Skip to main content
FG
FutureGrid
Back to Careers

Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners

Construction and Extraction · SOC 47-4071

0.0% AI Exposure — Low
$49,880
Median Annual Salary
Bright ↗
O*NET Outlook
4,000
Proj. Annual Openings
30,650
Employment (OEWS 2025)
+0.5%/yr
Empl. growth (2019–2025)
100/100
AI Resiliency Score

AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.

Decision card

Career Evidence Passport

SOC 47-4071 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.

Proxy / seed data labeledDescriptive-only
SOC exposure
0.0%
Low · Anthropic AEI
Automation friction
52/100
Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
Wages
$49,880
No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
Projected openings
4,000
BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +7.6%.
Observed/proxy demand
0
FY2025 certified LCAs; 5,290 postings in 2025.

Skill evidence

Operation and ControlOperations MonitoringCritical ThinkingActive ListeningEquipment Maintenance

Transition context

  • H-1B values are certified Labor Condition Applications, not visa approvals.
  • Job postings are seed-static / seed-derived; treat as provider-ready proxy coverage until observed provider data is wired in.
  • Transition matches are directional skill-overlap context, not placement guarantees.
  • This release is a FutureGrid broad-SOC seed derived from public BLS ORS requirement concepts and categories, not direct occupation-level ORS survey estimates. It describes job requirements, not worker ability, AI capability, or displacement probability. Automation friction is a FutureGrid derived score and should be read alongside exposure, demand, wage, and projection signals.

AI Exposure Analysis

AI Exposure0.0%
AI Resiliency100/100
Exposure BandLow
Sector Avg. Exposure1.2%

Across AI measures

Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.

14.2%
Consensus
Actual adoption · Anthropic0%
AI capability · OpenAI7.8%
AI ability · AIOE34.8%
Automation baseline (2013) · Frey & Osborne83%

Top Skills

1.Operation and Control
2.Operations Monitoring
3.Critical Thinking
4.Active Listening
5.Equipment Maintenance

H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand

View full H-1B trends →

Certified H-1B Labor Condition Applications naming this occupation, FY2016–FY2025. A descriptive high-skill labor-demand signal — employer filings, not visa approvals or individual outcomes. Note: one LCA can cover multiple worker positions.

1
Decade Total (Certified LCAs)
0
FY2025 Volume
0% of all H-1B filings in FY2025
$0
Median Offered Wage (Latest Year)
#651 of 776
Rank by Total Volume

O*NET occupation profile

What this work involves

Clean and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or drains. May patch walls and partitions of tank, replace damaged drain tile, or repair breaks in underground piping.

Common titles: Drain Cleaner, Drain Technician, Public Works Technician, Septic Cleaner, Septic Pump Truck Driver, Septic Tank Service Technician

Representative Tasks

  • Communicate with supervisors and other workers, using equipment such as wireless phones, pagers, or radio telephones.
  • Drive trucks to transport crews, materials, and equipment.
  • Inspect manholes to locate sewer line stoppages.
  • Operate sewer cleaning equipment, including power rodders, high-velocity water jets, sewer flushers, bucket machines, wayne balls, and vac-alls.
  • Prepare and keep records of actions taken, including maintenance and repair work.

Detailed Work Activities

  • Communicate with other construction or extraction personnel to discuss project details.
  • Drive trucks or truck-mounted equipment.
  • Inspect plumbing systems or fixtures.
  • Clean equipment or facilities.
  • Record operational or environmental data.

Employment Projections & AI Exposure

15
Occupations Shown
1.2%
Avg AI Exposure
12
Bright Outlook
Horizontal bar chart showing occupations with the highest projected annual openings. Each bar length represents annual projected openings. Color uses a gradient from violet (lower) to cyan (higher). Summary statistics are shown above the chart.

Employment & Wage Trend

BLS OEWS, 2019–2025


Occupation Employment & Wage TrendMulti-year BLS OEWS history for SOC 47-4071: 2019 — employment: 29,750, median wage: $39,870; 2020 — employment: 29,880, median wage: $41,120; 2021 — employment: 28,620, median wage: $44,810; 2022 — employment: 27,660, median wage: $45,610; 2023 — employment: 27,900, median wage: $46,910; 2025 — employment: 30,650, median wage: $49,880.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.

Sector Comparison

MetricThis CareerSector Average
AI Exposure0.0%1.2%
OutlookBright ↗70% Bright
Median Salary$49,880N/A
AI Resiliency100/100N/A