Hickory-Lenoir-Morganton, NC · POP 376,890 · EMP 154,090 · DATA GRADE A
Hickory, NC
consensus exposure · range [42–45.3] across 6 methodologies
more exposed than 5% of US metros
By methodology
| Index | Exposure |
|---|---|
| OpenAI task exposure (Eloundou et al. 2024) | 43.0 |
| Felten language-modeling AIOE (2023) | 42.0 |
| Microsoft AI applicability (2025) | 45.3 |
| Anthropic Economic Index observed usage (2026) | 43.7 |
| Eisfeldt et al. generative-AI exposure (2024) | 44.3 |
| Consensus (mean) | 43.7 |
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] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Retail Salespersons | 4,000 | $30,520 | 67 | |
| Customer Service Representatives | 2,250 | $37,790 | 91.1 | |
| Cashiers | 3,470 | $27,570 | 54.8 | |
| Office Clerks, General | 2,060 | $40,340 | 82.2 | |
| Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants | 1,790 | $38,380 | 86.3 | |
| Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products | 1,730 | $67,150 | 88.3 | |
| Registered Nurses | 3,020 | $80,060 | 48.9 | |
| Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks | 1,570 | $45,130 | 81.4 | |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 1,140 | $41,710 | 89.8 | |
| Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators | 3,190 | $42,770 | 31.5 |
Table 2. Ranked by exposure × local employment. Bands on the 0–100 occupation scale.
Compare Hickory against any other metro — side by side.