Lawrence

The Lawrence metropolitan area receives an AI displacement risk score of 77 out of 100, placing it at rank #29 among 393 US metros. This is 7 points above the national metro average of 70, reflecting moderately elevated risk. An estimated 16,880 workers — 32.9% of the workforce — hold positions in occupations highly susceptible to automation. This vulnerability rate exceeds the national average of 29.5% by 3.4 percentage points.

The primary driver of risk in Lawrence is the concentration of employment in Food Service & Hospitality, an industry where routine tasks, data processing, and customer interactions are increasingly being handled by AI systems. Among the most at-risk occupations in the area are Fast Food and Counter Workers, Cashiers, Customer Service Representatives, and Retail Salespersons — roles where advances in natural language processing, computer vision, and robotic process automation are already reducing demand. The metro's heavy service sector concentration (36.6% vs 31.3% nationally) amplifies vulnerability, as customer-facing and back-office roles are prime targets for AI automation.

Average wages in the metro ($57K) are close to the national average, creating neither a strong pull toward nor away from automation investment. Workers in this metro should consider developing complementary AI skills, exploring transition paths to lower-risk occupations, and leveraging local workforce development resources.