Short answer
AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it still projects employment to grow faster than average.
AI and jobs
Will AI Replace Operations Research Analysts? (2026)
The Bureau of Labor Statistics places operations research analysts in its very high AI exposure category, among the occupations most exposed to current AI. BLS projects employment to change by +11.9% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 7,500 openings a year.
- BLS AI exposure
- Very highBLS EP supplemental table
- AI-resilience score
- 17/100Higher than 9% of jobs · NueCareer
- Projected change
- +11.9%BLS EP 2025–2035; all jobs 3.5%
- Openings a year
- 7,500BLS EP 2025–2035
The federal measure
How exposed operations research analysts 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. Operations Research Analysts land in the very high category: among the occupations most 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
- Low203 occupations · 26%
- Moderate194 occupations · 25%
- High190 occupations · 24%
- Very high · this job199 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 discussions4.3/5O*NET work context, frequency or level
- Making decisions and solving problems4.7/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Thinking creatively4.1/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Establishing and maintaining interpersonal relationships3.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
What AI reaches first
Routine, repeatable and screen-based work
- Processing information4.5/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Analyzing data or information4.7/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Working with computers4.7/5O*NET work activity, importance
- Getting information4.8/5O*NET work activity, importance
The tasks O*NET lists for operations research analysts
- Present the results of mathematical modeling and data analysis to management or other end users.
- Perform validation and testing of models to ensure adequacy, and reformulate models, as necessary.
- Collaborate with others in the organization to ensure successful implementation of chosen problem solutions.
- Formulate mathematical or simulation models of problems, relating constants and variables, restrictions, alternatives, conflicting objectives, and their numerical parameters.
- Observe the current system in operation, and gather and analyze information about each of the component problems, using a variety of sources.
- Analyze information obtained from management to conceptualize and define operational problems.
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 +11.9% change in employment over the decade, against 3.5% across all occupations, and about 7,500 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. About 108,510 people work in the job today, at a median of $88,940 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Full operations research analyst profile: pay by state, entry route and skills
Questions
Will AI Replace Operations Research Analysts? FAQ
Will AI replace operations research analysts?
AI will reshape this job more than most, but BLS does not forecast it disappearing. The exposure is among the highest BLS measured, yet it still projects employment to grow faster than average. 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 +11.9% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% for all occupations, with about 7,500 openings a year.
How exposed are operations research analysts to AI?
BLS sorts 786 occupations into four relative categories: low, moderate, high and very high. Operations Research Analysts are in the very high category, alongside 198 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 an operations research analyst's job can AI do?
In O*NET's description of the work, the parts that overlap most with what AI handles well are processing information, analyzing data or information and working with computers. The parts that hold up best are face-to-face discussions, making decisions and solving problems and thinking creatively. These come from O*NET ratings of how important each activity is to the job, read through NueCareer's AI-resilience method.
Is being an operations research analyst a safe career from AI?
On NueCareer's AI-resilience score, built from O*NET work activities, operations research analysts score 17 out of 100, higher than 9% of the occupations we score. The job pays a median of $88,940 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.
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.