---
title: "Will AI Replace Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers?"
description: "BLS rates laundry and dry-cleaning workers' exposure to AI as low. What that means, which parts of the work AI touches, and the 2025–2035 outlook (+4.3%…"
canonical: "https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-laundry-and-dry-cleaning-workers"
last-updated: "2026-10-15T08:19:32.066Z"
---

# Will AI Replace Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers? (2026)

**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.

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.

| Measure | Value | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| BLS relative AI exposure | Low | BLS Employment Projections, AI exposure categories |
| NueCareer AI-resilience score | 52/100 | NueCareer analysis of O\*NET 31.0 Database |
| Projected employment change | +4.3% | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Openings a year | 28,200 | BLS EP 2025–2035 |
| Median annual wage | $34,890 | BLS OEWS May 2025 |

## Exposure categories

| BLS category | Occupations |
| --- | --- |
| Low (this job) | 203 |
| Moderate | 194 |
| High | 190 |
| Very high | 199 |

Exposure means AI could be or has been used to assist with or complete some of the work. BLS says it does not imply job loss, productivity gains, automation probability or wage effects. Method: https://www.bls.gov/emp/publications/ai-exposure-categories.htm

## What holds up

- Face-to-face discussions: 4.2/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Performing general physical activities: 3.7/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Time spent on your feet: 4.6/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Handling and moving objects: 3.5/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## What AI reaches first

- Repetitive motions: 3.9/5 (O\*NET work context)
- Getting information: 3.6/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)
- Communicating with supervisors, peers, or subordinates: 3.5/5 (O\*NET work activity importance)

## O\*NET tasks

- 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.

## Related careers that are also low-exposure

- [Cleaner of Vehicles and Equipment](https://nuecareer.com/careers/cleaner-of-vehicles-and-equipment): BLS exposure Low, median $35,830; [Will AI replace cleaners of vehicles and equipment?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-cleaners-of-vehicles-and-equipment)
- [Packer and Packager, Hand](https://nuecareer.com/careers/packer-and-packager-hand): BLS exposure Low, median $36,280; [Will AI replace packers and packagers?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-packers-and-packagers)
- [Maid and Housekeeping Cleaner](https://nuecareer.com/careers/maid-and-housekeeping-cleaner): BLS exposure Low, median $35,510; [Will AI replace maids and housekeeping cleaners?](https://nuecareer.com/careers/will-ai-replace-maids-and-housekeeping-cleaners)
- [Presser, Textile, Garment, and Related Materials](https://nuecareer.com/careers/presser-textile-garment-and-related-materials): BLS exposure Low, median $35,060

## 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.

Full profile: https://nuecareer.com/careers/laundry-and-dry-cleaning-worker.

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This bank includes information from the O\*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). O\*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. NueCareer has transformed the data by joining it to BLS wage and projection data and deriving facet, personality-fit and AI-resilience scores. BLS and BEA data are public domain (17 U.S.C. §105).

O\*NET content is used under [CC BY 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). How these figures are sourced and derived: https://nuecareer.com/careers/methodology