Residential Advisors
Also called: Residence Hall Director, Residence Life Director, Resident Assistant, Resident DirectorCoordinate activities in resident facilities in secondary school and college dormitories, group homes, or similar establishments. Order supplies and determine need for maintenance, repairs, and furnishings. May maintain household records and assign rooms. May assist residents with problem solving or refer them to counseling resources.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: AI could halve the time on 11 of its 30 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 3.5% 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, 4.0% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 69% 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $27,650 | $25,680 to $32,870 | 2,570 |
| Alaska | $46,180 | $46,050 to $47,950 | 380 |
| Arizona | $41,480 | $35,980 to $47,440 | 1,260 |
| Arkansas | $38,300 | $27,920 to $43,350 | 910 |
| California | $46,650 | $39,040 to $57,590 | 8,120 |
| Colorado | $44,750 | $39,280 to $52,190 | 760 |
| Connecticut | $43,620 | $39,270 to $51,710 | 1,250 |
| Delaware | $34,530 | $31,200 to $42,670 | 350 |
| District of Columbia | $38,480 | $38,170 to $46,290 | 670 |
| Florida | $40,660 | $35,530 to $47,920 | 1,610 |
| Georgia | $39,380 | $31,780 to $48,820 | 2,460 |
| Hawaii | $36,930 | $31,580 to $43,620 | 640 |
| Idaho | $37,160 | $34,150 to $38,260 | 400 |
| Illinois | $44,130 | $36,060 to $49,550 | 2,720 |
| Indiana | $38,850 | $32,630 to $46,070 | 1,360 |
| Iowa | $36,850 | $34,430 to $44,170 | 780 |
| Kansas | $37,680 | $30,810 to $48,510 | 510 |
| Kentucky | $30,260 | $19,600 to $40,260 | 1,580 |
| Louisiana | $33,800 | $28,520 to $43,890 | 420 |
| Maine | $43,780 | $39,800 to $50,310 | 640 |
| Maryland | $46,950 | $38,600 to $56,240 | 2,640 |
| Massachusetts | $48,190 | $43,310 to $58,910 | 5,120 |
| Michigan | $39,730 | $35,090 to $46,840 | 1,770 |
| Minnesota | $48,770 | $46,480 to $56,460 | 3,410 |
| Mississippi | $30,900 | $24,530 to $39,130 | 660 |
| Missouri | $36,510 | $29,340 to $49,440 | 1,380 |
| Montana | $47,230 | $44,650 to $53,260 | 350 |
| Nebraska | $45,980 | $36,250 to $47,070 | 230 |
| Nevada | $38,790 | $37,760 to $47,670 | 190 |
| New Hampshire | $49,010 | $40,790 to $58,860 | 420 |
| New Jersey | $43,880 | $39,070 to $56,330 | 1,630 |
| New Mexico | $37,540 | $35,360 to $44,640 | 590 |
| New York | $48,380 | $41,100 to $60,500 | 6,150 |
| North Carolina | $39,130 | $34,670 to $49,170 | 2,840 |
| North Dakota | $48,590 | $41,710 to $57,500 | 260 |
| Ohio | $38,590 | $33,170 to $44,740 | 3,070 |
| Oklahoma | $35,390 | $29,510 to $39,660 | 1,060 |
| Oregon | $47,160 | $41,990 to $54,530 | 840 |
| Pennsylvania | $40,010 | $35,090 to $47,700 | 4,380 |
| Puerto Rico | $35,540 | $28,980 to $35,540 | 30 |
| Rhode Island | $45,280 | $43,930 to $58,380 | 460 |
| South Carolina | $35,780 | $25,560 to $45,020 | 1,580 |
| South Dakota | $38,420 | $36,380 to $40,720 | 1,780 |
| Tennessee | $34,700 | $30,950 to $42,830 | 2,360 |
| Texas | $37,630 | $32,160 to $46,590 | 3,630 |
| Utah | $39,240 | $36,870 to $45,650 | 990 |
| Vermont | $44,710 | $41,810 to $53,980 | 170 |
| Virginia | $42,890 | $36,580 to $51,600 | 2,950 |
| Washington | $48,640 | $43,560 to $56,970 | 1,810 |
| West Virginia | $31,840 | $27,490 to $36,900 | 1,180 |
| Wisconsin | $41,690 | $38,250 to $44,830 | 1,190 |
| Wyoming | $34,500 | $34,490 to $36,560 | not published |
Nationally: $42,240. 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 11 of its 30 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Communicate with other staff to resolve problems with individual students. | Not published |
| Not much | Observe students to detect and report unusual behavior. | Not published |
| AI + software | Mediate interpersonal problems between residents. | Not published |
| Not much | Determine the need for facility maintenance and repair, and notify appropriate personnel. | Not published |
| Not much | Make regular rounds to ensure that residents and areas are safe and secure. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide emergency first aid and summon medical assistance when necessary. | Not published |
See all 30 tasks
| Not much | Enforce rules and regulations to ensure the smooth and orderly operation of dormitory programs. | Not published |
| AI + software | Confer with medical personnel to better understand the backgrounds and needs of individual residents. | Not published |
| AI alone | Answer telephones, and route calls or deliver messages. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Collaborate with counselors to develop counseling programs that address the needs of individual students. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Provide requested information on students' progress and the development of case plans. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Develop and coordinate educational programs for residents. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Hold regular meetings with each assigned unit. | Not published |
| Not much | Order supplies for facilities. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise, train, and evaluate residence hall staff, including resident assistants, participants in work-study programs, and other student workers. | Not published |
