Colorado AI Exposure Atlas

Colorado · Employment data 2025

Custer County

About 1 in 5 jobs — 21.7% — are in the top two exposure tiers. That is roughly 220 of 1,026 covered jobs.

This estimates the share of jobs in occupations with high or substantial task overlap in the 2023 ratings. It is not a job-loss forecast.

Limited local data. 52.8% of the employment base had to be estimated from withheld industry counts. Read broad patterns rather than small differences. About this estimate

How the county's jobs are distributed

“Covered jobs” are jobs in unemployment-insurance records; most self-employed work is excluded. The top two tiers make up 21.7% here, compared with 27.4% statewide and 25.9% nationally.

Tier distribution
Share of Custer County jobs in each AI task-overlap tier
TierShare of jobsJobs
high overlap 4.7% 48
substantial overlap 17.0% 174
some overlap 30.5% 313
little overlap 47.8% 491

Counties with similar job counts: Crowley (28.8%), Costilla (21.4%), Baca (21.3%). Small differences should not be treated as precise rankings.

Locator map: Custer County highlighted within Colorado

Across all of Custer County's jobs, 4.7% are in high-overlap occupations, 17.0% substantial, 30.5% some, and 47.8% little. Heavily imputed estimate.

County context. Population 5,247. Median annual earnings for workers living here: $48,735 (±$7,816). 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates. These are residence-based — they describe the people who live in Custer County, while the employment figures describe the jobs located in it.

Plate I

Groups with the highest task overlap

  1. Computer and Mathematical 2.5% of jobs · score 54.5
    Largest occupations in this group nationally:
    • Software Developers
    • Computer User Support Specialists
    • Computer Systems Analysts
    • Network and Computer Systems Administrators
    • Data Scientists
    • Information Security Analysts
  2. Business and Financial Operations 5.3% of jobs · score 52.1
    Largest occupations in this group nationally:
    • Accountants and Auditors
    • Project Management Specialists
    • Human Resources Specialists
    • Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists
    • Management Analysts
    • Buyers and Purchasing Agents
  3. Office and Admin Support 12.1% of jobs · score 50.3
    Largest occupations in this group nationally:
    • Customer Service Representatives
    • Office Clerks, General
    • Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive
    • First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers
    • Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerks
    • Medical Secretaries and Administrative Assistants
  4. Life and Physical Science 0.8% of jobs · score 49.3
    Largest occupations in this group nationally:
    • Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists
    • Occupational Health and Safety Specialists
    • Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
    • Chemists
    • Clinical and Counseling Psychologists
    • Biological Technicians
  5. Architecture and Engineering 1.7% of jobs · score 45.2
    Largest occupations in this group nationally:
    • Civil Engineers
    • Industrial Engineers
    • Mechanical Engineers
    • Electrical Engineers
    • Architects, Except Landscape and Naval
    • Architectural and Civil Drafters
Most-exposed occupation groups in Custer County
Occupation group Estimated jobs Share of county jobs Mean exposure score
Computer and Mathematical Occupations 25 2.5% 54.5
Business and Financial Operations Occupations 54 5.3% 52.1
Office and Administrative Support Occupations 125 12.1% 50.3
Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations 8 0.8% 49.3
Architecture and Engineering Occupations 17 1.7% 45.2
The five occupation groups with the highest mean exposure scores in Custer County, with each group's estimated share of county jobs. Scores are on a 0–100 scale. Occupations named under each bar are that group's largest nationally, not county estimates — this atlas does not publish county employment below the major-group level.

