Receptionists and Information Clerks
Also called: Front Desk Receptionist, Greeter, Office Assistant, ReceptionistAnswer inquiries and provide information to the general public, customers, visitors, and other interested parties regarding activities conducted at establishment and location of departments, offices, and employees within the organization.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 14 of its 18 tasks, and jobs are projected to shrink 1.7% 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, 4.3% 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 43% 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 | $32,590 | $28,120 to $36,660 | 10,460 |
| Alaska | $44,720 | $38,370 to $50,070 | 1,530 |
| Arizona | $38,730 | $35,530 to $44,670 | 23,220 |
| Arkansas | $34,840 | $30,290 to $37,320 | 10,870 |
| California | $44,100 | $39,050 to $48,690 | 82,470 |
| Colorado | $42,010 | $36,510 to $46,860 | 11,020 |
| Connecticut | $40,630 | $36,250 to $47,160 | 14,980 |
| Delaware | $36,310 | $32,790 to $42,560 | 2,880 |
| District of Columbia | $49,060 | $39,850 to $57,760 | 2,000 |
| Florida | $36,810 | $32,730 to $41,590 | 63,280 |
| Georgia | $36,100 | $29,540 to $41,670 | 26,080 |
| Guam | $23,290 | $21,720 to $26,840 | 210 |
| Hawaii | $41,600 | $37,770 to $47,840 | 3,510 |
| Idaho | $36,810 | $32,210 to $42,520 | 5,340 |
| Illinois | $37,400 | $34,510 to $44,260 | 40,370 |
| Indiana | $36,160 | $29,790 to $41,750 | 17,360 |
| Iowa | $37,330 | $32,080 to $42,560 | 4,660 |
| Kansas | $36,050 | $31,210 to $39,520 | 7,290 |
| Kentucky | $32,940 | $28,420 to $38,440 | 9,290 |
| Louisiana | $32,750 | $27,930 to $37,090 | 12,820 |
| Maine | $42,440 | $38,470 to $46,780 | 3,440 |
| Maryland | $38,100 | $34,900 to $44,790 | 18,390 |
| Massachusetts | $43,870 | $38,190 to $47,840 | 18,970 |
| Michigan | $37,470 | $34,140 to $42,450 | 25,230 |
| Minnesota | $37,510 | $31,600 to $44,530 | 11,800 |
| Mississippi | $31,160 | $26,780 to $36,420 | 6,920 |
| Missouri | $35,740 | $31,600 to $39,590 | 18,890 |
| Montana | $37,360 | $33,080 to $42,840 | 1,280 |
| Nebraska | $37,860 | $33,860 to $42,640 | 6,750 |
| Nevada | $37,050 | $33,280 to $43,710 | 10,650 |
| New Hampshire | $38,160 | $31,010 to $46,270 | 5,320 |
| New Jersey | $41,650 | $36,600 to $46,980 | 42,060 |
| New Mexico | $35,140 | $29,910 to $38,240 | 5,650 |
| New York | $43,080 | $37,470 to $49,080 | 65,010 |
| North Carolina | $35,440 | $29,120 to $40,050 | 20,080 |
| North Dakota | $39,530 | $35,250 to $46,170 | 1,930 |
| Ohio | $35,920 | $29,910 to $39,520 | 30,850 |
| Oklahoma | $34,560 | $28,180 to $37,500 | 9,380 |
| Oregon | $40,900 | $36,840 to $46,510 | 13,590 |
| Pennsylvania | $36,810 | $30,700 to $42,930 | 37,830 |
| Puerto Rico | $22,890 | $21,840 to $25,400 | 4,030 |
| Rhode Island | $42,620 | $36,110 to $46,920 | 4,270 |
| South Carolina | $35,510 | $29,370 to $40,580 | 11,280 |
| South Dakota | $38,280 | $31,930 to $44,030 | 5,760 |
| Tennessee | $34,910 | $29,380 to $39,840 | 11,460 |
| Texas | $35,210 | $29,160 to $40,210 | 78,330 |
| Utah | $36,960 | $31,750 to $42,630 | 12,020 |
| Vermont | $38,370 | $35,090 to $42,320 | 1,160 |
| Virgin Islands | $34,630 | $29,430 to $38,550 | 120 |
| Virginia | $37,060 | $31,660 to $43,870 | 23,360 |
| Washington | $44,710 | $38,980 to $49,110 | 26,500 |
| West Virginia | $31,920 | $28,230 to $36,880 | 5,470 |
| Wisconsin | $41,150 | $36,000 to $46,570 | 25,580 |
| Wyoming | $37,480 | $33,860 to $43,680 | 1,540 |
Nationally: $38,010. 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 14 of its 18 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| AI alone | Operate telephone switchboard to answer, screen, or forward calls, providing information, taking messages, or scheduling appointments. | Not published |
| Not much | Greet persons entering establishment, determine nature and purpose of visit, and direct or escort them to specific destinations. | Not published |
| AI alone | Transmit information or documents to customers, using computer, mail, or facsimile machine. | 0.01% |
| AI alone | File and maintain records. | 0.02% |
| AI alone | Provide information about establishment, such as location of departments or offices, employees within the organization, or services provided. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Hear and resolve complaints from customers or the public. | under 0.01% |
See all 18 tasks
| AI + software | Schedule appointments and maintain and update appointment calendars. | 0.01% |
