AI exposure in construction and extraction occupations
61 occupations, 1,140 tasks, scored against the capability frontier of 2026-09-15. This family ranks 22 of 22 by median exposed share.
Reading this family
computedThe median construction and extraction occupation has 5.1% of its weighted task load in work current AI systems can already produce, which is 19.2 points below the median across every occupation in the index. Weighted by how many people actually do these jobs, the figure is 9.4%, across 6,363,330 US workers. 1 of these occupations fall in the exposed band, 0 in assisted and 60 in untouched.
What holds the line across this family is embodiment, at 2.66 out of 3, the highest of the five friction dimensions here. In plain terms the obstacle is a body in a place. The work happens to physical objects in physical rooms. No amount of model capability reaches it, because the bottleneck is hands rather than reasoning.
The spread inside the family is wider than the gap between families, which is the usual pattern and the reason this index does not publish a single number per group. Energy Auditors sits at 56.2%. Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons sits at 0.0%. Both are construction and extraction occupations, and 56.2 points separate them.
Where the family score comes from
judgedMeans across all 1,140 tasks in this family. Capability is what AI can do; the other five are what stands in the way.
| Dimension | Mean | Scale |
|---|---|---|
| Capability | 0.53 | 0-4 |
| Embodiment | 2.66 | 0-3 |
| Presence | 0.44 | 0-3 |
| Accountability | 0.87 | 0-3 |
| Context | 1.17 | 0-3 |
| Verification cost | 1.30 | 0-3 |
Every construction and extraction occupation
See them on the chart| Occupation | Exposed | Assisted | Untouched | Median pay | Tasks | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Auditors | 56.2% | 21.9% | 21.9% | $74,690 | 21 | exposed |
| Solar Energy Installation Managers | 27.3% | 20.5% | 52.2% | $79,920 | 15 | untouched |
| Weatherization Installers and Technicians | 24.1% | 13.4% | 62.5% | n/a | 20 | untouched |
| Construction and Building Inspectors | 17.7% | 21.1% | 61.2% | $74,690 | 19 | untouched |
| First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers | 16.2% | 13.8% | 70.0% | $79,920 | 15 | untouched |
| Service Unit Operators, Oil and Gas | 14.4% | 11.3% | 74.2% | $58,160 | 19 | untouched |
| Solar Photovoltaic Installers | 12.8% | 15.4% | 71.8% | $53,140 | 26 | untouched |
| Insulation Workers, Mechanical | 12.3% | 10.1% | 77.7% | $58,340 | 9 | untouched |
| Septic Tank Servicers and Sewer Pipe Cleaners | 11.7% | 8.8% | 79.5% | $49,880 | 22 | untouched |
| Earth Drillers, Except Oil and Gas | 11.3% | 8.1% | 80.6% | $60,190 | 29 | untouched |
| Electricians | 11.3% | 10.3% | 78.4% | $63,190 | 21 | untouched |
| Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining | 11.0% | 5.4% | 83.6% | $57,430 | 16 | untouched |
| Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining | 10.9% | 6.8% | 82.3% | $74,500 | 25 | untouched |
| Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 10.3% | 8.4% | 81.3% | $63,800 | 30 | untouched |
| Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers | 10.3% | 9.3% | 80.4% | $109,910 | 20 | untouched |
| Carpenters | 9.3% | 6.3% | 84.5% | $60,580 | 29 | untouched |
| Explosives Workers, Ordnance Handling Experts, and Blasters | 9.1% | 7.0% | 83.9% | $61,390 | 27 | untouched |
| Carpet Installers | 8.3% | 7.4% | 84.3% | $50,340 | 17 | untouched |
| Paperhangers | 8.1% | 5.1% | 86.8% | $52,140 | 19 | untouched |
| Continuous Mining Machine Operators | 7.4% | 11.5% | 81.0% | $61,810 | 15 | untouched |
| Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators | 7.4% | 6.0% | 86.7% | $59,850 | 26 | untouched |
