Clergy
Also called: Minister, Pastor, Priest, RectorConduct religious worship and perform other spiritual functions associated with beliefs and practices of religious faith or denomination. Provide spiritual and moral guidance and assistance to members.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 6 of its 21 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 2.4% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 0.6% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 7.7 hires for every 10 job openings in other services, which employs about 44% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.7.7 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $50,180 | $48,140 to $57,650 | 850 |
| Alaska | $55,780 | $37,030 to $59,230 | 150 |
| Arizona | $61,900 | $51,990 to $76,670 | 1,070 |
| Arkansas | $49,070 | $38,350 to $59,430 | 350 |
| California | $77,710 | $61,310 to $97,640 | 7,110 |
| Colorado | $63,700 | $58,860 to $73,300 | 440 |
| Connecticut | $63,470 | $54,850 to $78,000 | 900 |
| Delaware | $63,260 | $58,890 to $75,620 | 120 |
| District of Columbia | $64,800 | $52,690 to $93,880 | 310 |
| Florida | $56,940 | $39,460 to $65,960 | 3,560 |
| Georgia | $60,530 | $46,490 to $69,890 | 1,380 |
| Guam | $37,460 | $23,500 to $68,370 | 30 |
| Hawaii | $61,050 | $49,090 to $68,860 | 720 |
| Idaho | $59,570 | $41,600 to $72,570 | 150 |
| Illinois | $61,820 | $46,630 to $75,160 | 2,200 |
| Indiana | $59,020 | $47,980 to $65,330 | 1,060 |
| Iowa | $60,630 | $52,910 to $66,290 | 370 |
| Kansas | $52,130 | $44,980 to $59,080 | 450 |
| Kentucky | $58,920 | $48,510 to $65,370 | 410 |
| Louisiana | $54,140 | $43,480 to $61,160 | 400 |
| Maine | $64,340 | $57,230 to $74,010 | 160 |
| Maryland | $61,620 | $44,320 to $73,970 | 670 |
| Massachusetts | $72,190 | $61,250 to $78,530 | 840 |
| Michigan | $56,490 | $42,790 to $62,020 | 1,880 |
| Minnesota | $61,230 | $49,720 to $74,260 | 1,160 |
| Mississippi | $52,450 | $48,270 to $60,790 | 250 |
| Missouri | $58,740 | $51,780 to $65,750 | 920 |
| Montana | $59,550 | $43,610 to $79,890 | 680 |
| Nebraska | $57,520 | $50,960 to $62,650 | 270 |
| Nevada | $73,910 | $60,510 to $79,180 | 210 |
| New Hampshire | $65,200 | $60,590 to $75,910 | 100 |
| New Jersey | $65,500 | $49,570 to $75,270 | 1,460 |
| New Mexico | $64,100 | $59,490 to $76,000 | 270 |
| New York | $58,580 | $47,330 to $81,450 | 7,790 |
| North Carolina | $59,600 | $49,350 to $66,910 | 1,430 |
| North Dakota | $60,680 | $46,610 to $72,490 | 120 |
| Ohio | $59,160 | $44,650 to $65,210 | 2,020 |
| Oklahoma | $59,110 | $50,670 to $64,900 | 510 |
| Oregon | $63,140 | $49,470 to $79,520 | 3,850 |
| Pennsylvania | $58,300 | $41,140 to $65,740 | 2,150 |
| Puerto Rico | $28,880 | $26,910 to $30,090 | 290 |
| Rhode Island | $59,660 | $42,190 to $71,710 | 230 |
| South Carolina | $56,630 | $49,820 to $62,500 | 450 |
| South Dakota | $59,860 | $48,970 to $72,220 | 140 |
| Tennessee | $57,260 | $48,930 to $63,980 | 710 |
| Texas | $59,480 | $49,850 to $69,780 | 3,180 |
| Vermont | $64,950 | $61,430 to $77,490 | 50 |
| Virginia | $55,430 | $40,570 to $69,690 | 1,220 |
| Washington | $80,830 | $68,890 to $91,410 | 1,060 |
| West Virginia | $48,460 | $37,390 to $58,970 | 290 |
| Wisconsin | $60,950 | $56,170 to $72,510 | 770 |
| Wyoming | $61,590 | $45,190 to $67,350 | 40 |
Nationally: $60,810. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 6 of its 21 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Pray and promote spirituality. | 0.02% |
| Not much | Read from sacred texts, such as the Bible, Torah, or Koran. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare and deliver sermons or other talks. | Not published |
| Not much | Organize and lead regular religious services. | Not published |
| AI alone | Instruct people who seek conversion to a particular faith. | Not published |
| Not much | Counsel individuals or groups concerning their spiritual, emotional, or personal needs. | 0.09% |
See all 21 tasks
| AI alone | Share information about religious issues by writing articles, giving speeches, or teaching. | 0.02% |
| Not much | Prepare people for participation in religious ceremonies. | Not published |
| Not much | Visit people in homes, hospitals, or prisons to provide them with comfort and support. | Not published |
| Not much | Train leaders of church, community, or youth groups. | Not published |
| Not much | Respond to requests for assistance during emergencies or crises. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Study and interpret religious laws, doctrines, or traditions. | 0.04% |
