Fish and game wardens
SOC Code: 33-3031
Fish and game wardens carries a 36% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $68,180 and -6.0% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 7,000 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 36% AI exposure, Fish and game wardens sits 1 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 56% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
41/100
Fish and game wardens, 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 B- $68,180
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -6.0%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) D 36% 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 Fish and game wardens in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Bachelor's entry while BLS headcount shrinks
Entry still reads Bachelor's (178/832), but growth is Declining (111/832). Degree cost lands on a contracting occupation - weigh AI exposure and adjacent SOC moves before treating the credential as insurance.
Where Fish and game wardens sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Fish and game wardens sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
36% Around the middle lower than 44% 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.
Fish and game wardens vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Fish and game wardens 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
Fish and game wardens's Medium 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 below 40% reflects tasks anchored in physical dexterity, unstructured environments, or high-touch human interaction that current AI cannot reliably replicate.
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 33-3031) 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 Fish and game wardens 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 Fish and game wardens. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Patrol assigned areas by car, boat, airplane, horse, or on foot to enforce game, fish, or boating laws or to manage wildlife programs, lakes, or land.
- 2. Compile and present evidence for court actions.
- 3. Investigate hunting accidents or reports of fish or game law violations.
- 4. Protect and preserve native wildlife, plants, or ecosystems.
- 5. Issue warnings or citations and file reports as necessary.
- 6. Serve warrants and make arrests.
- 7. Provide assistance to other local law enforcement agencies as required.
- 8. Promote or provide hunter or trapper safety training.
- 9. Participate in search-and-rescue operations.
- 10. Arrange for disposition of fish or game illegally taken or possessed.
Key Skills Required
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Judgment and Decision Making
- Monitoring
- Social Perceptiveness
- Persuasion
- Complex Problem Solving
- Coordination
Knowledge Areas
- Law and Government
- Public Safety and Security
- Biology
- English Language
- Customer and Personal Service
- Psychology
- Geography
- Sociology and Anthropology
- Education and Training
- Administration and Management
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Fish and game wardens?
Fish and game wardens has an AI exposure score of 36%, indicating a medium level of automation risk. The majority of tasks in this role require human judgment, creativity, or physical presence that AI cannot easily replicate.
What is the job outlook for Fish and game wardens?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Fish and game wardens is projected to decline by 6.0% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 7,000 workers.
What skills are needed for Fish and game wardens?
Key skills for Fish and game wardens include Active Listening, Critical Thinking, Speaking, and others. Typical entry-level education is Bachelor's degree.
How much do Fish and game wardens earn?
The median annual wage for Fish and game wardens is $68,180, 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 Fish and game wardens?
The typical entry-level education for Fish and game wardens is Bachelor's degree. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Moderate-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Fish and game wardens?
Fish and game wardens 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
Medium automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. Most tasks require human judgment and are resistant to automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Fish and game wardens: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (36% here).
- Amusement and recreation attendants · AI exposure 36%
- Communications teachers, postsecondary · AI exposure 36%
- Computer network support specialists · AI exposure 36%
- Computer numerically controlled tool operators · AI exposure 36%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-6.0% here).
- Computer programmers · growth -6.0%
- Transportation security screeners · growth -6.0%
- Chemical plant and system operators · growth -6.1%
- Floral designers · growth -5.9%
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 14 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Fish and game wardens' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Fish and game wardens 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).