Bridge and Lock Tenders
Also called: Bridge Operator, Bridge Tender, Lock TenderOperate and tend bridges, canal locks, and lighthouses to permit marine passage on inland waterways, near shores, and at danger points in waterway passages. May supervise such operations. Includes drawbridge operators, lock operators, and slip bridge operators.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 5 of its 18 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 2.3% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 3.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other transportation workers”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 4.3 hires for every 10 job openings in government, which employs about 82% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.4.3 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $66,830 | $60,420 to $74,730 | 70 |
| California | $72,390 | $52,800 to $79,150 | 80 |
| Florida | $28,090 | $28,090 to $39,090 | 470 |
| Illinois | $70,890 | $64,640 to $74,110 | 290 |
| Indiana | $60,780 | $48,440 to $68,100 | 60 |
| Iowa | $70,890 | $66,410 to $74,110 | 50 |
| Kentucky | $58,220 | $47,430 to $65,640 | 100 |
| Louisiana | $39,090 | $38,640 to $69,970 | 370 |
| Massachusetts | $55,830 | $48,080 to $62,800 | 40 |
| Michigan | $50,540 | $35,000 to $55,850 | 130 |
| Minnesota | $74,420 | $69,200 to $77,710 | 60 |
| Mississippi | $74,730 | $66,830 to $74,730 | 50 |
| Missouri | $74,110 | $66,580 to $74,480 | 40 |
| New York | $51,560 | $32,240 to $60,610 | 210 |
| North Carolina | $41,380 | $34,230 to $44,550 | 50 |
| Ohio | $58,410 | $44,500 to $68,810 | 110 |
| Pennsylvania | $68,810 | $66,440 to $72,920 | 110 |
| Tennessee | $60,420 | $49,900 to $65,060 | 60 |
| Texas | $45,820 | $39,500 to $68,950 | 70 |
| Virginia | $47,120 | $38,160 to $77,960 | 40 |
| Washington | $78,020 | $71,720 to $78,020 | 50 |
| West Virginia | $65,460 | $65,460 to $69,620 | 60 |
| Wisconsin | $57,350 | $51,160 to $66,410 | 110 |
Nationally: $57,700. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 5 of its 18 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Control machinery to open and close canal locks and dams, railroad or highway drawbridges, or horizontally or vertically adjustable bridges. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record names, types, and destinations of vessels passing through bridge openings or locks, and numbers of trains or vehicles crossing bridges. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct movements of vessels in locks or bridge areas, using signals, telecommunication equipment, or loudspeakers. | Not published |
| Not much | Move levers to activate traffic signals, navigation lights, and alarms. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe position and progress of vessels to ensure best use of lock spaces or bridge opening spaces. | Not published |
| AI + software | Log data, such as water levels and weather conditions. | Not published |
See all 18 tasks
| Not much | Observe approaching vessels to determine size and speed, and listen for whistle signals indicating desire to pass. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare accident reports. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Perform maintenance duties, such as sweeping, painting, and yard work to keep facilities clean and in order. | Not published |
| AI + software | Write and submit maintenance work requisitions. | Not published |
| Not much | Check that bridges are clear of vehicles and pedestrians prior to opening. | Not published |
| AI + software | Inspect canal and bridge equipment, and areas, such as roadbeds, for damage or defects, reporting problems to supervisors as necessary. | Not published |
| Not much | Stop automobile and pedestrian traffic on bridges, and lower automobile gates prior to moving bridges. | Not published |
| Not much | Raise drawbridges and observe passage of water traffic or lower drawbridges and raise automobile gates. | Not published |
| Not much | Turn valves to increase or decrease water levels in locks. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain and guard stations in bridges to check waterways for boat traffic. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean and lubricate equipment, and make minor repairs and adjustments. | Not published |
| Not much | Attach ropes or cable lines to bitts on lock decks or wharfs to secure vessels. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 18 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 18 tasks fall under 12 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monitor operations to ensure adequate performance | |||
| Operate transportation equipment or vehicles | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Notify others of emergencies or problems | |||
| Direct vehicle traffic | |||
| Schedule operational activities | |||
| Prepare reports of operational or procedural activities |
Show all 12 activities
| Monitor safety or security of work areas, facilities, or properties | |||
| Monitor traffic conditions | |||
| Tend watercraft | |||
| Operate pumping systems or equipment |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A document or report76%
- An email or message14%
- Data or a spreadsheet3%
- A presentation or slides3%
- An academic paper or thesis0%
How they worked with Claude
86% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for bridge and lock tenders specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved in from
of 561 moves in
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 8%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 7%
- 3 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 6%
- 4 Editors Very high -1.1% 5%
- 5 Graders and Sorters, Agricultural Products Low -3.4% 5%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 15% less than high school
- 65% high school
- 20% postsecondary certificate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 20 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 5% less than high school
- 33% high school
- 22% some college
- 9% associate's
- 21% bachelor's
- 9% master's
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other transportation workers” · 556 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other transportation workers”
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
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