← All 785 jobsFile 15-1242
Database Administrators
Also filed here: DBA, Database administrator
Heavily edited
AI already performs a large share of the work in this job. The BLS expects 0.1% fewer of these jobs by 2035.
Programmers mostly use AI inside their coding tools, which consumer Copilot data does not see, so this file probably understates how much AI touches the job.
- Rank
- #46 of 785 jobs, by how much of the work AI does
- US jobs, 2025 to 2035
- -0.1% All jobs: +3.5%
- Median US pay
- $104,620 a year, 2025
- People doing it
- 75,000 in the US, with about 3,300 openings a year
The work, 18 activities
The job description, marked up.
Every activity in this job, the biggest first. Tap a line for the evidence.
- deleAI does this
- +AIAI helps
- stetStill yours
Still yours: Design databases15%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Evaluate the characteristics, usefulness, or performance of products or technologies12%
AI performed this in about 1 in 237 Copilot conversations and completed it 93% of the time.
Still yours: Implement security measures for computer or information systems9%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Process digital or online data8%
AI performed this in about 1 in 136 Copilot conversations and completed it 81% of the time.
AI does this: Advise others on the design or use of technologies7%
AI performed this in about 1 in 97 Copilot conversations and completed it 91% of the time.
AI helps with this: Test performance of computer or information systems5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 1,825 conversations, and it got them there 90% of the time.
AI helps with this: Design computer or information systems or applications5%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 938 conversations, and it got them there 85% of the time.
AI does this: Develop operational or technical procedures or standards5%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,089 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
AI helps with this: Set up computer systems, networks, or other information systems4%
People asked AI for help with this in about 1 in 871 conversations, and it got them there 92% of the time.
AI does this: Read documents or materials to inform work processes4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 214 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
AI does this: Plan work activities4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 720 Copilot conversations and completed it 92% of the time.
Still yours: Direct scientific or technical activities4%
Barely appears in AI conversations: fewer than 1 in 2,000.
AI does this: Train others to use equipment or products4%
AI performed this in about 1 in 494 Copilot conversations and completed it 94% of the time.
AI does this: Develop technical specifications for products or operations3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,901 Copilot conversations and completed it 90% of the time.
AI does this: Program computer systems or production equipment3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 822 Copilot conversations and completed it 87% of the time.
AI does this: Develop models of systems, processes, or products3%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,656 Copilot conversations and completed it 72% of the time.
AI does this: Analyze market or industry conditions2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 1,486 Copilot conversations and completed it 91% of the time.
AI does this: Analyze scientific or applied data using mathematical principles2%
AI performed this in about 1 in 709 Copilot conversations and completed it 58% of the time.
2025 to 2035
Ten years from now.
For every 100 of these jobs in 2025, the BLS projects 100 in 2035. Across all US jobs, about 104.
Even shrinking, it should still see about 3,300 openings a year as people retire or move on.
BLS on AITasks are being automated and folded into other roles. Source ↗
Nearby
Where your skills travel.
Jobs that share the most work with this one, where AI does less of it.
- Shares 50% of the workComputer Occupations49% AI does, against 58% here+5.1% by 2035 · $116,580 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 47% of the workWeb Developers49% AI does, against 58% here+3.8% by 2035 · $92,650 · Bachelor’s degree
- Shares 43% of the workComputer Systems Analysts44% AI does, against 58% here+7.9% by 2035 · $105,850 · Bachelor’s degree
The wire
On the wire.
Nothing filed about this job yet. The latest from the Work front:
How to read this file.
deleAI does this. In US Bing Copilot conversations from January to September 2024, AI itself performed the activity, completed it and made a real difference often enough to count.
+AIAI helps. People brought the activity to AI as their own goal, and it usually got them there.
stetStill yours. It barely shows up in AI use, AI rarely finishes it, or in this job it needs hands.
Shares are weighted by how much each activity matters in the job, using O*NET. Microsoft’s own AI applicability score for this job is 0.30, higher than 87% of jobs.
Doing an activity is not doing a job. The researchers behind this data warn against reading it as job loss, and so do we. It is US data; the shape of the work travels.
Programmers mostly use AI inside their coding tools, which consumer Copilot data does not see, so this file probably understates how much AI touches the job.
Sources: Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025) · O*NET OnLine, 15-1242 · BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035
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