15 cities with the most workers at risk of AI displacement

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Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on (un)Common Logic.

Technological advances have long been changing the way people work, but the current pace of change seems unprecedented.

From the invention of personal computers in the 1970s to the introduction of the World Wide Web in the 1990s, followed by the emergence of smartphones, social media, and cloud computing in the 2000s, recent decades have seen significant changes in the way we work. And now, in the 2020s, the latest transformative force appears to be artificial intelligence (AI).

With the spread of AI-related research and new technologies enabled by AI, computers now have the potential to disrupt many industries and jobs that were previously believed to be automated.

Due to the distribution of industries and jobs across the country, AI-driven job displacement is likely to impact some areas more than others.

The following is a breakdown of AI-related risks for the displacement of large metropolitan areas.

This analysis was conducted by (un)Common Logic, a data-driven digital marketing agency, using data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources. For more information, see the methodology section at the end.

1. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

Tampa, Florida
kevin-j-king / Shutterstock.com
  • Share of workers at risk of AI-related automation: 11.5%
  • Total workforce at risk of AI-related automation: 161,827
  • The share of workers at risk of any computer automation: 45.0%
  • The total number of workers at risk of any computer automation: 635,836
  • Average annual salary: $46,420

2. Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL

Miami, Florida, USA skyline on Biscayne Bay.
Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com
  • Share of workers at risk of AI-related automation: 10.8%
  • Total workforce at risk of AI-related automation: 294,157
  • The share of workers at risk of any computer automation: 46.3%
  • The total number of workers at risk of any computer automation: 1,260,383
  • Average annual salary: $46,510

3. Birmingham-Hoover, AL

Birmingham, Alabama
ESB Professional / Shutterstock.com
  • Share of workers at risk of AI-related automation: 10.8%
  • Total workforce at risk of AI-related automation: 54,915
  • The share of workers at risk of any computer automation: 46.6%
  • The total number of workers at risk of any computer automation: 237,476
  • Average annual salary: $44,830

4. Jacksonville, FL

Jacksonville, Florida
Sean Pavone / Shutterstock.com
  • Share of workers at risk of AI-related automation: 10.7%
  • Total workforce at risk of AI-related automation: 79,026
  • The share of workers at risk of any computer automation: 46.0%
  • The total number of workers at risk of any computer automation: 340,637
  • Average annual salary: $45,420

5. Buffalo-Cheektowaga-Niagara Falls, NY

Buffalo New York
Sopotnicki / Shutterstock.com
  • Share of workers at risk of AI-related automation: 10.4%
  • Total workforce at risk of AI-related automation: 54,745
  • The share of workers at risk of any computer automation: 44.1%
  • The total number of workers at risk of any computer automation: 232,621
  • Average annual salary: $48,560

6. Austin-Round Rock, TX

The city of Austin, Texas
Photo by Roschetzky / Shutterstock.com
  • Share of workers at risk of AI-related automation: 10.3%
  • Total workforce at risk of AI-related automation: 126,753
  • The share of workers at risk of any computer automation: 40.2%
  • The total number of workers at risk of any computer automation: 496,209
  • Average annual salary: $50,070

7. Kansas City, MO-KS

Kansas City, MISSOURI
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  • Share of workers at risk of AI-related automation: 10.2%
  • Total workforce at risk of AI-related automation: 110,027
  • The share of workers at risk of any computer automation: 45.6%
  • The total number of workers at risk of any computer automation: 491,448
  • Average annual salary: $48,040

8. Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ

Phoenix, Arizona
Photo by Tim Roberts / Shutterstock.com
  • Share of workers at risk of AI-related automation: 10.2%
  • Total workforce at risk of AI-related automation: 233,338
  • The share of workers at risk of any computer automation: 44.2%
  • The total number of workers at risk of any computer automation: 1,012,755
  • Average annual salary: $48,600

9. Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO

Denver, Colorado
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  • Share of workers at risk of AI-related automation: 10.1%
  • Total workforce at risk of AI-related automation: 161,291
  • The share of workers at risk of any computer automation: 40.4%
  • The total number of workers at risk of any computer automation: 643,137
  • Average annual salary: $58,490

10. New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA

Newark, New Jersey
mandritoiu / Shutterstock.com
  • Share of workers at risk of AI-related automation: 10.1%
  • Total workforce at risk of AI-related automation: 962,697
  • The share of workers at risk of any computer automation: 38.8%
  • The total number of workers at risk of any computer automation: 3,680,763
  • Average annual salary: $59,390

11. Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

Baltimore, Maryland
sean-pavone / Shutterstock.com
  • Share of workers at risk of AI-related automation: 10.1%
  • Total workforce at risk of AI-related automation: 131,647
  • The share of workers at risk of any computer automation: 39.3%
  • The total number of workers at risk of any computer automation: 513,065
  • Average annual salary: $54,140

12. Richmond, VA

City of Richmond, Virginia
Felix Mizioznikov / Shutterstock.com
  • Share of workers at risk of AI-related automation: 9.9%
  • Total workforce at risk of AI-related automation: 64,301
  • The share of workers at risk of any computer automation: 42.7%
  • The total number of workers at risk of any computer automation: 276,743
  • Average annual salary: $48,470

13. Nashville-Davidson-Murfreesboro-Franklin, TN

Nashville, Tennessee
Kevin Ruck / Shutterstock.com
  • Share of workers at risk of AI-related automation: 9.7%
  • Total workforce at risk of AI-related automation: 104,407
  • The share of workers at risk of any computer automation: 47.3%
  • The total number of workers at risk of any computer automation: 508,631
  • Average annual salary: $46,950

14. Raleigh, NC

Raleigh, North Carolina
Sharkshock / Shutterstock.com
  • Share of workers at risk of AI-related automation: 9.7%
  • Total workforce at risk of AI-related automation: 68,125
  • The share of workers at risk of any computer automation: 42.6%
  • The total number of workers at risk of any computer automation: 299,004
  • Average annual salary: $48,800

15. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

Orlando, Florida
aphotostory / Shutterstock.com
  • Share of workers at risk of AI-related automation: 9.7%
  • Total workforce at risk of AI-related automation: 132,506
  • The share of workers at risk of any computer automation: 47.8%
  • The total number of workers at risk of any computer automation: 652,685
  • Average annual salary: $43,120

How to do it

A man reads financial data on his computer
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Data sources include the US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (2023), Frey and Osborne’s Probability of Computerization by Occupation (2013) and Felten et al.’s AI Occupational Exposure (2021).

To determine the areas with the most workers at risk of AI-related layoffs, the researchers calculated the percentage of workers in jobs with high exposure to AI and high likelihood of using a computer.

For the purpose of this analysis, high AI exposure was defined as at least one standard deviation above the mean and high probability of computerization was defined as 70% or more.

The researchers also calculated the percentage of workers at risk of any computer automation, which is simply the share of workers in jobs with a high likelihood of computerization, regardless of their exposure to AI.


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