← All 785 jobsFile 43-5041
Meter Readers, Utilities
Heavily edited
AI already performs a large share of the work in this job. The BLS expects 10.5% fewer of these jobs by 2035.
- Rank
- #98 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- -10.5% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $48,150 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 19,700 in the US, with about 1,400 openings a year
The work, 11 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: Process digital or online data18%
AI performed this in about 1 in 136 Copilot conversations and completed it 81% of the time.
AI does this: Provide information to guests, clients, or customers13%
AI performed this in about 1 in 9 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
Still yours: Notify others of emergencies or problems12%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Operate transportation equipment or vehicles9%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
Still yours: Monitor equipment operation9%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Evaluate the quality or accuracy of data8%
AI performed this in about 1 in 683 Copilot conversations and completed it 82% of the time.
Still yours: Maintain operational records8%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Assist others to access additional services or resources7%
AI performed this in about 1 in 31 Copilot conversations and completed it 88% of the time.
AI helps with this: Adjust equipment to ensure adequate performance6%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 510 conversations, and it got them there 94% of the time.
Still yours: Maintain sales or financial records5%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI helps with this: Maintain facilities or equipment5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,312 conversations, and it got them there 95% of the time.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 90 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
Even shrinking, it should still see about 1,400 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 37% of the workBus Drivers, Transit and Intercity23% AI does, against 46% here+4.1% by 2035 · $59,050 · High school diploma
- Shares 37% of the workSubway and Streetcar Operators19% AI does, against 46% here+3.7% by 2035 · $86,380 · High school diploma
- Shares 35% of the workLight Truck Drivers18% AI does, against 46% here+6.3% by 2035 · $44,860 · High school diploma
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 75% 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, 43-5041 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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