Skills it runs on
The capabilities O*NET rates most important for this occupation — the human ground the work is built on.
See all skills →Meter Readers, Utilities
Occupation · SOC 43-5041.00
Read meter and record consumption of electricity, gas, water, or steam.
Also called: Meter Reader · Meter Technician · Water Meter Reader · Water Use Inspector · Field Technician · Fieldman · Meter Reader Inspector · Meter Reading Clerk · Utility Service Worker · Water Inspector · Customer Field Representative · Damage Prevention Specialist
Job family: Office and Administrative Support Occupations
Take this to your AI
A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch
/roles/role-43-5041-00/context.md directly.
AI work map
A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.
Market signal
Independent published positions, read together — not a forecast.
- Declining employment outlook (-12.0% by 2034)
- 1,300 openings/yr
- High AI exposure
- Median pay $49,180/yr
- Work is mostly on-site (not teleworkable)
- 2013 flagged this for computerization (71st); today's AI task-overlap is comparatively low (45th)
45th-percentile task overlap — yet about 1,300 openings a year (-12% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →
AI & job outlook
What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.
Exposure to current AI
Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.
| Measure | Rank vs all occupations | Percentile | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall AI exposure (Felten et al.) Low | 18th | -1.0 | |
| LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate | 46th | 0.5 | |
| AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High | 75th | 0.2 |
OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.3), with simple added tooling (β 0.4), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.5). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.
This job mostly cannot be done remotely (Dingel–Neiman) — its hands-on tasks sit outside what software-based AI reaches.
Historical automation estimate (2013)
A pre-LLM (2013) estimate of how automatable this job is by computerization and robotics. Shown for historical context only — it is not part of any current AI ranking.
Frey–Osborne probability 0.8 · 71st percentile among occupations · High
Job outlook
Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.
| Outlook | Declining · -12.0% by 2034 |
| Projected annual openings | 1,300 |
| Employment 2024 → 2034 | 20,100 → 17,700 |
“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.
Where this work sits on the global GenAI gradient
The ILO's 2025 global study scores generative-AI exposure on the international ISCO-08 occupation system, not US SOC. Bridged through the published (and approximate, many-to-many) IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 crosswalk, this US occupation corresponds to the international occupation below. Exposure here means how much of the work's tasks today's AI can attempt — task overlap, not automation, adoption, or jobs lost.
Meter Readers, Utilities sits at the 72nd percentile of 427
occupations on the global GenAI task-exposure gradient
— exposure rose from 2023 to 2025. Each dot is one occupation; the
ringed one is this work. Exposure is task overlap, not automation or jobs lost.
38% mean task exposure (2025)
72nd percentile of 427 placed occupations
+2 pts shift 2023 → 2025
| International occupation (ISCO-08) | Task exposure (2025) | Most tasks fall in |
|---|---|---|
| Meter Readers and Vending-machine Collectors · 9623 | 38% | Gradient 1 |
Read the whole six-band gradient on the GenAI exposure gradient page. The crosswalk is approximate: a US occupation can map to several international ones, and the ILO scores describe the international occupation, not this exact US role.
Tasks
All 13 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.
- Read electric, gas, water, or steam consumption meters and enter data in route books or hand-held computers. Core · importance 4.5
- Upload into office computers all information collected on hand-held computers during meter rounds, or return route books or hand-held computers to business offices so that data can be compiled. Core · importance 4.3
- Walk or drive vehicles along established routes to take readings of meter dials. Core · importance 4.3
- Inspect meters for unauthorized connections, defects, and damage, such as broken seals. Core · importance 4.2
- Verify readings in cases where consumption appears to be abnormal, and record possible reasons for fluctuations. Core · importance 4.2
- Report to service departments any problems, such as meter irregularities, damaged equipment, or impediments to meter access, including dogs. Core · importance 4.1
- Leave messages to arrange different times to read meters in cases in which meters are not accessible. Core · importance 4.0
- Connect and disconnect utility services at specific locations. Core · importance 4.0
- Answer customers' questions about services and charges, or direct them to customer service centers. Core · importance 3.9
- Update client address and meter location information. Core · importance 3.8
- Report lost or broken keys. Supplemental · importance 3.7
- Perform preventative maintenance or minor repairs on meters. Core · importance 3.7
- Collect past-due bills. Supplemental
Emerging tasks
Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.
