Short answer
Very unlikely. BLS rates laundry and dry-cleaning workers among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places laundry and dry-cleaning workers in its low AI exposure category, among the occupations least exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +4.3% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 28,200 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- LowBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 52/100Higher than 66% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +4.3%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 28,200BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed laundry and dry-cleaning workers are to AI
The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes a relative AI exposure category for each occupation it projects, built from five public measures of where AI could be, or already is, used to assist with or complete the work. Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers land in the low category: among the occupations least exposed to current AI.
Where this job sits on the BLS scale
786 occupations in the NueCareer bank, in BLS's four relative categories; width shows how many fall in each
- Low · this job203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate194 occupations · 25%
- High190 occupations · 24%
- Very high199 occupations · 25%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories supplemental table.
- Exposure is relative. The categories rank occupations against each other; they are not a probability that a job is automated.
- BLS says exposure does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. A highly exposed job can still grow if AI makes the people in it more productive.
- The classification reflects AI capabilities as the underlying studies measured them. Read the BLS method and limitations.
Inside the work
What AI can and cannot do in this job
O*NET rates how important each work activity is to an occupation and how often each working condition comes up. The ratings below are the ones that move the job's NueCareer AI-resilience score the most: the ones that pull it up, and the ones that pull it down. Only ratings clearly above the midpoint count.
What holds up
Physical, hands-on and person-to-person work
- Face-to-face discussions4.2/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Performing general physical activities3.7/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Time spent on your feet4.6/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Handling and moving objects3.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Repetitive motions3.9/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Getting information3.6/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Communicating with supervisors, peers, or subordinates3.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Load articles into washers or dry-cleaning machines, or direct other workers to perform loading.
- Remove items from washers or dry-cleaning machines, or direct other workers to do so.
- Examine and sort into lots articles to be cleaned, according to color, fabric, dirt content, and cleaning technique required.
- Sort and count articles removed from dryers, and fold, wrap, or hang them.
- Start washers, dry cleaners, driers, or extractors, and turn valves or levers to regulate machine processes and the volume of soap, detergent, water, bleach, starch, and other additives.
- Operate extractors and driers, or direct their operation.
O*NET 31.0 Database task statements, most important first.
The jobs
Will there still be jobs?
Exposure says where AI meets the work. The BLS projection says what the labor market is expected to do over 2025–2035. BLS projects +4.3% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 28,200 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 198,040 people work in the job today, at a median of $34,890 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full laundry and dry-cleaning worker profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Options
Related careers that are also low-exposure
Careers O*NET lists as related to the work, or in the same field at similar pay, that BLS places in a low exposure category.
Cleaner of Vehicles and Equipment
Transportation and Material Moving
- Median pay
- $35,830median a year
- Growth
- +3.9%
- Openings / yr
- 51,500
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 61/100
- resilience
Wash or otherwise clean vehicles, machinery, and other equipment.
Packer and Packager, Hand
Transportation and Material Moving
- Median pay
- $36,280median a year
- Growth
- −5.0%
- Openings / yr
- 61,800
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 56/100
- resilience
Pack or package by hand a wide variety of products and materials.
Maid and Housekeeping Cleaner
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
- Median pay
- $35,510median a year
- Growth
- +0.6%
- Openings / yr
- 175,500
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 55/100
- resilience
Perform any combination of light cleaning duties to maintain private households or commercial establishments, such as hotels and hospitals, in a clean and orderly manner.
- Median pay
- $35,060median a year
- Growth
- −15.7%
- Openings / yr
- 2,200
- Education
- No formal credential
- Low
- BLS AI exposure
- 54/100
- resilience
Press or shape articles by hand or machine.
Questions
Will AI Replace Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers? FAQ
Will AI replace laundry and dry-cleaning workers?
Very unlikely. BLS rates laundry and dry-cleaning workers among the occupations least exposed to AI, and most of the work is the kind current AI tools cannot do. BLS defines exposure as AI being able to assist with or complete some of the work, and says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains or wage effects. BLS projects employment to change by +4.3% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 28,200 openings a year.
How exposed are laundry and dry-cleaning workers to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers are in the low category, alongside 202 other occupations. The categories combine five public measures of where AI could be or already is used, and they compare occupations with each other rather than giving an absolute risk.
What parts of a laundry and dry-cleaning worker's job can AI do?
In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are repetitive motions, getting information and communicating with supervisors, peers, or subordinates. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, performing general physical activities and time spent on your feet. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.
Is being a laundry and dry-cleaning worker a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, laundry and dry-cleaning workers score 52 out of 100, higher than 66% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $34,890 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). No job is fully safe from technological change, but the federal exposure category and the projected openings are the two numbers worth weighing.
What careers similar to laundry and dry-cleaning workers are less exposed to AI?
Cleaner of Vehicles and Equipment (low exposure, $35,830 median), Packer and Packager, Hand (low exposure, $36,280 median), Maid and Housekeeping Cleaner (low exposure, $35,510 median), Presser, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials (low exposure, $35,060 median). Each is also in the low category, and most are listed by O*NET as related to the work.
The AI exposure category is the Bureau of Labor Statistics'. The AI-resilience score and the activity breakdown are NueCareer's analysis of O*NET 31.0 Database data (method), not a federal figure. More: jobs most exposed to AI, jobs least exposed to AI, or check any job.