Data Entry Keyers
Operate data entry device, such as keyboard or photo composing perforator. Duties may include verifying data and preparing materials for printing.
127,080 people do this job in the US. $41,340 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 99%
- 0%
- 1%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 14%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 93%. Today's estimate: 96%.
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.
The tasks
Sorted by . 9 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Compare data with source documents, or re-enter data in verification format to detect errors.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 22% | 21 min8 min to 50 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Compile, sort, and verify the accuracy of data before it is entered.Done daily by most who do it. | 21% | 25 min8 min to 1.3 h | 97%Half by now | |
| Read source documents such as canceled checks, sales reports, or bills, and enter data in specific data fields or onto tapes or disks for subsequent entry, using keyboards or scanners.Done hourly or more by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 15% | 17 min4 min to 50 min | 96%Half by now | |
| Locate and correct data entry errors, or report them to supervisors.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 14% | 13 min4 min to 38 min | 99%Half by now | |
| Resolve garbled or indecipherable messages, using cryptographic procedures and equipment.Done yearly or less by most who do it. | 14% | 50 min13 min to 1.7 h | 90%Half by now | |
| Maintain logs of activities and completed work.Done daily by most who do it. | 5% | 8 min3 min to 21 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Store completed documents in appropriate locations.Done hourly or more by most who do it. | 4% | 4 min2 min to 13 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Select materials needed to complete work assignments.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 4 min2 min to 13 min | 100%Half by now | |
| Load machines with required input or output media, such as paper, cards, disks, tape, or Braille media.Done daily by most who do it. | 1% | 4 min2 min to 13 min | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
- File Clerks31% now, 53% by 2028
- Word Processors and Typists67% now, 77% by 2028
- Office Machine Operators, Except Computer11% now, 11% by 2028
- Mail Clerks and Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service7% now, 7% by 2028
- Office Clerks, General58% now, 61% by 2028
- Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators1% now, 1% by 2028
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
- Employment Services11,940 people
- Accounting, Tax Preparation, Bookkeeping, and Payroll Services6,530 people
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services6,110 people
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services5,260 people
- Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services5,260 people
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).