- Dig dirt away from meters to take readings.
- Install new or replace broken meters.
Work activities
- Enter information into databases or software programs.
- Operate vehicles or material-moving equipment.
- Verify accuracy of data.
- Record service or repair activities.
- Monitor equipment operation to ensure proper functioning.
- Report maintenance or equipment problems to appropriate personnel.
- Discuss account status or activity with customers or patrons.
- Refer customers to appropriate personnel.
- Maintain financial or account records.
- Control power supply connections.
- Notify others of equipment repair or maintenance needs.
- Perform basic equipment maintenance.
Knowledge, skills & abilities
O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).
Knowledge
| Customer and Personal Service | 3.7 | |
| Public Safety and Security | 3.5 | |
| English Language | 3.4 | |
| Mathematics | 3.1 | |
| Mechanical | 2.9 | |
| Computers and Electronics | 2.9 |
Abilities
| Near Vision | 3.5 | |
| Oral Comprehension | 3.3 | |
| Oral Expression | 3.3 | |
| Information Ordering | 3.1 | |
| Perceptual Speed | 3.1 | |
| Trunk Strength | 3.1 | |
| Written Comprehension | 3.0 | |
| Problem Sensitivity | 3.0 | |
| Arm-Hand Steadiness | 3.0 | |
| Control Precision | 3.0 | |
| Multilimb Coordination | 3.0 | |
| Extent Flexibility | 3.0 | |
| Far Vision | 3.0 | |
| Speech Recognition | 3.0 | |
| Speech Clarity | 3.0 | |
| Inductive Reasoning | 2.9 | |
| Category Flexibility | 2.9 | |
| Selective Attention | 2.9 | |
| Manual Dexterity | 2.9 | |
| Static Strength | 2.9 | |
| Gross Body Coordination | 2.9 | |
| Written Expression | 2.8 |
Essential skills
| Reading Comprehension | 3.0 | |
| Active Listening | 3.0 | |
| Speaking | 3.0 | |
| Critical Thinking | 3.0 | |
| Monitoring | 2.9 | |
| Active Learning | 2.8 |
Transferable skills
| Service Orientation | 3.0 | |
| Time Management | 3.0 | |
| Complex Problem Solving | 2.9 | |
| Operations Monitoring | 2.9 | |
| Operation and Control | 2.9 | |
| Social Perceptiveness | 2.8 |
Skills in demand
Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.
Tools & technology
| Example | Category | |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Office software | Office suite software | Hot technology In demand |
| Microsoft Access | Data base user interface and query software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Outlook | Electronic mail software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft PowerPoint | Presentation software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Windows | Operating system software | Hot technology |
| Microsoft Word | Word processing software | Hot technology |
| Billing software | Billing and invoicing software | |
| Geographic information system GIS systems | Geographic information system | |
| Graphing software | Charting software | |
| Mapping software | Map creation software | |
| Meter reading software | Data base reporting software | |
| Supervisory control and data acquisition SCADA software | Industrial control software |
Work context
How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.
How to get in
- Job zone
- Zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed
- Education
- Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
- Typical entry-level education
- High school diploma or equivalent · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
- Related experience
- Some occupations may need little or no previous experience; others require several months to a year of experience. For example, landscaping and groundskeeping workers might require very little training or previous experience, while agricultural equipment operators can benefit from on-the job training.
- Preparation level
- SVP (Below 6.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.
Education of current workers
Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.
| High School Diploma | 71.0% | |
| Some College Courses | 17.3% | |
| Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 8.7% | |
| Bachelor's Degree | 2.4% | |
| Post-Secondary Certificate | 0.5% |
Interests & work styles
The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.
Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)
| Conventional | 6.6 | |
| Realistic | 4.9 | |
| Investigative | 2.5 | |
| Social | 2.1 |
Interest areas
| Transportation/Machine Operation | 3.4 | |
| Physical/Manual Labor | 3.1 | |
| Mechanics/Electronics | 2.3 | |
| Accounting | 1.7 | |
| Office Work | 1.6 | |
| Mathematics/Statistics | 1.6 | |
| Protective Service | 1.6 | |
| Engineering | 1.5 | |
| Personal Service | 1.4 |
Work styles
| Dependability | 2.3 | |
| Attention to Detail | 2.0 | |
| Integrity | 1.7 |
Wages & employment
U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)
| 10th percentile | $33,980 |
| 25th percentile | $39,620 |
| Median (50th) | $49,180 |
| 75th percentile | $68,030 |
| 90th percentile | $86,480 |
| People employed | 19,620 |
Industries that employ this occupation
Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.
| Industry | Workers | National median pay |
|---|---|---|
| Utilities · Sector | 6,940 | $64,090 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 2,650 | $44,880 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 340 | $40,130 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation · National industry | 290 | $70,030 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 280 | $60,780 |
| Construction · Sector | 130 | $40,380 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 110 | $44,720 |
| Transportation and Warehousing · Sector | 30 | $98,850 |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services · Sector | — | $47,910 |
Where this work is most concentrated
Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).
| Industry | Concentration | Workers |
|---|---|---|
| Utilities · Sector | 94.12× | 6,940 |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation · National industry | 31.97× | 290 |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector | 2.31× | 2,650 |
| Temporary Help Services · National industry | 1.01× | 340 |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector | 0.78× | 280 |
| Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector | 0.2× | 110 |
| Construction · Sector | 0.13× | 130 |
Related occupations
Part of the Public Service & Safety career cluster.
- Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door · 49-9012.00 Compare →
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- Gas Plant Operators · 51-8092.00 Compare →
Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.
What you can do with this
Options the data surfaces for Meter Readers, Utilities — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.
Skills that travel
Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.
Adjacent roles
Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.
- Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door Compare →
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay Compare →
- Power Distributors and Dispatchers Compare →
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment Compare →
- Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment Compare →
Paths in
How people typically prepare for this work.
- High school diploma or equivalent · typical entry level
- Job zone 2 — Job Zone 1-2: Very Little to Some Preparation Needed · preparation tier
Zoom out
On the global GenAI exposure gradient this work sits around the 72nd percentile of 427 international occupations.
Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation
Meter Readers, Utilities show 45th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 1,300 annual U.S. openings
- Meter Readers, Utilities rank in the 45th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
- The occupation is projected to see about 1,300 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- BLS projects employment to be declining (-12%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
- Median annual pay is $49,180, across about 19,620 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Meter Readers, Utilities show 45th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 1,300 annual U.S. openings • Meter Readers, Utilities rank in the 45th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE) • The occupation is projected to see about 1,300 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • BLS projects employment to be declining (-12%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34) • Median annual pay is $49,180, across about 19,620 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024)) Source: Singulariki — "Meter Readers, Utilities". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-5041-00 Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom
Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
- AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans academic
- ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025 International Labour Organization
- IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022 Institute for Structural Research (IBS)
- Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation academic
- Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Plain
Singulariki. "Meter Readers, Utilities." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-5041-00
APA
Singulariki. (2026). Meter Readers, Utilities. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-5041-00
BibTeX
@misc{singulariki-role-43-5041-00,
title = {Meter Readers, Utilities},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130; AI Occupational Exposure (AIOE) Felten, Raj & Seamans; ILO / Gmyrek et al. GenAI exposure gradient 2025; IBS O*NET-SOC ↔ ISCO-08 occupation crosswalk 2022; Frey & Osborne (2013) frey-osborne-automation; Dingel & Neiman (2020) dingel-neiman-workathome. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-43-5041-00}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.