Career
Meter readers, utilities
Read meters for utility companies.
$48,150
Median pay
-10.5%
Job growth, 2025–35
1,400
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Read electric, gas, water, or steam consumption meters and enter data in route books or hand-held computers.
- Upload into office computers all information collected on hand-held computers during meter rounds, or return route books or hand-held computers to business offices so that data can be compiled.
- Walk or drive vehicles along established routes to take readings of meter dials.
- Verify readings in cases where consumption appears to be abnormal, and record possible reasons for fluctuations.
- Install new or replace broken meters.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on information & systems, then objects & tools?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Read electric, gas, water, or steam consumption meters and enter data in route books or hand-held computers.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Operations Monitoring, Critical Thinking, Speaking, Time Management.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though short-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $48,150 a year and 1,400 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- NO MATCHCIP 99.9999
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Control and Valve Installers and Repairers, Except Mechanical Door$74,340 · +4.3%
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Powerhouse, Substation, and Relay$103,020 · +9.7%
- Power Distributors and Dispatchers$106,730 · +1.2%
- Electrical and Electronics Repairers, Commercial and Industrial Equipment$74,090 · +0.3%
- Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment$84,890 · +5.4%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.