Durham-Chapel Hill, NC · POP 625,485 · EMP 344,020 · DATA GRADE A
Durham, NC
consensus exposure · range [54.7–57] across 6 methodologies
more exposed than 99% of US metros
By methodology
| Index | Exposure |
|---|---|
| OpenAI task exposure (Eloundou et al. 2024) | 57.0 |
| Felten language-modeling AIOE (2023) | 55.8 |
| Microsoft AI applicability (2025) | 55.4 |
| Anthropic Economic Index observed usage (2026) | 54.7 |
| Eisfeldt et al. generative-AI exposure (2024) | 56.8 |
| Consensus (mean) | 56 |
Table 1. Where indices disagree, that disagreement is information: prediction-style indices (task ratings) and usage-based indices (observed AI conversations) measure different things. Methods §2.
Secondary measures
payroll-weighted exposure — higher than the headcount number: the exposed jobs are the better-paid ones
of workers are in occupations where ≥50% of tasks are LLM-exposed (Eloundou β; threshold-sensitive — note)
of area employment matched to scored occupations (grade A)
Scenario: if replacement-level AI arrives in 2030
Figure 1. Modeled displacement under the median preset (diffusion k=0.8, ceiling 0.75, automation share 0.45, friction lag 1.5y, attrition 3%/y). Solid: positions eliminated. The gap between gross and layoffs is natural attrition — speed of diffusion, not depth of exposure, determines layoffs. This is a scenario, not a forecast: adjust every assumption.
Where the losses land — and your assumptions
Positions eliminated by 2035 per occupation group, under the arrival year selected above. Drag any multiplier if you think we're wrong about a group — your model, your numbers. Multipliers scale that group's task exposure (×0 = immune, ×2 = double).
Table 3. Group exposure = employment-weighted mean task exposure (Eloundou β) over the group's local occupations. Bars use the same scenario engine as Figure 1 (median preset).
Most exposed local occupations
| Occupation | Jobs | Median wage | Exposure [range] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Developers | 9,790 | $135,620 | 87.1 | |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 5,820 | $46,860 | 86.3 | |
| Customer Service Representatives | 4,660 | $46,800 | 91.1 | |
| Retail Salespersons | 5,850 | $31,790 | 67 | |
| Office Clerks, General | 4,180 | $47,010 | 82.2 | |
| Sales Representatives of Services, Except Advertising, Insurance, Financial Services, and Travel | 3,300 | $72,460 | 94.1 | |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | 4,170 | $176,190 | 71.3 | |
| Business Operations Specialists, All Other | 3,830 | $95,460 | 76.3 | |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 3,120 | $47,840 | 89.8 | |
| Cashiers | 4,840 | $29,920 | 54.8 |
Table 2. Ranked by exposure × local employment. Bands on the 0–100 occupation scale.
Compare Durham against any other metro — side by side.