Plate II

Large groups with lower task overlap

  1. Food Preparation and Serving 11.5% of jobs · score 13.9
    Largest occupations in this group nationally:
    • Fast Food and Counter Workers
    • Waiters and Waitresses
    • Cooks, Restaurant
    • First-Line Supervisors of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
    • Food Preparation Workers
    • Bartenders
  2. Transportation and Moving 7.0% of jobs · score 15.0
    Largest occupations in this group nationally:
    • Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand
    • Stockers and Order Fillers
    • Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers
    • Light Truck Drivers
    • Industrial Truck and Tractor Operators
    • First-Line Supervisors of Transportation and Material Moving Workers, Except Aircraft Cargo Handling Supervisors
  3. Construction and Extraction 6.1% of jobs · score 7.6
    Largest occupations in this group nationally:
    • Construction Laborers
    • First-Line Supervisors of Construction Trades and Extraction Workers
    • Electricians
    • Carpenters
    • Operating Engineers and Other Construction Equipment Operators
    • Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters
  4. Building and Grounds 5.8% of jobs · score 5.9
    Largest occupations in this group nationally:
    • Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
    • Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers
    • Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners
    • First-Line Supervisors of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers
    • First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers
    • Pest Control Workers
  5. Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 4.0% of jobs · score 10.8
    Largest occupations in this group nationally:
    • Maintenance and Repair Workers, General
    • Automotive Service Technicians and Mechanics
    • First-Line Supervisors of Mechanics, Installers, and Repairers
    • Industrial Machinery Mechanics
    • Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
    • Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists
Largest occupation groups below this county's average exposure in Custer County
Occupation group Estimated jobs Share of county jobs Mean exposure score
Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations 118 11.5% 13.9
Transportation and Material Moving Occupations 72 7.0% 15.0
Construction and Extraction Occupations 63 6.1% 7.6
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations 60 5.8% 5.9
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations 41 4.0% 10.8
The five largest occupation groups scoring below Custer County's own employment-weighted average exposure of 29.3 of 100 — the biggest kinds of local work that overlap AI capabilities assessed in 2023 less than the county's work does on average. This is a comparison within the county, not a claim that these groups are unexposed. Occupations named under each bar are that group's largest nationally, not county estimates — this atlas does not publish county employment below the major-group level.

Plate III

Jobs versus modeled payroll

Using national average wages to model payroll, occupations in the top two tiers make up a larger share of payroll than of jobs in Custer County. This describes the estimated occupation mix, not observed local pay.

High+substantial share of jobs versus payroll, Custer County and Colorado
Measure Custer County Colorado
Share of jobs in high- or substantial-overlap occupations 21.7% 27.4%
Share of payroll in high- or substantial-overlap occupations 29.1% 34.8%
Share of Custer County's jobs, and of its estimated payroll, in occupations with high or substantial AI task overlap (score ≥ 45 of 100). The tick on each track marks the statewide share.

Plate IV

How Custer County compares

Custer County's high+substantial share of 21.7% compared with all 64 Colorado counties (range 15.9% to 35.3%). The typical county sits at 21.2%, Colorado overall at 27.4%, the United States at 25.9%. 15 17 19 21 23 25 27 29 31 33 35 typical county 21.2% Colorado overall 27.4% US 25.9% Custer 21.7% share of jobs in high- or substantial-overlap occupations (%)
Custer County high+substantial share in state and national context
Custer County share21.7%
Typical (median) Colorado county21.2%
Colorado overall (employment-weighted)27.4%
United States overall25.9%
Lowest county share15.9%
Highest county share35.3%
Each gray tick is one of Colorado's 64 counties, placed by the share of its jobs in high- or substantial-overlap occupations; Custer County sits at 21.7%. The typical (median) county sits at 21.2%. The statewide figure, 27.4%, is employment-weighted and runs above nearly every individual county because most Colorado jobs are in a handful of metro counties; the United States overall sits at 25.9%.

Cite this page

Colorado AI Exposure Atlas

Martin, Christopher. “AI Job Exposure in Custer County, Colorado.” Colorado AI Exposure Atlas, 2026 edition. https://coloradoaiexposureatlas.com/county/custer/.

2026 Edition · Employment data 2025 · Compiled by Christopher Martin

Download Custer County's data (JSON) — every number on this page, CC BY 4.0. Statewide files on the data page.