Low paid jobs most exposed to AI
Median annual pay under $45,000, ranked from the highest exposed share downward. Release v2026.Q3, capability reference date 2026-09-15, built on O*NET 31.0.
Exposure is not spread evenly across the pay scale. These are the jobs with the least cushion and the highest scores, which is the part of this data with policy consequences.
| # | Occupation | Exposed | Assisted | Median pay | Rank of 923 | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Telemarketers | 73.3% | 22.1% | $35,450 | 1 | exposed |
| 2 | Reservation and Transportation Ticket Agents and Travel Clerks | 66.8% | 20.7% | $44,390 | 11 | exposed |
| 3 | Customer Service Representatives | 66.1% | 23.6% | $44,770 | 13 | exposed |
| 4 | Data Entry Keyers | 61.2% | 20.2% | $41,340 | 39 | exposed |
| 5 | Concierges | 60.1% | 16.0% | $38,950 | 45 | exposed |
| 6 | Receptionists and Information Clerks | 56.4% | 15.5% | $38,010 | 65 | exposed |
| 7 | File Clerks | 55.4% | 17.5% | $43,600 | 68 | exposed |
| 8 | Tellers | 53.4% | 27.1% | $43,030 | 79 | exposed |
| 9 | Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service | 51.2% | 17.6% | $38,630 | 103 | exposed |
| 10 | Cashiers | 50.0% | 21.0% | $32,880 | 109 | exposed |
| 11 | Counter and Rental Clerks | 49.4% | 22.6% | $41,300 | 114 | exposed |
| 12 | Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks | 45.9% | 22.1% | $35,070 | 154 | exposed |
| 13 | Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers | 45.7% | 18.0% | $41,380 | 159 | exposed |
| 14 | Telephone Operators | 45.2% | 16.7% | $41,740 | 165 | exposed |
| 15 | Gambling Change Persons and Booth Cashiers | 44.9% | 25.7% | $36,220 | 173 | exposed |
| 16 | Parts Salespersons | 44.8% | 18.5% | $38,630 | 177 | exposed |
| 17 | Retail Salespersons | 44.1% | 18.9% | $35,410 | 194 | exposed |
| 18 | Driver/Sales Workers | 41.4% | 16.4% | $38,770 | 246 | exposed |
| 19 | Library Technicians | 40.8% | 16.6% | $44,580 | 261 | exposed |
| 20 | Medical Transcriptionists | 39.8% | 38.0% | $40,410 | 275 | exposed |
| 21 | Tutors | 39.1% | 22.6% | $43,350 | 286 | exposed |
| 22 | Gambling Cage Workers | 38.4% | 25.2% | $37,580 | 296 | exposed |
| 23 | Amusement and Recreation Attendants | 38.2% | 20.2% | $32,150 | 303 | exposed |
| 24 | Demonstrators and Product Promoters | 38.0% | 13.4% | $39,320 | 305 | exposed |
| 25 | Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop | 36.5% | 15.2% | $31,200 | 334 | exposed |
| 26 | First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 36.3% | 18.1% | $44,080 | 339 | exposed |
| 27 | Light Truck Drivers | 35.9% | 13.8% | $44,860 | 348 | untouched |
| 28 | Library Assistants, Clerical | 35.4% | 15.2% | $36,910 | 358 | exposed |
| 29 | Floral Designers | 34.3% | 15.4% | $37,360 | 377 | untouched |
| 30 | Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers | 33.0% | 15.9% | $32,910 | 394 | untouched |
| 31 | Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary | 33.0% | 19.4% | $42,910 | 396 | exposed |
| 32 | Couriers and Messengers | 32.0% | 9.1% | $39,200 | 408 | untouched |
| 33 | Recreation Workers | 31.5% | 21.8% | $36,560 | 413 | exposed |
| 34 | Photographers | 31.0% | 11.2% | $44,660 | 419 | untouched |
| 35 | Photographic Process Workers and Processing Machine Operators | 31.0% | 9.7% | $40,610 | 421 | untouched |
| 36 | Office Machine Operators, Except Computer | 30.0% | 10.2% | $40,960 | 431 | untouched |
| 37 | Passenger Attendants | 30.0% | 9.8% | $37,720 | 432 | untouched |
| 38 | Gambling and Sports Book Writers and Runners | 29.6% | 18.5% | $34,980 | 436 | untouched |
| 39 | Residential Advisors | 29.5% | 17.9% | $42,240 | 440 | untouched |
| 40 | Taxi Drivers | 29.4% | 14.4% | $42,100 | 444 | untouched |
How to read this
Exposed is the share of an occupation’s weighted task load that a generally available AI system can produce today with little structural friction. Assisted is work it can produce but cannot finish alone, because somebody has to be present, accountable, or because checking the output costs as much as doing the work. Untouched is work it cannot produce at all.
Every figure here is computed from task level ratings, and every occupation links to the page that shows its own tasks. If a rating looks wrong, the task is the level to argue at: how this is measured.
Other cuts of the same data
Exposure is not displacement. This index measures what current systems can produce and what stands in the way. It does not forecast job losses, and it models no adoption, employment or wage effect.