| Not much | Administer religious rites or ordinances. | Not published |
| AI alone | Devise ways in which congregational membership can be expanded. | Not published |
| Not much | Conduct special ceremonies, such as weddings, funerals, or confirmations. | Not published |
| Not much | Plan or lead religious education programs. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Collaborate with committees or individuals to address financial or administrative issues pertaining to congregations. | Not published |
| Not much | Organize or engage in interfaith, community, civic, educational, or recreational activities sponsored by or related to religious programs. | Not published |
| AI alone | Refer people to community support services, psychologists, or doctors. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Perform administrative duties, such as overseeing building management, ordering supplies, contracting for services or repairs, or supervising the work of staff members or volunteers. | Not published |
| Not much | Participate in fundraising activities to support congregational activities or facilities. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 7 of the 21 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 21 tasks fall under 15 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #4 Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise
- #5 Provide information or assistance to the public
- #10 Write material for artistic or commercial purposes
- and 4 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teach academic or vocational subjects | |||
| Counsel others about personal matters | |||
| Manage budgets or finances | |||
| Promote products, services, or programs | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Provide information or assistance to the public | |||
| Write material for artistic or commercial purposes | |||
| Provide information to guests, clients, or customers |
Show all 15 activities
| Interpret language, cultural, or religious information for others | |||
| Assist others to access additional services or resources | |||
| Provide support or encouragement to others | |||
| Plan events or programs | |||
| Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures | |||
| Develop business or marketing plans | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer40%
- Advice or a recommendation20%
- A document or report11%
- An analysis or summary8%
- Teaching material4%
How they worked with Claude
6% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for clergy specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 63,979 moves out
- 1 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 5%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 3 Chief Executives Very high +3.2% 5%
- 4 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers Moderate +3.8% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 108,994 moves in
- 1 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 4%
- 2 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 4%
- 3 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 3%
- 4 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%
- 5 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 2%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 12% high school
- 15% some college
- 18% bachelor's
- 48% master's
- 1% professional doctorate
- 5% research doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 20 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 3% less than high school
- 8% high school
- 10% some college
- 5% associate's
- 27% bachelor's
- 35% master's
- 5% professional degree
- 8% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 6,018 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
9 programs, such as Theology/Theological Studies, Divinity/Ministry and Pre-Theology/Pre-Ministerial Studies.
See all
- Theology/Theological Studies
- Divinity/Ministry
- Pre-Theology/Pre-Ministerial Studies
- Rabbinical Studies
- Theological and Ministerial Studies, Other
- Pastoral Studies/Counseling
- Youth Ministry
- Chaplain/Chaplaincy Studies
- Clinical Pastoral Counseling/Patient Counseling
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
81.7% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | 25.2% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | 18.8% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/21-2011.00