Metro area, Texas
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
3,289,720 people work in this area, at mean pay of $67,610 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: 2 billion hours at what they cost. Not a forecast of savings.
- 36%
- 23%
- 41%
of the paid hours are within reach now in tasks people already bring to Claude. Another 23% 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 3,038,673 people in jobs so far, 92% 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 1.3 billion hours a year. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
about 642 million hours a year. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
about 502 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
- 26%
- 11%
- 9%
- 15%
- 40%
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 3,038,673 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 craft1,449,810 (48%)
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself1,181,012 (39%)
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts890,927 (29%)
- The conversations840,562 (28%)
- Judgment where errors are severe807,580 (27%)
- Signing off under your license327,517 (11%)
- Running AI inside the business systems273,590 (9%)
- Dealing with people outside the organization142,330 (5%)
- Handling protected records13,520 (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: 30%.
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 46% of the working time of the people in this area as physical work. For 35% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 24% in a purpose-built cell, 10% in a structured facility, 1% in any setting. 0.47 of 3.
- Not physical 54%
- No robot shown 12%
- In a purpose-built cell 24%
- 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 48% of the people.
| People | Pay here | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General and Operations Managers | 97,320 | 45% | 91 million | $120K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 65,510 | 64% | 88 million | $40K |
| Office Clerks, General | 50,040 | 56% | 59 million | $40K |
| Registered Nurses | 65,910 | 37% | 50 million | $100K |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 26,090 | 88% | 48 million | $49K |
| Project Management Specialists | 35,550 | 58% | 43 million | $100K |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 36,940 | 54% | 42 million | $66K |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 33,710 | 59% | 41 million | $47K |
| Retail Salespersons | 78,960 | 23% | 38 million | $31K |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 20,220 | 84% | 35 million | $44K |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 28,720 | 59% | 35 million | $63K |
| First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers | 31,290 | 48% | 31 million | $36K |
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. 664 smaller jobs (1,677,010 people) count in every total but are not listed. Task data covers 98% 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.
- Obtain and examine all relevant information to assess validity of complaints and to determine possible causes, such as extreme weather conditions that could increase utility bills.Customer Service Representatives15 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Complete contract forms, prepare change of address records, or issue service discontinuance orders, using computers.Customer Service Representatives14 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Compute, record, and proofread data and other information, such as records or reports.Office Clerks, General13 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Direct and coordinate activities of businesses or departments concerned with the production, pricing, sales, or distribution of products.General and Operations Managers12 million hours40% of the task within reach
- Develop sales presentations or proposals to explain service specifications.Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel12 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Set prices or credit terms for goods or services, based on forecasts of customer demand.General and Operations Managers12 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Prepare staff work schedules and assign specific duties.General and Operations Managers11 million hours80% 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 Nurses11 million hours60% of the task within reach
- Check to ensure that appropriate changes were made to resolve customers' problems.Customer Service Representatives11 million hours80% of the task within reach
- Establish or implement departmental policies, goals, objectives, or procedures in conjunction with board members, organization officials, or staff members.General and Operations Managers10 million hours60% of the task within reach
The regional report on Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
This page lists the largest jobs. The scan reads the whole workforce: every occupation BLS publishes here that the site has task data for, 98% 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 Texas
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.
- Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX4,049,800 people32% now, 39% by 2028
- Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX1,293,690 people34% now, 42% by 2028
- San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX1,126,880 people31% now, 36% by 2028
- El Paso, TX339,120 people30% now, 34% by 2028
- McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX296,700 people27% now, 31% by 2028
- North Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area275,670 people27% now, 30% by 2028
- Hill Country Region of Texas nonmetropolitan area200,870 people28% now, 32% by 2028
- Corpus Christi, TX192,580 people28% now, 32% 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 30% of the paid hours in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX are within reach of AI models now and 36% by the end of 2028, on METR's long-run pace at four in five (35% to 36% 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX carry the most hours within reach?
- By hours within reach now (projected from METR's April 2026 measurement and Epoch's November 2026 index): General and Operations Managers (97,320 people, 45% of their time, about 91 million hours a year); Customer Service Representatives (65,510 people, 64% of their time, about 88 million hours a year); and Office Clerks, General (50,040 people, 56% of their time, about 59 million hours a year).
- Which tasks in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX carry the most hours within reach by the end of 2028?
- Obtain and examine all relevant information to assess validity of complaints and to determine possible causes, such as extreme weather conditions that could increase utility bills (Customer Service Representatives, about 15 million hours a year); Complete contract forms, prepare change of address records, or issue service discontinuance orders, using computers (Customer Service Representatives, about 14 million hours a year); and Compute, record, and proofread data and other information, such as records or reports (Office Clerks, General, about 13 million hours a year).
- What would people working in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX learn first?
- Among the 3,038,673 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 (1,449,810 people); reviewing work you did not do yourself (1,181,012 people); and briefing a model and checking its drafts (890,927 people). By the end of 2028 on the long-run pace at four in five, about 63% of their working time stays with people, 28% 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX (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 98% of its people, and 92% 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.