectric Plant Technicians 72% skill overlap, about 10 months to move Exposure42
- Geological Technicians, Except Hydrologic Technicians 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure64
- Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure43
- Surveying and Mapping Technicians 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure70
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Hydrologic Technicians and AI
Will AI replace Hydrologic Technicians?
AI already handles 2 of the 16 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, at a task exposure of 60 or more, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 52 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 -2.1% from 2024 to 2034.
What is the AI exposure of Hydrologic Technicians?
52 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. 2 of the 16 task scores are observed in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), and the other 14 are estimated from each task's O*NET work activity.
Which Hydrologic Technicians tasks can AI already do?
The tasks with the highest exposure are: Locate and deliver information or data as requested by customers, such as contractors, government entities, and members of the public; Investigate complaints or conflicts related to the alteration of public waters by gathering information, recommending alternatives, or preparing legal documents. They are the 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 Hydrologic Technicians, and what do they earn?
2,840 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $64,790 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -2.1% 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: Hydrologic Technicians. 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/hydrologic-technicians
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