Municipal Firefighters vs Highway Maintenance Workers AI Risk

Job 1

Job 2

Job 1

Job 2

low risk

Municipal Firefighters

62 shared · 52 different

core competencies

low risk

Highway Maintenance Workers

Side-by-Side Comparison

Municipal Firefighters leads 5–0

Metric	Municipal Firefighters	Highway Maintenance Workers
Risk Score	17.7%	22.3%
Risk Tier	Low Risk	Low Risk
Risk Percentile	3th	12th
Tasks at Risk (>50%)	0 / 15	3 / 15
Median Salary	$59,530	$49,070
Employment	332K	152K

Skill Comparison

Sorted by largest difference

Handling and Moving Objects

Customer and Personal Service

Education and Training

Selling or Influencing Others

Making Decisions and Solving Problems

Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment

Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings

Performing General Physical Activities

Psychology

Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge

Telecommunications

Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events

Protective Factors

Higher values indicate stronger protection against AI displacement

Municipal Firefighters

37%

total discount

Highway Maintenance Workers

27%

total discount

Task Risk Comparison

Tasks sorted by AI automation risk — higher means more automatable

Municipal Firefighters

0 of 15 at risk

39%Assess fires and situations and report conditions to superiors to receive instructions, using two-way radios.

39%Inspect fire sites after flames have been extinguished to ensure that there is no further danger.

33%Dress with equipment such as fire-resistant clothing and breathing apparatus.

31%Move toward the source of a fire, using knowledge of types of fires, construction design, building materials, and physical layout of properties.

17%Drive and operate fire fighting vehicles and equipment.

Highway Maintenance Workers

3 of 15 at risk

61%Measure and mark locations for installation of markers, using tape, string, or chalk.

61%Paint traffic control lines and place pavement traffic messages, by hand or using machines.

51%Drive trucks to transport crews and equipment to work sites.

49%Flag motorists to warn them of obstacles or repair work ahead.

47%Apply poisons along roadsides and in animal burrows to eliminate unwanted roadside vegetation and rodents.

Wage Comparison

Highway Maintenance Workers earns -$10,460(-18%) vs Municipal Firefighters

Municipal FirefightersHighway Maintenance Workers

10th

$34,490$35,030

25th

$44,180$41,540

Median

$59,530$49,070

75th

$77,410$59,600

90th

$101,330$69,210

Premium Head-to-Head Analysis

Displacement Timeline Comparison

Municipal Firefighters2028–2035

Highway Maintenance Workers2028–2035

20242030203520402045

Municipal Firefighters has a longer runway before significant displacement, projected 0 years later than Highway Maintenance Workers.

Risk-Adjusted Salary

Salary weighted by displacement risk: salary × (1 − risk%)

Municipal Firefighters

$48,993

from $59,530

Highway Maintenance Workers

$38,118

from $49,070

After adjusting for AI risk, Municipal Firefighters offers $10,876 more in risk-adjusted pay.

Transition Feasibility

Skill Overlap

Low overlap — significant retraining needed for transition

Unique to Municipal

Unique to Highway

Combined Protection Strategy

Regardless of which path you choose, focus on these protective factors

Regulatory Barriers

Fine Manipulation

Decision Complexity

Creativity

Municipal FirefightersHighway Maintenance Workers

Find transitions from Municipal Firefighters Find transitions from Highway Maintenance Workers