| Brickmasons and Blockmasons | 7.2% | 6.2% | 86.6% | $62,120 | 14 | untouched |
| Solar Thermal Installers and Technicians | 7.0% | 6.5% | 86.5% | $63,800 | 21 | untouched |
| Painters, Construction and Maintenance | 6.8% | 3.6% | 89.6% | $49,400 | 17 | untouched |
| Sheet Metal Workers | 6.8% | 7.2% | 86.0% | $61,800 | 19 | untouched |
| Segmental Pavers | 6.7% | 3.5% | 89.8% | n/a | 12 | untouched |
| Tile and Stone Setters | 6.6% | 4.7% | 88.7% | $55,690 | 25 | untouched |
| Helpers--Extraction Workers | 6.0% | 7.8% | 86.2% | $47,730 | 14 | untouched |
| Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas | 5.9% | 6.8% | 87.3% | $58,620 | 15 | untouched |
| Construction Laborers | 5.1% | 3.4% | 91.5% | $47,120 | 27 | untouched |
| Rotary Drill Operators, Oil and Gas | 5.1% | 4.2% | 90.7% | $67,890 | 21 | untouched |
| Glaziers | 5.0% | 3.7% | 91.3% | $57,080 | 27 | untouched |
| Fence Erectors | 4.8% | 4.3% | 90.8% | $47,980 | 20 | untouched |
| Boilermakers | 4.6% | 4.8% | 90.6% | $76,410 | 18 | untouched |
| Hazardous Materials Removal Workers | 4.2% | 3.9% | 91.8% | $49,450 | 19 | untouched |
| Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers | 4.0% | 2.7% | 93.2% | $58,970 | 9 | untouched |
| Pipelayers | 3.6% | 4.1% | 92.3% | $49,000 | 14 | untouched |
| Helpers--Brickmasons, Blockmasons, Stonemasons, and Tile and Marble Setters | 3.3% | 2.2% | 94.5% | $47,550 | 15 | untouched |
| Tapers | 3.0% | 2.8% | 94.2% | $68,270 | 16 | untouched |
| Insulation Workers, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall | 3.0% | 2.3% | 94.7% | $49,120 | 10 | untouched |
| Terrazzo Workers and Finishers | 2.8% | 1.0% | 96.1% | $76,170 | 26 | untouched |
| Roof Bolters, Mining | 2.8% | 4.5% | 92.6% | $78,540 | 14 | untouched |
| Helpers--Pipelayers, Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters | 2.6% | 1.4% | 96.0% | $42,360 | 15 | untouched |
| Structural Iron and Steel Workers | 2.6% | 2.2% | 95.2% | $62,780 | 20 | untouched |
| Helpers--Carpenters | 2.5% | 1.4% | 96.2% | $43,780 | 19 | untouched |
| Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers | 2.2% | 2.4% | 95.4% | $58,930 | 24 | untouched |
| Helpers--Electricians | 2.2% | 1.9% | 95.9% | $42,670 | 25 | untouched |
| Pile Driver Operators | 2.0% | 3.0% | 94.9% | $73,300 | 5 | untouched |
| Roofers | 1.7% | 1.2% | 97.1% | $55,440 | 25 | untouched |
| Rock Splitters, Quarry | 1.6% | 1.4% | 97.0% | $48,740 | 9 | untouched |
| Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles | 1.5% | 2.0% | 96.5% | $56,460 | 14 | untouched |
| Paving, Surfacing, and Tamping Equipment Operators | 1.4% | 2.7% | 96.0% | $53,340 | 20 | untouched |
| Helpers--Roofers | 1.3% | 1.9% | 96.8% | $44,160 | 18 | untouched |
| Floor Sanders and Finishers | 1.2% | 2.5% | 96.3% | $50,440 | 7 | untouched |
| Highway Maintenance Workers | 1.2% | 2.0% | 96.8% | $50,260 | 19 | untouched |
| Rail-Track Laying and Maintenance Equipment Operators | 1.0% | 1.2% | 97.8% | $70,070 | 26 | untouched |
| Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers | 0.8% | 1.9% | 97.3% | $57,020 | 26 | untouched |
| Roustabouts, Oil and Gas | 0.5% | 0.7% | 98.8% | $46,960 | 13 | untouched |
| Stonemasons | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | $57,390 | 16 | untouched |
| Plasterers and Stucco Masons | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | $57,660 | 15 | untouched |
| Helpers--Painters, Paperhangers, Plasterers, and Stucco Masons | 0.0% | 0.0% | 100.0% | $40,470 | 11 | untouched |
Exposure is not displacement. These figures say what current systems can produce and what stands in the way. They do not say anyone will stop paying a person to do the work. How the score is built.