Genetic Counselors
Also called: Certified Genetic Counselor (CGC), Clinical Genetic Counselor, Genetic Services Coordinator, Lab Genetic Counselor (Laboratory Genetic Counselor)Assess individual or family risk for a variety of inherited conditions, such as genetic disorders and birth defects. Provide information to other healthcare providers or to individuals and families concerned with the risk of inherited conditions. Advise individuals and families to support informed decisionmaking and coping methods for those at risk. May help conduct research related to genetic conditions or genetic counseling.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 17 of its 19 tasks, yet jobs are projected to grow 10.4% by 2035. In the most exposed occupations, the squeeze shows up first among early-career workers. 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, 3.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other healthcare practitioners and technical occupations”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 87% 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.5.0 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $102,730 | $99,560 to $109,630 | 50 |
| California | $137,650 | $117,700 to $170,450 | 440 |
| Colorado | $106,100 | $94,990 to $122,290 | 40 |
| Connecticut | $101,640 | $74,430 to $129,770 | 50 |
| Delaware | $106,010 | $89,480 to $119,750 | 40 |
| District of Columbia | $100,380 | $77,450 to $100,380 | 40 |
| Florida | $102,330 | $83,310 to $114,500 | 100 |
| Georgia | $82,750 | $45,200 to $115,170 | not published |
| Illinois | $95,880 | $86,230 to $104,330 | 90 |
| Indiana | $89,640 | $78,270 to $98,750 | 40 |
| Kentucky | $99,770 | $87,100 to $111,110 | 50 |
| Maryland | $94,050 | $88,460 to $106,710 | 50 |
| Massachusetts | $97,240 | $82,580 to $107,130 | 200 |
| Michigan | $84,970 | $75,250 to $99,470 | 80 |
| Minnesota | $102,010 | $95,320 to $104,950 | 160 |
| Missouri | $83,980 | $81,590 to $99,990 | 40 |
| New Jersey | $117,750 | $86,250 to $135,310 | 240 |
| New York | $107,450 | $100,600 to $120,440 | 240 |
| North Carolina | $93,570 | $83,290 to $102,400 | 80 |
| Ohio | $100,670 | $83,760 to $108,940 | 120 |
| Pennsylvania | $94,930 | $83,980 to $105,570 | 230 |
| South Carolina | $93,600 | $83,800 to $104,310 | 40 |
| Tennessee | $94,380 | $94,380 to $94,380 | 340 |
| Texas | $99,450 | $85,020 to $101,390 | not published |
| Utah | $98,430 | $91,150 to $111,940 | 50 |
| Virginia | $99,960 | $87,840 to $121,170 | 100 |
| Washington | $102,920 | $98,910 to $127,630 | 100 |
| Wisconsin | $92,170 | $82,660 to $101,620 | 110 |
Nationally: $100,040. 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 17 of its 19 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI + software | Interview patients or review medical records to obtain comprehensive patient or family medical histories, and document findings. | Not published |
| AI + software | Provide patients with information about the inheritance of conditions such as cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and various forms of cancer. | Not published |
| AI + software | Interpret laboratory results and communicate findings to patients or physicians. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Provide counseling to patient and family members by providing information, education, or reassurance. | 0.01% |
| AI + software | Analyze genetic information to identify patients or families at risk for specific disorders or syndromes. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Provide genetic counseling in specified areas of clinical genetics, such as obstetrics, pediatrics, oncology and neurology. | under 0.01% |
See all 19 tasks
| AI + software | Discuss testing options and the associated risks, benefits and limitations with patients and families to assist them in making informed decisions. | Not published |
| AI alone | Write detailed consultation reports to provide information on complex genetic concepts to patients or referring physicians. | Not published |
| AI + software | Read current literature, talk with colleagues, or participate in professional organizations or conferences to keep abreast of developments in genetics. | Not published |
| AI alone | Assess patients' psychological or emotional needs, such as those relating to stress, fear of test results, financial issues, and marital conflicts to make referral recommendations or assist patients in managing test outcomes. | Not published |
| AI + software | Determine or coordinate treatment plans by requesting laboratory services, reviewing genetics or counseling literature, and considering histories or diagnostic data. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Explain diagnostic procedures such as chorionic villus sampling (CVS), ultrasound, fetal blood sampling, and amniocentesis. | Not published |
| AI alone | Refer patients to specialists or community resources. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Prepare or provide genetics-related educational materials to patients or medical personnel. | Not published |
| AI alone | Evaluate or make recommendations for standards of care or clinical operations, ensuring compliance with applicable regulations, ethics, legislation, or policies. | Not published |
| AI + software | Engage in research activities related to the field of medical genetics or genetic counseling. | Not published |
| Not much | Design and conduct genetics training programs for physicians, graduate students, other health professions or the general community. | Not published |
| AI + software | Collect for, or share with, research projects patient data on specific genetic disorders or syndromes. | Not published |
| AI + software | Identify funding sources and write grant proposals for eligible programs or services. | 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. 6 of the 19 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 19 tasks fall under 19 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
- #23 Prepare informational or instructional materials
- #24 Assist others to access additional services or resources
- and 2 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explain medical information to patients or family members | |||
| Research healthcare issues | |||
| Analyze health or medical data | |||
| Maintain current knowledge in area of expertise | |||
| Prepare informational or instructional materials | |||
| Assist others to access additional services or resources | |||
| Provide support or encouragement to others | |||
| Advise others on healthcare or wellness issues |
Show all 19 activities
| Advise patients or clients on medical issues | |||
| Collect information about patients or clients | |||
| Evaluate patient or client condition or treatment options | |||
| Develop patient or client care or treatment plans | |||
| Prepare health or medical documents | |||
| Prepare proposals or grant applications | |||
| Develop safety standards, policies, or procedures | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care | |||
| Order medical tests or procedures | |||
| Maintain health or medical records |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An explanation or answer40%
- Advice or a recommendation26%
- An analysis or summary16%
- A document or report7%
- An email or message3%
How they worked with Claude
15% 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 genetic counselors 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 in from
of 334 moves in
- 1 First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers Very high +0.1% 8%
- 2 Operations Research Analysts Very high +11.9% 7%
- 3 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 6%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 6%
- 5 Postsecondary Teachers, All Other Very high +2.0% 5%
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
- 90% master's
- 5% post-master's certificate
- 5% professional doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 21 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 1% less than high school
- 9% high school
- 11% some college
- 9% associate's
- 34% bachelor's
- 31% master's
- 3% professional degree
- 3% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Other healthcare practitioners and technical occupations” · 1,333 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 the Census group “Other healthcare practitioners and technical occupations”
7 programs, such as Genetics, General, Molecular Genetics and Human/Medical Genetics.
See all
- Genetics, General
- Molecular Genetics
- Human/Medical Genetics
- Genome Sciences/Genomics
- Genetics, Other
- Genetic Counseling/Counselor
- Public Health Genetics
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
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 · Brynjolfsson, Chandar and Chen, Stanford (Aug 2026)
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