Will AI replace data entry jobs?
Updated
Data entry clerks score 66 of 100 for AI exposure. The largest share of their task time, 45%, is work AI speeds up while they stay in charge. AI can take over 29% outright, and 26% stays with people.
- 29% AI can do it
- 45% AI helps
- 26% Needs a person
High exposure
Higher than 97% of the 923 occupations we scored.
Task by task
We graded 9 tasks, listed here from most to least exposed. AI can do 3 of them today, speeds up 3 and leaves 3 to people.
| Task | AI exposure |
|---|---|
| Read source documents such as canceled checks, sales reports, or bills, and enter data in specific data fields or onto tapes or disks for subsequent entry, using keyboards or scanners. Document AI reads and keys source documents with high accuracy. | 85% AI can do it |
| Compare data with source documents, or re-enter data in verification format to detect errors. Comparing entries against source documents is highly automatable with software and AI. | 78% AI can do it |
| Maintain logs of activities and completed work. Software logs activity and work completion automatically with little human input. | 75% AI can do it |
| Compile, sort, and verify the accuracy of data before it is entered. AI validates and sorts records well, but edge cases need review. | 65% AI helps |
| Locate and correct data entry errors, or report them to supervisors. AI flags most errors quickly, though escalation needs human judgment. | 60% AI helps |
| Store completed documents in appropriate locations. Digital filing can be automated, but physical storage still needs people. | 55% AI helps |
| Select materials needed to complete work assignments. Gathering physical materials for assignments requires being on site and handling items. | 15% Needs a person |
| Resolve garbled or indecipherable messages, using cryptographic procedures and equipment. Specialized cryptographic work with secure equipment limits AI assistance. | 15% Needs a person |
| Load machines with required input or output media, such as paper, cards, disks, tape, or Braille media. Loading paper, disks and tape into machines is hands-on physical work. | 5% Needs a person |
How data entry clerks compare
All occupations (923)
Office and administrative support (51)
Pay and outlook in the US
- Median pay
- $41,340 a year, May 2025
- People employed
- 127,080 in the US, May 2025
- Projected change in jobs
- -25.5% from 2024 to 2034
Skills to build
- Validate and sort records in Microsoft Excel before entry
- Reconcile posted entries in Intuit QuickBooks or SAP software
- Keep donor files accurate in Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge
- Escalate data entry errors to supervisors with clear reports
- Load paper, cards and tape into keying equipment
Safer roles nearby
5 related occupations with lower scores.
Questions about data entry clerks and AI
Will data entry jobs be replaced by AI?
Partly. About 5 in 10 working hours go to tasks AI can already do, mostly keying data from source documents and checking entries against those documents. What stays with people is loading paper, cards and tape into machines, selecting materials for each assignment and storing finished documents in physical locations.
Which data entry clerk tasks will AI take over?
Reading source documents and keying their data scores highest at 85, because document AI reads bills, checks and sales reports with high accuracy. Comparing entries against source documents, or re-keying them to verify, scores 78 because software runs that match automatically. Activity logs also get automated, since software records completed work with little human input.
Which data entry clerk tasks stay human?
Loading paper, cards, disks and tape into machines scores 5, because it is hands-on physical work. Selecting materials for each assignment scores 15, since gathering physical items means being on site. Resolving garbled messages with cryptographic equipment also scores 15, because secure equipment limits AI help.
How can data entry clerks stay valuable?
Shift toward the review work around keying, validate records in Excel before entry, clear the edge cases AI flags, and reconcile entries in QuickBooks or SAP. Clean donor files in Blackbaud The Raiser's Edge, and write clear error reports for supervisors, since escalation needs human judgment.
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Next steps for data entry clerks
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