State
Illinois
6,098,130 people work in Illinois, at mean pay of $71,130 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: 3.7 billion hours at what they cost. Not a forecast of savings.
- 36%
- 23%
- 40%
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 5,781,590 people in jobs so far, 95% 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 2.4 billion hours a year. The material can be handed to a model and the result handed back.
about 1.2 billion hours a year. The model has to be connected to the system the work lives in.
about 916 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 5,781,590 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 craft2,758,598 (48%)
- Reviewing work you did not do yourself2,180,892 (38%)
- Briefing a model and checking its drafts1,713,757 (30%)
- The conversations1,599,918 (28%)
- Judgment where errors are severe1,500,845 (26%)
- Signing off under your license574,220 (10%)
- Running AI inside the business systems519,470 (9%)
- Dealing with people outside the organization278,900 (5%)
- Handling protected records21,700 (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 34% of the working time, a robot has been shown doing most of the task somewhere: 23% 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 23%
- 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 | 171,300 | 45% | 160 million | $104K |
| Customer Service Representatives | 100,970 | 64% | 135 million | $46K |
| Office Clerks, General | 95,980 | 56% | 113 million | $46K |
| Registered Nurses | 138,910 | 37% | 106 million | $96K |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 51,470 | 88% | 94 million | $50K |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 74,280 | 59% | 91 million | $48K |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 69,910 | 59% | 85 million | $67K |
| Retail Salespersons | 126,610 | 23% | 61 million | $35K |
| Financial Managers | 52,720 | 52% | 57 million | $166K |
| Software Developers | 56,310 | 48% | 56 million | $132K |
| Cashiers | 139,630 | 19% | 54 million | $34K |
| Accountants and Auditors | 54,930 | 45% | 52 million | $80K |
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. 697 smaller jobs (3,113,100 people) count in every total but are not listed. Task data covers 99% 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.
- Develop sales presentations or proposals to explain service specifications.Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel30 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Record numbers of units handled or moved, using daily production sheets or work tickets.Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand27 million hours100% 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.Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists26 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Compute, record, and proofread data and other information, such as records or reports.Office Clerks, General24 million 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 Nurses23 million hours60% of the task within reach
- 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 Representatives23 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Develop and implement records management program for filing, protection, and retrieval of records, and assure compliance with program.Management Analysts23 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 Managers22 million hours40% of the task within reach
- Evaluate financial reporting systems, accounting or collection procedures, or investment activities and make recommendations for changes to procedures, operating systems, budgets, or other financial control functions.Financial Managers21 million hours100% of the task within reach
- Complete contract forms, prepare change of address records, or issue service discontinuance orders, using computers.Customer Service Representatives21 million hours100% of the task within reach
The regional report on Illinois
This page lists the largest jobs. The scan reads the whole workforce: every occupation BLS publishes here that the site has task data for, 99% 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.
Metro and nonmetro areas in Illinois
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.
- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN4,513,280 people30% now, 36% by 2028
- West Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area169,470 people27% now, 30% by 2028
- Peoria, IL166,020 people30% now, 36% by 2028
- East Central Illinois nonmetropolitan area143,050 people27% now, 30% by 2028
- South Illinois nonmetropolitan area141,200 people27% now, 31% by 2028
- Rockford, IL137,650 people27% now, 31% by 2028
- Northwest Illinois nonmetropolitan area126,860 people26% now, 30% by 2028
- Champaign-Urbana, IL105,500 people30% now, 35% by 2028
- Springfield, IL100,810 people33% now, 39% by 2028
- Bloomington, IL88,110 people32% now, 39% by 2028
- Decatur, IL45,550 people26% now, 30% by 2028
- Kankakee, IL42,340 people27% now, 30% 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 Illinois is within reach of AI now?
- An estimated 30% of the paid hours in Illinois 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 Illinois 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 (171,300 people, 45% of their time, about 160 million hours a year); Customer Service Representatives (100,970 people, 64% of their time, about 135 million hours a year); and Office Clerks, General (95,980 people, 56% of their time, about 113 million hours a year).
- Which tasks in Illinois carry the most hours within reach by the end of 2028?
- Develop sales presentations or proposals to explain service specifications (Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel, about 30 million hours a year); Record numbers of units handled or moved, using daily production sheets or work tickets (Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, about 27 million hours a year); and Collect and analyze data on customer demographics, preferences, needs, and buying habits to identify potential markets and factors affecting product demand (Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists, about 26 million hours a year).
- What would people working in Illinois learn first?
- Among the 5,781,590 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 (2,758,598 people); reviewing work you did not do yourself (2,180,892 people); and briefing a model and checking its drafts (1,713,757 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 8% 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 Illinois (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 99% of its people, and 95% 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.