Stationary engineers and boiler operators
SOC Code: 51-8021
Stationary engineers and boiler operators carries a 29% AI exposure score (Medium automation risk), with a median annual wage of $75,190 and +2.2% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 33,300 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 29% AI exposure, Stationary engineers and boiler operators sits 8 points below the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 27% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
63/100
Stationary engineers and boiler operators, 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 $75,190
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth D +2.2%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) B 29% 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 Stationary engineers and boiler operators in the Medium band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry with non-declining BLS pace
Stationary engineers and boiler operators keeps an HS / some college bar (333 of 832) and sits in Average (378 of 832). Lower formal gates with a non-shrinking employment line - skill and AI desks matter more than credentials here.
Where Stationary engineers and boiler operators sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Stationary engineers and boiler operators sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
29% Lower than most lower than 73% 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.
Stationary engineers and boiler operators vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Stationary engineers and boiler operators 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
Stationary engineers and boiler operators'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 51-8021) 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 Stationary engineers and boiler operators 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 Stationary engineers and boiler operators. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Operate or tend stationary engines, boilers, and auxiliary equipment, such as pumps, compressors, or air-conditioning equipment, to supply and maintain steam or heat for buildings, marine vessels, or pneumatic tools.
- 2. Activate valves to maintain required amounts of water in boilers, to adjust supplies of combustion air, and to control the flow of fuel into burners.
- 3. Monitor boiler water, chemical, and fuel levels, and make adjustments to maintain required levels.
- 4. Analyze problems and take appropriate action to ensure continuous and reliable operation of equipment and systems.
- 5. Observe and interpret readings on gauges, meters, and charts registering various aspects of boiler operation to ensure that boilers are operating properly.
- 6. Fire coal furnaces by hand or with stokers and gas- or oil-fed boilers, using automatic gas feeds or oil pumps.
- 7. Maintain daily logs of operation, maintenance, and safety activities, including test results, instrument readings, and details of equipment malfunctions and maintenance work.
- 8. Test boiler water quality or arrange for testing and take necessary corrective action, such as adding chemicals to prevent corrosion and harmful deposits.
- 9. Supervise the work of assistant stationary engineers, turbine operators, boiler tenders, or air conditioning and refrigeration operators and mechanics.
- 10. Monitor and inspect equipment, computer terminals, switches, valves, gauges, alarms, safety devices, and meters to detect leaks or malfunctions and to ensure that equipment is operating efficiently and safely.
Key Skills Required
- Operations Monitoring
- Operation and Control
- Active Listening
- Critical Thinking
- Equipment Maintenance
- Troubleshooting
- Repairing
- Reading Comprehension
- Active Learning
- Monitoring
Knowledge Areas
- Mechanical
- Chemistry
- Public Safety and Security
- Physics
- Engineering and Technology
- English Language
- Computers and Electronics
- Mathematics
- Production and Processing
- Building and Construction
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Stationary engineers and boiler operators?
Stationary engineers and boiler operators has an AI exposure score of 29%, 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 Stationary engineers and boiler operators?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Stationary engineers and boiler operators is projected to grow by 2.2% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 33,300 workers.
What skills are needed for Stationary engineers and boiler operators?
Key skills for Stationary engineers and boiler operators include Operations Monitoring, Operation and Control, Active Listening, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Stationary engineers and boiler operators earn?
The median annual wage for Stationary engineers and boiler operators is $75,190, 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 Stationary engineers and boiler operators?
The typical entry-level education for Stationary engineers and boiler operators is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Long-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Stationary engineers and boiler operators?
Stationary engineers and boiler operators 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 Stationary engineers and boiler operators: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (29% here).
- Anesthesiologists · AI exposure 29%
- Cooks, short order · AI exposure 29%
- Elevator and escalator installers and repairers · AI exposure 29%
- Fence erectors · AI exposure 29%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (+2.2% here).
- Chemistry teachers, postsecondary · growth +2.2%
- Law teachers, postsecondary · growth +2.2%
- Slaughterers and meat packers · growth +2.2%
- Travel agents · growth +2.2%
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 81 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Stationary engineers and boiler operators' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Stationary engineers and boiler operators 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).