Colorado AI Exposure Atlas

Colorado · Employment data 2025

La Plata County

About 1 in 4 jobs — 23.4% — are in the top two exposure tiers. That is roughly 6,400 of 27,323 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.

Some local data is missing. 19.3% 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 23.4% here, compared with 27.4% statewide and 25.9% nationally.

Tier distribution
Share of La Plata County jobs in each AI task-overlap tier
TierShare of jobsJobs
high overlap 5.3% 1,446
substantial overlap 18.1% 4,944
some overlap 28.8% 7,873
little overlap 47.8% 13,060

Counties with similar job counts: Garfield (20.9%), Summit (17.6%), Eagle (18.8%). Small differences should not be treated as precise rankings.

Locator map: La Plata County highlighted within Colorado

Across all of La Plata County's jobs, 5.3% are in high-overlap occupations, 18.1% substantial, 28.8% some, and 47.8% little.

County context. Population 56,331. Median annual earnings for workers living here: $45,591 (±$2,172). 2020–2024 ACS 5-year estimates. These are residence-based — they describe the people who live in La Plata County, while the employment figures describe the jobs located in it.

Plate I

Groups with the highest task overlap

  1. Computer and Mathematical 2.4% of jobs · score 54.9
    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. Office and Admin Support 11.7% of jobs · score 52.5
    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
  3. Business and Financial Operations 5.7% of jobs · score 52.5
    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
  4. Life and Physical Science 0.9% of jobs · score 49.0
    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. Legal 0.9% of jobs · score 45.7
    Largest occupations in this group nationally:
    • Lawyers
    • Paralegals and Legal Assistants
    • Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers
    • Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates
    • Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers
    • Judicial Law Clerks
Most-exposed occupation groups in La Plata County
Occupation group Estimated jobs Share of county jobs Mean exposure score
Computer and Mathematical Occupations 669 2.4% 54.9
Office and Administrative Support Occupations 3,184 11.7% 52.5
Business and Financial Operations Occupations 1,556 5.7% 52.5
Life, Physical, and Social Science Occupations 234 0.9% 49.0
Legal Occupations 233 0.9% 45.7
The five occupation groups with the highest mean exposure scores in La Plata 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 11.6% of jobs · score 14.0
    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 7.2% of jobs · score 13.7
    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 6.2% of jobs · score 8.3
    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. Installation, Maintenance, and Repair 4.2% of jobs · score 11.1
    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
  5. Building and Grounds 4.1% of jobs · score 5.6
    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
Largest occupation groups below this county's average exposure in La Plata County
Occupation group Estimated jobs Share of county jobs Mean exposure score
Food Preparation and Serving Related Occupations 3,171 11.6% 14.0
Transportation and Material Moving Occupations 1,978 7.2% 13.7
Construction and Extraction Occupations 1,686 6.2% 8.3
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair Occupations 1,155 4.2% 11.1
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance Occupations 1,129 4.1% 5.6
The five largest occupation groups scoring below La Plata County's own employment-weighted average exposure of 29.7 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 payroll

Measured by payroll rather than headcount, high- and substantial-overlap work is a larger share of La Plata County's economy — exposure here skews toward higher-wage occupations.

High+substantial share of jobs versus payroll, La Plata County and Colorado
Measure La Plata County Colorado
Share of jobs in high- or substantial-overlap occupations 23.4% 27.4%
Share of payroll in high- or substantial-overlap occupations 30.2% 34.8%
Share of La Plata 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 La Plata County compares

La Plata County's high+substantial share of 23.4% 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% La Plata 23.4% share of jobs in high- or substantial-overlap occupations (%)
La Plata County high+substantial share in state and national context
La Plata County share23.4%
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; La Plata County sits at 23.4%. 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 La Plata County, Colorado.” Colorado AI Exposure Atlas, 2026 edition. https://coloradoaiexposureatlas.com/county/la-plata/.

2026 Edition · Employment data 2025 · Compiled by Christopher Martin

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