Community Sentiment
Do you agree?
Do you agree with the AI automation risk score calculated for this occupation?
AI Automation Index
Will AI Replace Phlebotomists?
Task-level automation exposure for Phlebotomists: 23 O*NET tasks scored against their work activities, plus the simulator.
E-E-A-T Verified
Developed & audited by Gini Loh Automation Exposure
24%
weighted task index
23 of 23 tasks scored
Median Salary
$45,230 / year
BLS OEWS, May 2025 — this exact occupation
Employment Level
High
143,540 people hold this job — size, not growth
Projected 2025–35
+6.8%
employment change
18,000 openings a year · BLS line item
Pay by state
BLS OEWS publishes 52 state estimates for this occupation. Each is its own survey estimate, not the national median adjusted for local prices.
$29,880 – $56,040
Highest medians
California $56,040
District of Columbia $51,980
New York $50,530
Massachusetts $50,170
Oregon $49,160
Lowest medians
Puerto Rico $29,880
Louisiana $36,120
Mississippi $36,290
Alabama $37,220
Arkansas $37,450
State figures come from the 31-9097 row in the May 2025 state panel. States where the estimate was suppressed or too small to publish are absent.
What the score is made of
Each task is mapped to its work activities, scored for AI automation potential, and weighted by how important those activities are to the job. These are the components.
Automation potential 24%
Importance-weighted mean of the scored tasks. This is the headline index.
Physical work 53%
Share of weighted tasks in hands-on or machine-operating work activities.
Judgment & influence 20%
Share in analysis, decisions, teaching, directing, advising, or caring for others.
Routine administration 10%
Share in documenting, recording, and administrative activities.
Rewritten by O*NET 0%
Share of weighted tasks O*NET rewrote in a recent update. Reported, not folded into the score.
Consequence of error 80/100
High
O*NET's own rating of how serious an uncorrectable mistake would be here — respondents, not us. Deliberately not in the index: the score measures what AI can do with the task content, and multiplying it by stakes would be our judgment dressed as data.
Constituent Task Mix
23 tasks for this occupation, weighted by work-activity importance. Shares below are of total task weight, not task count.
High exposure (≥ 60% of the task is automatable) 10%
2 tasks
Medium exposure (≥ 35%) 18%
4 tasks
Low exposure (below 35%) 72%
17 tasks
How would you survive?
Move your week away from the high-exposure tasks and toward the ones that need judgment. The simulator recalculates the index as you shift the mix.
Simulate Upskilling →Emerging & rewritten tasks
Tasks O*NET added or rewrote for this occupation in its recent updates (05/2025 – 08/2026), with who proposed them. Additions are not in the scored task inventory — they are new work O*NET is still measuring, so they appear here and nowhere in the index. A Revision replaces a task that is scored, which is why only those move the "Rewritten by O*NET" share.
- New 08/2026 · Occupational Expert
Track and respond to patient vital signs for conditions such as hypotension and hypoglycemia.
Constituent Tasks
#24039 · Core · 55% automatable
Confirm the identities of patients by verifying their personal information.
data analysis — Patient info verification against records, human confirms
Interview patients to gather medical information. Verify accuracy of patient information.
#19381 · Core · 8% automatable
Match laboratory requisition forms to specimen tubes.
physical manipulation — Manual specimen preparation
Prepare biological specimens for laboratory analysis. Prepare biological samples for testing or analysis.
#19375 · Core · 5% automatable
Dispose of contaminated sharps, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, and policies.
physical manipulation — Hands-on handling and disposal of biohazard waste
Dispose of biomedical waste in accordance with standards.
#19374 · Core · 5% automatable
Dispose of blood or other biohazard fluids or tissue, in accordance with applicable laws, standards, or policies.
physical manipulation — Hands-on handling and disposal of biohazard waste
Dispose of biomedical waste in accordance with standards.
#19385 · Core · 5% automatable
Collect specimens at specific time intervals for tests, such as those assessing therapeutic drug levels.
physical manipulation — Invasive specimen collection needs hands-on clinical skill
Collect biological specimens from patients.
#19379 · Core · 5% automatable
Draw blood from veins by vacuum tube, syringe, or butterfly venipuncture methods.
physical manipulation — Invasive specimen collection needs hands-on clinical skill
Collect biological specimens from patients.
#19382 · Core · 13% automatable
Organize or clean blood-drawing trays, ensuring that all instruments are sterile and all needles, syringes, or related items are of first-time use.
physical manipulation — Hands-on instrument preparation and sterilization
Clean medical equipment. Prepare medical instruments or equipment for use.
#19389 · Core · 72% automatable
Enter patient, specimen, insurance, or billing information into computer.
data analysis — Maintain records; human owns clinical accuracy
Maintain medical records.
#19387 · Core · 20% automatable
Conduct standards tests, such as blood alcohol, blood culture, oral glucose tolerance, glucose screening, blood smears, or peak and trough drug levels tests.
physical manipulation — Diagnostic tests require physical patient procedures
Conduct diagnostic tests to determine patient health.
