Dishwashers
Also called: Busser, Dishwasher, Kitchen Steward, StewardClean dishes, kitchen, food preparation equipment, or utensils.
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What the data says: AI couldn't halve the time on any of its 13 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 1.0% 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, 10.3% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 10.1 hires for every 10 job openings in accommodation and food services, which employs about 86% 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.10.1 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 | $28,930 | $25,470 to $31,300 | 3,540 |
| Alaska | $33,890 | $29,500 to $34,780 | 1,300 |
| Arizona | $35,130 | $33,700 to $37,410 | 10,120 |
| Arkansas | $27,540 | $25,620 to $29,610 | 2,630 |
| California | $37,870 | $36,260 to $42,480 | 74,160 |
| Colorado | $37,840 | $34,620 to $41,120 | 8,500 |
| Connecticut | $35,550 | $34,520 to $37,200 | 7,340 |
| Delaware | $35,780 | $31,200 to $37,580 | 1,520 |
| District of Columbia | $38,670 | $38,060 to $39,720 | 3,580 |
| Florida | $31,240 | $29,120 to $35,150 | 40,480 |
| Georgia | $29,730 | $25,670 to $35,360 | 11,300 |
| Guam | $21,030 | $20,690 to $23,060 | 330 |
| Hawaii | $37,740 | $32,240 to $48,650 | 4,520 |
| Idaho | $29,920 | $24,960 to $37,950 | 2,730 |
| Illinois | $36,180 | $31,790 to $37,660 | 16,250 |
| Indiana | $29,480 | $26,440 to $34,540 | 7,000 |
| Iowa | $29,300 | $26,240 to $33,730 | 3,290 |
| Kansas | $28,060 | $22,940 to $34,420 | 2,480 |
| Kentucky | $29,060 | $24,430 to $33,800 | 4,890 |
| Louisiana | $26,440 | $21,840 to $29,280 | 4,210 |
| Maine | $35,620 | $32,410 to $38,110 | 2,940 |
| Maryland | $34,030 | $31,380 to $36,130 | 9,310 |
| Massachusetts | $37,190 | $35,690 to $41,910 | 14,100 |
| Michigan | $31,300 | $28,090 to $36,000 | 11,510 |
| Minnesota | $34,060 | $29,220 to $36,160 | 8,710 |
| Mississippi | $26,300 | $22,000 to $28,010 | 2,880 |
| Missouri | $32,150 | $29,890 to $36,020 | 7,200 |
| Montana | $30,130 | $27,290 to $35,940 | 2,120 |
| Nebraska | $29,740 | $28,080 to $35,890 | 2,170 |
| Nevada | $34,920 | $29,190 to $42,990 | 11,360 |
| New Hampshire | $34,960 | $28,500 to $38,740 | 2,370 |
| New Jersey | $35,900 | $32,800 to $37,640 | 7,450 |
| New Mexico | $30,520 | $28,660 to $35,480 | 3,250 |
| New York | $35,450 | $34,480 to $38,360 | 30,680 |
| North Carolina | $30,340 | $28,030 to $35,150 | 12,050 |
| North Dakota | $29,980 | $26,200 to $35,690 | 800 |
| Ohio | $29,520 | $26,450 to $34,470 | 14,380 |
| Oklahoma | $27,390 | $23,130 to $30,020 | 4,060 |
| Oregon | $36,040 | $33,760 to $37,890 | 6,680 |
| Pennsylvania | $29,950 | $24,310 to $34,820 | 19,570 |
| Puerto Rico | $23,020 | $22,220 to $23,430 | 1,820 |
| Rhode Island | $33,960 | $31,530 to $36,350 | 2,790 |
| South Carolina | $29,160 | $27,480 to $33,960 | 7,550 |
| South Dakota | $28,190 | $25,770 to $30,800 | 1,240 |
| Tennessee | $30,530 | $28,020 to $36,510 | 7,810 |
| Texas | $29,610 | $25,610 to $34,300 | 33,630 |
| Utah | $31,830 | $28,080 to $35,750 | 3,650 |
| Vermont | $36,010 | $30,220 to $38,150 | 1,280 |
| Virgin Islands | $29,710 | $27,370 to $34,610 | 150 |
| Virginia | $33,130 | $28,750 to $36,570 | 12,520 |
| Washington | $40,080 | $36,330 to $45,010 | 12,630 |
| West Virginia | $26,460 | $22,290 to $28,830 | 1,640 |
| Wisconsin | $29,070 | $21,980 to $34,670 | 8,190 |
| Wyoming | $29,600 | $27,040 to $36,440 | 1,060 |
Nationally: $34,810. 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 none of its 13 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Place clean dishes, utensils, or cooking equipment in storage areas. | Not published |
| Not much | Sweep or scrub floors. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain kitchen work areas, equipment, or utensils in clean and orderly condition. | Not published |
| Not much | Wash dishes, glassware, flatware, pots, or pans, using dishwashers or by hand. | Not published |
| Not much | Stock supplies, such as food or utensils, in serving stations, cupboards, refrigerators, or salad bars. | Not published |
| Not much | Sort and remove trash, placing it in designated pickup areas. | Not published |
See all 13 tasks
| Not much | Clean garbage cans with water or steam. | Not published |
| Not much | Clean or prepare various foods for cooking or serving. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Transfer supplies or equipment between storage and work areas, by hand or using hand trucks. | Not published |
| Not much | Receive and store supplies. | Not published |
| Not much | Load or unload trucks that deliver or pick up food or supplies. | Not published |
| Not much | Prepare and package individual place settings. | Not published |
| Not much | Set up banquet tables. | 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. 1 of the 13 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 13 tasks fall under 9 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.
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Stock supplies or products | |||
| Prepare foods or beverages | |||
| Clean workpieces, finished products, or other objects | |||
| Dispose of waste or debris | |||
| Provide food or beverage services | |||
| Package objects | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies |
Show all 9 activities
| Load products, materials, or equipment for transportation or further processing |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A recipe or meal plan49%
- An explanation or answer31%
- Advice or a recommendation14%
- An analysis or summary2%
- Configuration or infrastructure2%
How they worked with Claude
0% 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 dishwashers 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 37,242 moves out
- 1 Cooks, Restaurant Moderate +12.1% 6%
- 2 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 5%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%
- 4 Cashiers High -6.5% 3%
- 5 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 23,185 moves in
- 1 Cooks, Restaurant Moderate +12.1% 7%
- 2 Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand Low +1.8% 6%
- 3 Fast Food and Counter Workers Moderate +5.8% 5%
- 4 Cashiers High -6.5% 5%
- 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
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
- 43% less than high school
- 56% high school
- 1% some college
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 31 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 38% less than high school
- 41% high school
- 14% some college
- 3% associate's
- 3% bachelor's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 3,041 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
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
25.6% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | <0.5% | 19.1% |
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| an educational certificate | <0.5% | 2.8% |
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/35-9021.00