← All 785 jobsFile 19-2011
Astronomers
Lightly edited
AI performs some of this work. Most of it still needs a person. The BLS expects 7.8% more of these jobs by 2035, faster than the 3.5% average.
- Rank
- #140 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- +7.8% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $128,820 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 2,400 in the US, with about 100 openings a year
The work, 16 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Analyze data to improve operations9%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Direct scientific or technical activities9%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Present research or technical information9%
AI performed this in about 1 in 30 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
AI does this: Assist scientists, scholars, or technical specialists with projects or research7%
AI performed this in about 1 in 250 Copilot conversations and completed it 79% of the time.
AI does this: Provide information or assistance to the public7%
AI performed this in about 1 in 7 Copilot conversations and completed it 86% of the time.
AI helps with this: Provide support or encouragement to others7%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 293 conversations, and it got them there 87% of the time.
AI does this: Advise others on educational or vocational matters7%
AI performed this in about 1 in 293 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
Still yours: Supervise personnel activities6%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Develop scientific or mathematical theories or models6%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,980 conversations, and it got them there 66% of the time.
AI does this: Teach academic or vocational subjects6%
AI performed this in about 1 in 70 Copilot conversations and completed it 84% of the time.
Still yours: Monitor environmental conditions5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Measure physical characteristics of materials, products, or equipment5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,656 conversations, and it got them there 84% of the time.
AI helps with this: Design computer or information systems or applications5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 938 conversations, and it got them there 85% of the time.
AI does this: Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 40 Copilot conversations and completed it 91% of the time.
Still yours: Prepare proposals or grant applications5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Serve on organizational committees3%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 108 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
About 100 openings a year, from growth and from people who retire or move on.
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 28% of the workMedical Scientists19% AI does, against 40% here+12.6% by 2035 · $103,410 · Doctoral or professional degree
- Shares 37% of the workBiological Scientists31% AI does, against 40% here+4.7% by 2035 · $98,920 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 35% of the workSchool Psychologists31% AI does, against 40% here+0.8% by 2035 · $95,990 · Master’s degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Planet front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.28, higher than 85% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 19-2011 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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