#19392 · Core · 8% automatable
Process blood or other fluid samples for further analysis by other medical professionals.
physical manipulation — Manual specimen preparation
Prepare biological specimens for laboratory analysis. Prepare biological samples for testing or analysis.
#19393 · Core · 50% automatable
Provide sample analysis results to physicians to assist diagnosis.
information retrieval — Relaying results is structured; interpretation stays human
Inform medical professionals regarding patient conditions and care. Communicate test or assessment results to medical professionals.
#19376 · Core · 77% automatable
Document route of specimens from collection to laboratory analysis and diagnosis.
data analysis — Compiling data or documentation is largely automatable
Compile data or documentation. Prepare official health documents or records.
#19390 · Core · 30% automatable
Monitor blood or plasma donors during and after procedures to ensure health, safety, and comfort.
decision support — Detecting health problems requires clinical physical assessment
Monitor patients to detect health problems.
#19380 · Core · 48% automatable
Explain fluid or tissue collection procedures to patients.
interpersonal — Explaining medical tech needs patient-adaptive dialogue
Explain technical medical information to patients.
#19396 · Core · 10% automatable
Transport specimens or fluid samples from collection sites to laboratories.
physical manipulation — Physical transport of biological materials
Transport biological or other medical materials.
#19378 · Core · 5% automatable
Draw blood from capillaries by dermal puncture, such as heel or finger stick methods.
physical manipulation — Invasive specimen collection needs hands-on clinical skill
Collect biological specimens from patients.
#19386 · Core · 20% automatable
Conduct hemoglobin tests to ensure donor iron levels are normal.
physical manipulation — Diagnostic tests require physical patient procedures
Conduct diagnostic tests to determine patient health.
#19395 · Core · 30% automatable
Train other medical personnel in phlebotomy or laboratory techniques.
interpersonal — Medical procedure teaching is hands-on clinical instruction
Teach medical procedures to healthcare personnel.
#19394 · Core · 5% automatable
Serve refreshments to donors to ensure absorption of sugar into their systems.
physical manipulation — Physically feeding a person in real space
Feed patients.
#19377 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Draw blood from arteries, using arterial collection techniques.
physical manipulation — Invasive specimen collection needs hands-on clinical skill
Collect biological specimens from patients.
#19373 · Supplemental · 5% automatable
Collect fluid or tissue samples, using appropriate collection procedures.
physical manipulation — Invasive specimen collection needs hands-on clinical skill
Collect biological specimens from patients.
#19388 · Supplemental · 43% automatable
Determine donor suitability, according to interview results, vital signs, and medical history.
decision support — Eligibility judgment from records, but accountability stays human
Collect medical information from patients, family members, or other medical professionals. Evaluate characteristics of individuals to determine needs or eligibility.
#19384 · Supplemental · 8% automatable
Calibrate or maintain machines, such as those used for plasma collection.
physical manipulation — Hands-on medical instrument maintenance
Maintain medical equipment or instruments.
Embed this calculator on your site ↓
Bloggers & authors: Embed this interactive calculator directly in your articles or comparison guides. It loads dynamically via a responsive iframe (auto-resizing to prevent double scrollbars) and provides a direct, high-value tool for your audience.
<div class="giniloh-calculator-embed" data-calculator="phlebotomists"></div>
<script src="https://giniloh.com/embed.js" async></script> Method
How this was scored
- 1. Tasks. O*NET task statements for this occupation, from a release whose newest record is dated 08/2026.
- 2. Work activities. Each task maps to 1–5 Detailed Work Activities; each activity belongs to one of 41 Generalized Work Activities that O*NET rates for importance (1–5) in this occupation.
- 3. Automation potential. Every work activity carries one score for how far current AI can perform it end-to-end. Tasks inherit the mean of their activities.
- 4. Weighting. Task weight = 0.35 + 0.65 × (importance − 1)/4, scaled by how often the task is performed and by 0.7 for Supplemental tasks. Importance is the task's own O*NET rating where it exists (18,369 of 18,838 tasks); the rest inherit their work activities' importance. The index is the weighted mean.
Check: across the 910 occupations where O*NET also rates how far machine speed sets the pace, this index moves opposite to it (Spearman ρ = -0.49). The more a job is paced by equipment, the less of its task content AI can address — the relationship you would expect if the scoring is working.
Sources · O*NET 31.0 (task records to 08/2026) · BLS OEWS May 2025 · BLS projections 2025-2035 · rubric v2.1 · tasks for O*NET, not a forecast
See the full method →Related Article
Best AI Proof Jobs in a Changing Market
Worried robots are coming for your paycheck? You’re not alone—but the real story is far more hopeful. This guide cuts through the scare headlines to reveal exactly where smart, sustainable career opportunities exist right now. We’ve curated a list of true ai proof jobs—roles in healthcare, skilled trades, and cybersecurity that not only survive automation but thrive because of human judgment and empathy. You’ll get specific, money-making data on projected growth (the BLS says wind turbine technicians, for instance, will grow 44% by 2032), real salary ranges from active job listings, and a simple self-assessment quiz to identify your own most resilient path. Plus, we name companies hiring today and the niche job boards they use. Stop worrying and start planning—your secure career is closer than you think.
Read Article ->