Tellers
SOC Code: 43-3071
Tellers carries a 65% AI exposure score (Very High automation risk), with a median annual wage of $39,340 and -12.9% projected employment growth from 2024 to 2034 (BLS), affecting approximately 347,400 workers. Full task breakdown, skills, and employer data are below.
Proportion of tasks susceptible to AI automation (O*NET analysis)
At 65% AI exposure, Tellers sits 28 points above the 37.2% average across 832 U.S. occupations - more exposed than 96% of them. Most of its core tasks still require human judgment.
Career outlook score
7/100
Tellers, weighted across 3 of 3 tracked dimensions
A weighted composite of median wage, projected growth, and AI-automation security (inverted exposure), each benchmarked against every other tracked occupation. It describes this occupation's standing across those three dimensions, not a guarantee of future outcomes.
- Median wage F $39,340
Annual median wage, percentile rank vs all tracked occupations
- Projected growth F -12.9%
Projected employment change, 2024-2034, BLS Employment Projections
- AI exposure (inverted) F 65% exposure
Lower O*NET task-automability scores lower risk; this dimension scores security, not exposure
Home health and personal care aides is #1 of 832 occupations by employment (4.3M, AI exposure rank #392 at 35%) vs. Bookkeeping, accounting, and auditing clerks #1 by AI task exposure (95%, employment rank #17 at 1.6M).
Automation-risk inventory
Exclusive cut of 832 occupations by PlainWorkforce automation-risk band. Orthogonal to the continuous AI-exposure distribution chart below and to this occupation's single risk badge, this is the corpus band mix, with Tellers in the Very High band.
Credential × growth standing
Open entry on a declining BLS line
Typical entry is HS / some college (333/832) while growth is Declining (111/832). This is the crowded high-risk corner of the map - automation and headcount pressure compound without a degree moat.
Where Tellers sits among all occupations
AI-exposure score distribution across 832 U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis). This occupation is marked in rose.
Where Tellers sits by AI exposure
AI-exposure score distribution across U.S. occupations (O*NET task analysis)
65% Higher than most higher than 96% of 832 occupations
Occupations, banded by AI-exposure score
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more occupations. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor) · BLS 2024–2034
Source: O*NET task data (U.S. Department of Labor); AI-exposure scores are PlainWorkforce's analysis. As of BLS 2024–2034.
Tellers vs. its occupational neighbors
AI exposure (horizontal) vs projected 2024–2034 growth (vertical) for occupations in the same SOC group. Tellers is marked in rose; the top-left corner is the most future-proof.
Source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 (growth) and O*NET (AI-exposure analysis by PlainWorkforce).
Employment Projections
Where This Score Comes From
Tellers's Very High automation-risk tier is computed from O*NET Database 30.0 task-level analysis, where each documented task the occupation performs is evaluated against current generative AI, robotic process automation, and machine-learning capabilities. A score in the 40–70% range indicates meaningful automation pressure on specific task categories, but the role as a whole still requires human judgment for coordination, exception handling, or client interaction.
The employment, wage, and education figures above come from a second, separate federal source: BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034, matched to the O*NET task data by Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 43-3071) code, with the wage figure cross-validated against the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 survey. BLS figures are presented exactly as published, with no adjustment on our part; the SOC-code match is what lets Tellers be compared directly against every other tracked occupation on the same basis, not just roles that happen to share a job title.
For career planners, this profile should be read alongside the task, skill, and knowledge breakdowns below and the list of employers whose workforce composition includes Tellers. Adjacent occupations shown further down offer lateral moves that preserve industry knowledge while potentially reducing exposure.
Education & Entry Requirements
Top Tasks (O*NET)
- 1. Balance currency, coin, and checks in cash drawers at ends of shifts and calculate daily transactions, using computers, calculators, or adding machines.
- 2. Receive checks and cash for deposit, verify amounts, and check accuracy of deposit slips.
- 3. Monitor bank vaults to ensure cash balances are correct.
