AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 53-7072.00
Will AI replace Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers?
Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers: AI does not yet handle any of the role's 14 tasks; most of the work is hands-on, and the part AI can address mostly needs a standard-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 14 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers, from most to least exposed. None reaches 60, the level at which AI already handles a task.
| Task | AI exposure | Evidence | Model tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Plan movement of products through lines to processing, storage, and shipping units, using knowledge of interconnections and capacities of pipelines, valve manifolds, pumps, and tankage. | Estimated | Standard | |
| Monitor gauges and flowmeters and inspect equipment to ensure that tank levels, temperatures, chemical amounts, and pressures are at specified levels, reporting abnormalities as necessary. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Clean, lubricate, and repair pumps and vessels, using hand tools and equipment. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, stocks used, gauging results, and operating times. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Communicate with other workers, using signals, radios, or telephones, to start and stop flows of materials or substances. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Turn valves and start pumps to start or regulate flows of substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Connect hoses and pipelines to pumps and vessels prior to material transfer, using hand tools. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Tend vessels that store substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials, checking levels of substances by using calibrated rods or by reading mercury gauges and tank charts. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Read operating schedules or instructions or receive verbal orders to determine amounts to be pumped. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Tend auxiliary equipment such as water treatment and refrigeration units, and heat exchangers. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Collect and deliver sample solutions for laboratory analysis. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Add chemicals and solutions to tanks to ensure that specifications are met. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Pump two or more materials into one tank to blend mixtures. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Test materials and solutions, using testing equipment. | Estimated | No tier |
Observed: scored from AI use recorded in the Anthropic Economic Index (June 2026 release), 0 of 14 tasks. Estimated: scored from the task's O*NET 30.3 work activity, 14 of 14. 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 standard-tier model or lower covers 22% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 22% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 78% is hands-on.
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
- 9,780
- Median annual wage
- $61,770
- Middle half of earners
- $47,560 to $77,210
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- +2.6%
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.
- Wellhead Pumpers 78% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure15
- Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers 76% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure35
- Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure15
- Chemical Equipment Operators and Tenders 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure15
- Chemical Plant and System Operators 69% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure26
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers and AI
Will AI replace Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers?
Not on current evidence. None of the 14 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation reaches a task exposure of 60, the level at which JobRoute counts a task as handled by AI, and the role's importance-weighted exposure is 18 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.
What is the AI exposure of Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers?
18 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. 0 of the 14 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 Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers tasks can AI already do?
None reaches 60 yet. The most exposed task is: Plan movement of products through lines to processing, storage, and shipping units, using knowledge of interconnections and capacities of pipelines, valve manifolds, pumps, and tankage, at 50 out of 100.
What AI model tier does this role need?
A standard-tier model or lower covers 22% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 78% is hands-on work that no model tier covers. 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 Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers, and what do they earn?
9,780 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $61,770 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of +2.6% 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: Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers. 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/pump-operators-except-wellhead-pumpers
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