← All 785 jobsFile 19-4044
Hydrologic Technicians
Heavily edited
AI already performs a large share of the work in this job. The BLS expects 1.3% fewer of these jobs by 2035.
- Rank
- Joint #103 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- -1.3% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $64,790 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 3,000 in the US, with about 400 openings a year
The work, 18 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
AI does this: Present research or technical information10%
AI performed this in about 1 in 30 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
AI does this: Advise others on environmental sustainability or green practices10%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,887 Copilot conversations and completed it 97% of the time.
AI does this: Gather information from physical or electronic sources5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 28 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
AI helps with this: Research issues related to earth sciences5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 541 conversations, and it got them there 87% of the time.
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 does this: Evaluate the quality or accuracy of data5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 683 Copilot conversations and completed it 82% of the time.
AI does this: Compile records, documentation, or other data5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 301 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
Still yours: Analyze environmental or geospatial data5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Evaluate designs, specifications, or other technical data5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 903 conversations, and it got them there 86% of the time.
Still yours: Develop systems or practices to mitigate or resolve environmental problems5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Create visual designs or displays5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 78 conversations, and it got them there 40% of the time.
AI helps with this: Develop scientific or mathematical theories or models5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,980 conversations, and it got them there 66% of the time.
Still yours: Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Perform general construction or extraction activities5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Assemble equipment or components5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Collect environmental or biological samples5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Communicate environmental or sustainability information5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 392 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
AI does this: Advise others on workplace health or safety issues5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,805 Copilot conversations and completed it 94% of the time.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 99 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
Even shrinking, it should still see about 400 openings a year as people 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 33% of the workHydrologists19% AI does, against 45% here+1.5% by 2035 · $96,600 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 31% of the workPhysical Scientists28% AI does, against 45% here+2.1% by 2035 · $122,570 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 28% of the workGeoscientists27% AI does, against 45% here+5.1% by 2035 · $101,920 · Bachelor’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 0.23, higher than 76% 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, 19-4044 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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