Metro area, Washington
Bellingham, WA
91,390 people work in this area, at mean pay of $71,310 a year (BLS, May 2025), in every industry. What follows is how much of their working time the best AI models could finish, when, and in which jobs and tasks. Estimates.
of the paid hours. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
a year: 50 million hours at what they cost. Not a forecast of savings.
- 33%
- 23%
- 43%
of the paid hours are within reach now in tasks people already bring to Claude. Another 22% is within reach in tasks not yet seen there.
Across the US: 30% within reach now and 36% by the end of 2028, on the long-run pace at four in five. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
Share of the paid hours within reach, now to 2030
Change assumptionsHide assumptionsLong-run pace, four in five
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
What handing the work over would take
For the 82,436 people in jobs so far, 90% of the area's people; the others are in the totals above and join this split as the review reaches their jobs. Shares of their working time within reach now, at the pace and reliability chosen above. Estimates. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
about 32 million hours a year. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
about 17 million hours a year. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
about 11 million hours a year. Short enough by length. This site leaves conversation with people, so it is not in the totals.
What their work is made of
- 23%
- 11%
- 7%
- 17%
- 43%
Each task's time split among five kinds of doing, judged one task at a time; only documents and systems can count as within reach.
What changes for the people
For the 82,436 people in jobs reviewed task by task so far, by the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five: the shares of their working time, from each job page's own map, weighted by how many people here do that job. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job. Estimates.
Conversation, in-person and hands-on work.
Desk work within reach in tasks where a mistake costs something or a licensed person signs.
Desk work within reach that is small if wrong, with lighter checks.
What most people here would learn first
How many of them have each skill among the first two things to learn on their job's page. Every state, and the US
- The hands-on craft42,913 (52%)
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself28,109 (34%)
- The conversations26,040 (32%)
- Judgment where errors are severe23,078 (28%)
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts20,007 (24%)
- Signing off under your license7,563 (9%)
- Running AI inside the business systems7,510 (9%)
- Dealing with people outside the organization4,960 (6%)
- Handling protected records210 (under 1%)
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this area's paid hours were within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 2%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 18%. Today's estimate: 28%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
Robots and the physical work
Anthropic rates 50% of the working time of the people in this area as physical work. For 37% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 26% in a purpose-built cell, 10% in a structured facility, 1% in any setting. 0.49 of 3.
- Not physical 50%
- No robot shown 13%
- In a purpose-built cell 26%
- In a structured facility 10%
- In any setting 1%
Anthropic's rating, not this site's estimate: Claude Opus 5, searching the web, rated each physical O*NET task by the kind of setting in which a robot it could cite (deployed, sold or demonstrated) does most of the task, weighted by its own estimate of each task's share of the time (What work can robots do?, September 30, 2026, data CC BY 4.0; every job ranked). A robot shown somewhere is not a robot in your building: cost, setup and safety decide that. The share within reach on this page still counts no body work. Weighted by the people in each occupation; each job's page names the robot behind each rated task.
Where the hours are
Jobs by hours within reach now. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index. The 40 largest jobs hold 51% of the people.
| People | Pay here | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 1,140 | 88% | 2.1 million | $57K |
| Office Clerks, General | 1,350 | 56% | 1.6 million | $49K |
| Registered Nurses | 1,850 | 37% | 1.4 million | $98K |
| Retail Salespersons | 2,830 | 23% | 1.4 million | $38K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 1,000 | 64% | 1.3 million | $47K |
| General and Operations Managers | 1,270 | 45% | 1.2 million | $126K |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 870 | 59% | 1.1 million | $54K |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 920 | 54% | 1 million | $77K |
| Receptionists and Information Clerks | 810 | 60% | 1 million | $43K |
| First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers | 920 | 49% | 941,494 | $57K |
| Cashiers | 2,190 | 19% | 842,712 | $37K |
| Accountants and Auditors | 870 | 45% | 816,153 | $85K |
People: BLS counts for this area, May 2025. Pay here: the median paid for the job in this area, else its mean, else the national median. 314 smaller jobs (41,640 people) count in every total but are not listed. Task data covers 92% of the area's people; the rest are in BLS "all other" groups with no task list, or in counts BLS does not publish.
The tasks with the most hours within reach by the end of 2028
Across the whole area, on the chosen pace and reliability.
- Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyze information.Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks370,737 hours100% of the task within reach
- Maintain knowledge of current sales and promotions, policies regarding payment and exchanges, and security practices.Retail Salespersons342,912 hours50% of the task within reach
- Compute, record, and proofread data and other information, such as records or reports.Office Clerks, General338,139 hours100% of the task within reach
- Keep periodic balance sheets of amounts and numbers of transactions.Cashiers322,007 hours100% of the task within reach
- Perform administrative or managerial functions, such as taking responsibility for a unit's staff, budget, planning, or long-range goals.Registered Nurses310,118 hours60% of the task within reach
- Collect and analyze data on customer demographics, preferences, needs, and buying habits to identify potential markets and factors affecting product demand.A job in this area297,779 hours100% of the task within reach
- Verify that all firm and regulatory policies and procedures have been documented, implemented, and communicated.Compliance Officers277,830 hours70% of the task within reach
- Open and close cash registers, performing tasks such as counting money, separating charge slips, coupons, and vouchers, balancing cash drawers, and making deposits.Retail Salespersons272,835 hours50% of the task within reach
- Perform administrative support tasks, such as proofreading, transcribing handwritten information, or operating calculators or computers to work with pay records, invoices, balance sheets, or other documents.Receptionists and Information Clerks250,968 hours100% of the task within reach
- Prepare, examine, or analyze accounting records, financial statements, or other financial reports to assess accuracy, completeness, and conformance to reporting and procedural standards.Accountants and Auditors237,800 hours100% of the task within reach
The regional report on Bellingham, WA
This page lists the largest jobs. The scan reads the whole workforce: every occupation BLS publishes here that the site has task data for, 92% of the people, at their local headcount and pay. The preview is free. The full report ($249, or included in Pro) is the report for a workforce board, a college or an economic development team: every occupation and the tasks behind its hours, what handing the work over would take, what changes for the people in each job and what they would learn, with the workbook and the slides to cite. Dated, with the method. For workforce boards and colleges
See what it holds first: the full report for Worcester, MA, Excel and slides.
Other areas in Washington
Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five. Now is projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index.
- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA2,086,210 people32% now, 41% by 2028
- Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA255,820 people29% now, 34% by 2028
- Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA130,300 people33% now, 42% by 2028
- Western Washington nonmetropolitan area129,880 people26% now, 29% by 2028
- Kennewick-Richland, WA129,490 people26% now, 31% by 2028
- Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area108,720 people26% now, 31% by 2028
- Yakima, WA97,010 people24% now, 27% by 2028
- Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA93,740 people29% now, 35% by 2028
How it is built: BLS counts the people in each job in this area; each job's tasks and their lengths give its share within reach at a date; the area's share is those shares weighted by people. Value is pay times 1.43 for benefits and payroll costs. Seen in Claude use splits today's share by whether Anthropic saw people bring each task to Claude in 2025; other AI tools are not counted. How it works
Questions about this area
- How much of the work in Bellingham, WA is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 28% of the paid hours in Bellingham, WA are within reach of AI models now and 33% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five (32% to 33% across the three paces the site shows). Within reach means a model could finish work that long at that reliability. It is not a forecast of jobs lost or of savings.
- Which jobs in Bellingham, WA carry the most hours within reach?
- By hours within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index): Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks (1,140 people, 88% of their time, about 2.1 million hours a year); Office Clerks, General (1,350 people, 56% of their time, about 1.6 million hours a year); and Registered Nurses (1,850 people, 37% of their time, about 1.4 million hours a year).
- Which tasks in Bellingham, WA carry the most hours within reach by the end of 2028?
- Operate computers programmed with accounting software to record, store, and analyze information (Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks, about 370,737 hours a year); Maintain knowledge of current sales and promotions, policies regarding payment and exchanges, and security practices (Retail Salespersons, about 342,912 hours a year); and Compute, record, and proofread data and other information, such as records or reports (Office Clerks, General, about 338,139 hours a year).
- What would people working in Bellingham, WA learn first?
- Among the 82,436 people in jobs reviewed task by task, the skills most often among the first two things to learn on their job's page are the hands-on craft (42,913 people); reviewing work you did not do yourself (28,109 people); and the conversations (26,040 people). By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 66% of their working time stays with people, 25% becomes checking a model's work and 7% can be handed over with lighter checks. It says which parts of the work change, never whether anyone keeps a job.
- How is this estimated?
- BLS counts the people in each occupation in Bellingham, WA (May 2025); each occupation's share of working time within reach comes from its O*NET tasks, each with an estimated length checked against GDPval, and METR's measurements of how long a task the best AI models can finish, carried forward to the date from the latest, Claude Mythos Preview (early) in April 2026. The area's share is those shares weighted by people. Task data covers 92% of its people, and 90% are in occupations reviewed task by task. Data checked November 10, 2026.
Embed these figures on your site
A small card with the share of working time within reach now and at the end of 2027, 2028 and 2030, the date and a link back. Free under CC BY 4.0; the card carries the credit.