AI exposure by occupation, O*NET 53-7073.00
Will AI replace Wellhead Pumpers?
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 an efficient-tier model.
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Every task, scored
The 14 tasks O*NET 30.3 lists for 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Repair gas and oil meters and gauges. | Estimated | Efficient | |
| Monitor pumps and flow lines for gas and fluid leaks. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Gauge oil and gas production. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Start compressor engines and divert oil from storage tanks into compressor units and auxiliary equipment to recover natural gas from oil. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Monitor control panels during pumping operations to ensure that materials are being pumped at the correct pressure, density, rate, and concentration. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Operate engines and pumps to shut off wells according to production schedules, and to switch flow of oil into storage tanks. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Open valves to return compressed gas to bottoms of specified wells to repressurize them and force oil to surface. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Change water filters. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Prepare trucks and equipment necessary for the type of pumping service required. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Perform routine maintenance on vehicles and equipment. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Attach pumps and hoses to wellheads. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Mix acids, chemicals, or dry cement as required for a specific job. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Unload and assemble pipes and pumping equipment, using hand tools. | Estimated | No tier | |
| Supervise oil pumpers and other workers engaged in producing oil from wells. | 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
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 7% of the role's importance-weighted task work. 7% of the work is something AI can address at some tier, and 93% 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
- 17,990
- Median annual wage
- $69,960
- Middle half of earners
- $52,330 to $82,200
- Projected change, 2024 to 2034
- -4.7%
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.
- Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers 78% skill overlap, about 8 months to move Exposure18
- Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers 75% skill overlap, about 9 months to move Exposure35
- Gas Compressor and Gas Pumping Station Operators 70% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure15
- Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas 68% skill overlap, about 11 months to move Exposure21
- Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas 67% skill overlap, about 12 months to move Exposure17
Skill overlap and transition time from the JobRoute role adjacency graph on O*NET 30.3 skills.
Questions about Wellhead Pumpers and AI
Will AI replace 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 15 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 Wellhead Pumpers?
15 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 Wellhead Pumpers tasks can AI already do?
None reaches 60 yet. The most exposed task is: Repair gas and oil meters and gauges, at 20 out of 100.
What AI model tier does this role need?
An efficient-tier model or lower covers 7% of the role's importance-weighted task work, and 93% 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 Wellhead Pumpers, and what do they earn?
17,990 people in the United States, with a median annual wage of $69,960 (BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). BLS Employment Projections expect a change of -4.7% 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: 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/wellhead-pumpers
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