Database administrators
SOC Code: 15-1242
Database administrators carries a 47% AI exposure score (High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $104,620 and -0.7% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 78,000 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 47% AI exposure, Database administrators sits 10 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 83% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
46/100
Database administrators, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage A+ $104,620
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -0.7%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 47% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Database administrators in the High band.
Credential × growth standing
Bachelor's band with mid-pack BLS pace
Database administrators shares the Bachelor's gate with 178 peer occupations and lands in Slow growth (245 of 832). Neither the rarest nor the most crowded growth shelf - use wage and AI desks on this page for the differentiator.
Where Database administrators sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Database administrators sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
47% Higher than most higher than 83% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Database administrators vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Database administrators is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Database administrators's High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 15-1242) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Database administrators be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Database administrators. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Modify existing databases and database management systems or direct programmers and analysts to make changes.
- 2. Plan, coordinate, and implement security measures to safeguard information in computer files against accidental or unauthorized damage, modification or disclosure.
- 3. Plan and install upgrades of database management system software to enhance database performance.
- 4. Specify users and user access levels for each segment of database.
- 5. Test changes to database applications or systems.
- 6. Test programs or databases, correct errors, and make necessary modifications.
- 7. Train users and answer questions.
- 8. Provide technical support to junior staff or clients.
- 9. Approve, schedule, plan, and supervise the installation and testing of new products and improvements to computer systems, such as the installation of new databases.
- 10. Develop standards and guidelines for the use and acquisition of software and to protect vulnerable information.
Key Skills Required
- Critical Thinking
- Complex Problem Solving
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Listening
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Active Learning
- Speaking
- Programming
- Writing
- Monitoring
Knowledge Areas
- Computers and Electronics
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Mathematics
- Telecommunications
- Engineering and Technology
- Administration and Management
- Education and Training
- Design
- Economics and Accounting
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Database administrators?
Database administrators has an AI exposure score of 47%, indicating a high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Database administrators?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Database administrators is projected to decline by 0.7% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 78,000 workers.
What skills are needed for Database administrators?
Key skills for Database administrators include Critical Thinking, Complex Problem Solving, Reading Comprehension, and others. Typical entry-level education is Bachelor's degree.
How much do Database administrators earn?
The median annual wage for Database administrators is $104,620, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Database administrators?
The typical entry-level education for Database administrators is Bachelor's degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves None. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Database administrators?
Database administrators roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A moderate share of tasks may be augmented by AI tools.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Database administrators: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (47% here).
- Conveyor operators and tenders · AI exposure 47%
- Cutting and slicing machine setters, operators, and tenders · AI exposure 47%
- Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers · AI exposure 47%
- Librarians and media collections specialists · AI exposure 47%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-0.7% here).
- Administrative law judges, adjudicators, and hearing officers · growth -0.7%
- Detectives and criminal investigators · growth -0.7%
- Waiters and waitresses · growth -0.7%
- Gambling dealers · growth -0.6%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 10 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Database administrators' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Database administrators side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).