Pump Operators, Except Wellhead Pumpers
Transportation and Material Moving · SOC 53-7072
AI exposure from the Anthropic Economic Index (2025); salary from BLS; skills from O*NET. See /sources.
Decision card
Career Evidence Passport
SOC 53-7072 evidence across exposure, wages, projections, postings, certified LCAs, skills, and transitions.
- SOC exposure
- 0.0%
- Low · Anthropic AEI
- Automation friction
- 54/100
- Moderate friction; broad SOC seed ORS job-requirements coverage.
- Wages
- $61,770
- No H-1B offered-wage row for this SOC.
- Projected openings
- 1,600
- BLS EP 2024–2034; employment change +2.6%.
- Observed/proxy demand
- —
- FY— certified LCAs; 2,135 postings in 2025.
Skill evidence
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
Across AI measures
Multiple exposure lenses for this occupation.
AI could do ~25% of this role but only ~0% is currently done with AI — a large capability-vs-adoption gap.
Top Skills
H-1B Visa Sponsorship Demand
View full H-1B trends →No H-1B certified LCA filings recorded for this occupation in FY2016–FY2025.
O*NET occupation profile
What this work involves
Tend, control, or operate power-driven, stationary, or portable pumps and manifold systems to transfer gases, oil, other liquids, slurries, or powdered materials to and from various vessels and processes.
Common titles: Boom Pump Operator, Chemical Pumper, Day Light Relief Operator, Outside Operator, Pipeline Dispatch Operator, Pipeline Operator
Representative Tasks
- •Monitor gauges and flowmeters and inspect equipment to ensure that tank levels, temperatures, chemical amounts, and pressures are at specified levels, reporting abnormalities as necessary.
- •Record operating data such as products and quantities pumped, stocks used, gauging results, and operating times.
- •Plan movement of products through lines to processing, storage, and shipping units, using knowledge of interconnections and capacities of pipelines, valve manifolds, pumps, and tankage.
- •Turn valves and start pumps to start or regulate flows of substances such as gases, liquids, slurries, or powdered materials.
- •Communicate with other workers, using signals, radios, or telephones, to start and stop flows of materials or substances.
Detailed Work Activities
- •Monitor equipment gauges or displays to ensure proper operation.
- •Report vehicle or equipment malfunctions.
- •Plan work operations.
- •Record operational or production data.
- •Control pumps or pumping equipment.
Tools & Technologies
Employment Projections & AI Exposure
Employment & Wage Trend
BLS OEWS, 2019–2025
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). See /sources.
Sector Comparison
| Metric | This Career | Sector Average |
|---|---|---|
| AI Exposure | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Outlook | Bright ↗ | 20% Bright |
| Median Salary | $61,770 | N/A |
| AI Resiliency | 100/100 | N/A |