| Not much | Collect, sort, distribute, or prepare mail, messages, or courier deliveries. | Not published |
| Not much | Receive payment and record receipts for services. | Not published |
| AI + software | Perform administrative support tasks, such as proofreading, transcribing handwritten information, or operating calculators or computers to work with pay records, invoices, balance sheets, or other documents. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Perform duties, such as taking care of plants or straightening magazines to maintain lobby or reception area. | Not published |
| AI + software | Keep a current record of staff members' whereabouts and availability. | Not published |
| AI alone | Process and prepare memos, correspondence, travel vouchers, or other documents. | 0.03% |
| AI + software | Analyze data to determine answers to questions from customers or members of the public. | 0.29% |
| AI + software | Calculate and quote rates for tours, stocks, insurance policies, or other products or services. | under 0.01% |
| AI alone | Schedule space or equipment for special programs and prepare lists of participants. | under 0.01% |
| AI + software | Enroll individuals to participate in programs and notify them of their acceptance. | Not published |
| AI alone | Take orders for merchandise or materials and send them to the proper departments to be filled. | 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. 10 of the 18 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 18 tasks fall under 18 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.
- #3 Respond to customer problems or inquiries
- #7 Explain technical details of products or services
- #11 Provide information to guests, clients, or customers
- and 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Provide information to guests, clients, or customers | |||
| Perform administrative or clerical activities | |||
| Schedule appointments | |||
| Process shipments or mail | |||
| Respond to customer problems or inquiries | |||
| Explain technical details of products or services | |||
| Operate computer systems or computerized equipment | |||
| Provide general assistance to others, such as customers, patrons, or motorists |
Show all 18 activities
| Purchase goods or services | |||
| Determine values or prices of goods or services | |||
| Examine materials or documentation for accuracy or compliance | |||
| Schedule operational activities | |||
| Sort materials or products | |||
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Analyze data to improve operations | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Distribute materials, supplies, or resources | |||
| Collect fares or payments |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An analysis or summary25%
- A document or report13%
- An email or message9%
- A chart or visualization8%
- An explanation or answer8%
How they worked with Claude
43% 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 receptionists and information clerks 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 359,317 moves out
- 1 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 10%
- 2 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 7%
- 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 4%
- 4 Office Clerks, General Very high -6.0% 4%
- 5 Cashiers High -6.5% 3%
Where people moved in from
of 269,750 moves in
- 1 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 8%
- 2 Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive Very high -6.0% 7%
- 3 Cashiers High -6.5% 7%
- 4 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 6%
- 5 Waiters and Waitresses Moderate +2.0% 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
- 49% high school
- 21% postsecondary certificate
- 26% some college
- 4% associate's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 32 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 5% less than high school
- 32% high school
- 32% some college
- 12% associate's
- 16% bachelor's
- 3% master's
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 12,842 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: Veterinary Reception/Receptionist and Receptionist.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
4.5% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| a license | not published | |
| a certification | 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
- 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)
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/43-4171.00