- 4. Cash checks and pay out money after verifying that signatures are correct, that written and numerical amounts agree, and that accounts have sufficient funds.
- 5. Count currency, coins, and checks received, by hand or using currency-counting machine, to prepare them for deposit or shipment to branch banks or the Federal Reserve Bank.
- 6. Enter customers' transactions into computers to record transactions and issue computer-generated receipts.
- 7. Examine checks for endorsements and to verify other information, such as dates, bank names, identification of the persons receiving payments, and the legality of the documents.
- 8. Resolve problems or discrepancies concerning customers' accounts.
- 9. Prepare and verify cashier's checks.
- 10. Process transactions, such as term deposits, retirement savings plan contributions, automated teller transactions, night deposits, and mail deposits.
Key Skills Required
- Active Listening
- Speaking
- Reading Comprehension
- Critical Thinking
- Monitoring
- Social Perceptiveness
- Service Orientation
- Writing
- Mathematics
- Time Management
Knowledge Areas
- Customer and Personal Service
- English Language
- Mathematics
- Economics and Accounting
- Public Safety and Security
- Administration and Management
- Administrative
- Sales and Marketing
- Computers and Electronics
- Law and Government
Frequently Asked Questions
Will AI replace Tellers?
Tellers has an AI exposure score of 65%, indicating a very high level of automation risk. Some tasks in this role can be augmented or partially automated by AI, but core responsibilities require human judgment.
What is the job outlook for Tellers?
According to BLS Employment Projections 2024-2034, Tellers is projected to decline by 12.9% over the decade. Current employment stands at approximately 347,400 workers.
What skills are needed for Tellers?
Key skills for Tellers include Active Listening, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, and others. Typical entry-level education is High school diploma or equivalent.
How much do Tellers earn?
The median annual wage for Tellers is $39,340, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2024). Actual earnings vary by location, experience, industry, and employer. The BLS publishes detailed wage percentiles by region in its Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
What education is required for Tellers?
The typical entry-level education for Tellers is High school diploma or equivalent. Employers generally expect None of related work experience. On-the-job training typically involves Short-term on-the-job training. Requirements can vary by employer and specialization.
Which companies employ Tellers?
Tellers roles exist across many industries and employers. Workforce composition is estimated from BLS industry-occupation employment distributions matched to SEC-registered public companies.
AI Exposure Rating
Very High automation risk based on 10 analyzed tasks. A majority of tasks in this occupation are susceptible to AI automation.
Nationwide occupations with similar workforce profiles
Two data-derived peer sets for Tellers: AI-exposure neighbors and BLS 2034 growth neighbors (distinct comparison neighborhoods, cross-occupation).
Similar AI exposure score
Nearest O*NET task-automability scores nationwide (65% here).
- Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers · AI exposure 65%
- Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers · AI exposure 64%
- Interviewers, except eligibility and loan · AI exposure 64%
- Postal service clerks · AI exposure 64%
Similar projected growth (2024–2034)
Nearest BLS employment change rates nationwide (-12.9% here).
- Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic · growth -12.8%
- Machine feeders and offbearers · growth -13.0%
- New accounts clerks · growth -13.2%
- Cooks, fast food · growth -13.5%
Peers are nearest-neighbor matches on published BLS + O*NET metrics among occupations with ≥10,000 workers in 2024; corpus ranks above sort the full tracked set.
Related Occupations
Showing 6 of 24 occupations with a comparable automation-risk profile.
What to do with this
Use Tellers' numbers above to compare, not just read in isolation.
- Compare Tellers side by side against another occupation on wage, growth, and AI exposure. Workforce comparison tool
- Understand how the AI exposure score above is actually calculated before treating it as a verdict. Reading AI exposure scores
- See the full ranked list of occupations with the lowest automation exposure nationwide. Safest occupations from AI
AI exposure scores estimate task automatability from O*NET data; they are not a certainty of job loss, and BLS growth projections are estimates, not guarantees.
Data sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET Database 30.0. Employment figures are rounded. Wage data from BLS Occupational Employment Statistics (OES).