| Not much | Administer, coordinate, or recommend disciplinary and corrective actions. | Not published |
| AI + software | Compile information such as residents' daily activities and the quantities of supplies used to prepare required reports. | Not published |
| AI + software | Develop program plans for individuals or assist in plan development. | 0.09% |
| Not much | Counsel students in the handling of issues such as family, financial, and educational problems. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Chaperone group-sponsored trips and social functions. | Not published |
| AI + software | Oversee departmental budget. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise students' housekeeping work to ensure that it is done properly. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide transportation or escort for expeditions, such as shopping trips or visits to doctors or dentists. | Not published |
| Not much | Direct and participate in on- and off-campus recreational activities for residents of institutions, boarding schools, fraternities or sororities, children's homes, or similar establishments. | Not published |
| Not much | Accompany and supervise students during meals. | Not published |
| AI + software | Assign rooms to students. | Not published |
| Not much | Inventory, pack, and remove items left behind by former residents. | Not published |
| Not much | Supervise the activities of housekeeping personnel. | Not published |
| AI alone | Process contract cancellations for students who are unable to follow residence hall policies and procedures. | Not published |
| Not much | Sort and distribute mail. | 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 30 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 30 tasks fall under 27 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.
- #11 Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
- #30 Perform administrative or clerical activities
- #36 Purchase goods or services
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Supervise personnel activities | |||
| Escort others | |||
| Perform administrative or clerical activities | |||
| Coordinate with others to resolve problems | |||
| Monitor individual behavior or performance | |||
| Develop educational programs, plans, or procedures | |||
| Provide information to guests, clients, or customers | |||
| Purchase goods or services |
Show all 27 activities
| Communicate with others about operational plans or activities | |||
| Maintain safety or security | |||
| Counsel others about personal matters | |||
| Teach life skills | |||
| Manage budgets or finances | |||
| Develop organizational or program goals or objectives | |||
| Collect information about patients or clients | |||
| Coordinate group, community, or public activities | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Inspect facilities or equipment | |||
| Evaluate personnel capabilities or performance | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Monitor safety or security of work areas, facilities, or properties | |||
| Distribute materials, supplies, or resources | |||
| Mediate disputes | |||
| Package objects | |||
| Move materials, equipment, or supplies | |||
| Stock supplies or products | |||
| Administer emergency medical treatment |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- A plan or strategy29%
- A document or report24%
- Teaching material9%
- An app or website7%
- Advice or a recommendation4%
How they worked with Claude
36% 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 residential advisors 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 168,369 moves out
- 1 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 2 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 5%
- 3 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 3%
- 4 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%
- 5 Mental Health Counselors 3%
Where people moved in from
of 108,390 moves in
- 1 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 5%
- 2 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 4%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 3%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
- 5 Teachers and Instructors, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 3%
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
- 7% less than high school
- 1% high school
- 50% some college
- 31% bachelor's
- 3% master's
- 6% research doctorate
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 29 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 3% less than high school
- 23% high school
- 53% some college
- 7% associate's
- 11% bachelor's
- 3% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 1,492 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
2 programs: College Student Counseling and Personnel Services and Student Counseling and Personnel Services, Other.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
65.1% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a certification | <0.5% | 5.8% |
| a license | not published | |
| an educational certificate | 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
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 4 registered apprenticeships in this occupation. Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Residential Advisors” there.
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/39-9041.00