# Data Entry Keyers

US SOC code 43-9021. Markdown version of https://futurehistory.earth/timeline/43-9021

Also called: Data entry clerk, Data entry operator, Data entry specialist, Keying operator, Document entry clerk.

## In brief

In May 2025, [BLS](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip) counted **127,080** US data entry keyers, with median pay of **$41,340** a year. Of the BLS counts since 2003, the highest was **339,010**, in May 2003. The earliest figure here is [an estimate](https://www.census.gov/about/history/bureau-history/census-innovations/technology/hollerith-machine.html) of **200** from 1890, not measured the same way as today's count. The last full technology era for data entry keyers: OCR and forms-processing software, 2000 to 2020. Employment fell between 2004 and 2010.

## What the sources say

### Official outlook

BLS projects employment to decline 25.5% from 2025 to 2035. Source: [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=43-9021&ioType=o).

### AI exposure studies

- **50%** of this job's tasks are exposed to large language models. Not a forecast of job losses. [Eloundou and others, 2023](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv)

Data as of BLS OEWS May 2025; BLS Employment Projections 2025-35. BLS publishes these counts as yearly survey snapshots and cautions against reading them as a precise trend. In May 2021 BLS changed how it estimates these counts (a model-based method using three years of survey data) and moved fully to the 2018 occupation codes, so part of a change across 2021 can come from the method rather than the work.

## Data Entry Keyers employment and pay by year

- On record since: 1890
- Latest US employment: 127,080 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [4]
- Latest US median pay: $41,340 (May 2025). Source: BLS OEWS May 2025 [9]
- Outlook: -25.5% by 2035. Source: BLS Employment Projections 2025-35 [21]

### In other countries

The latest figure each country's statistics agency publishes for this job. Each uses its own occupation definition, survey basis and currency, so the numbers are not directly comparable with each other or with the US figures.

- **Canada** (NOC 14111)
  - Employment, 2020: 40,820. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [7]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021: number of persons with employment income in NOC 14111 Data entry clerks, Canada, reference year 2020. A recipients basis (anyone with employment income during the year), slightly broader than a point-in-time employed count. Statistics Canada Open Licence.
  - Median pay, 2020: C$47,600. Source: Statistics Canada Census 2021 [12]. Statistics Canada Census of Population 2021 (Table 98-10-0586): median employment income for NOC 14111 Data entry clerks, Canada, reference year 2020, full-year full-time workers (the basis comparable to the US OEWS full-time median). Statistics Canada Open Licence.

### All 27 years of cited US data

| Year | US employment | Annual pay (median unless marked) | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1890 | 200 (estimate) | n/a | Est., U.S. Census Bureau History [1] |
| 1950 | 75,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., The Conversation [2] |
| 1960 | n/a | $3,800 (estimate) | Est., University of Missouri Libraries [8] |
| 1980 | 291,000 (estimate) | n/a | Est., ERIC [3] |
| 2003 | 339,010 | $22,600 | BLS OEWS May 2003 [4] |
| 2004 | 313,590 | $23,250 | BLS OEWS May 2004 [4] |
| 2005 | 296,700 | $23,810 | BLS OEWS May 2005 [4] |
| 2006 | 295,650 | $24,690 | BLS OEWS May 2006 [4] |
| 2007 | 286,540 | $25,370 | BLS OEWS May 2007 [4] |
| 2008 | 272,810 | $26,120 | BLS OEWS May 2008 [4] |
| 2009 | 243,550 | $27,150 | BLS OEWS May 2009 [4] |
| 2010 | 219,530 | $27,450 | BLS OEWS May 2010 [4] |
| 2011 | 211,200 | $27,690 | BLS OEWS May 2011 [4] |
| 2012 | 207,280 | $28,010 | BLS OEWS May 2012 [4] |
| 2013 | 207,660 | $28,470 | BLS OEWS May 2013 [4] |
| 2014 | 205,950 | $28,870 | BLS OEWS May 2014 [4] |
| 2015 | 199,240 | $29,460 | BLS OEWS May 2015 [4] |
| 2016 | 194,810 | $30,100 | BLS OEWS May 2016 [4] |
| 2017 | 180,100 | $30,930 | BLS OEWS May 2017 [4] |
| 2018 | 174,930 | $32,170 | BLS OEWS May 2018 [4] |
| 2019 | 159,930 | $33,490 | BLS OEWS May 2019 [4] |
| 2020 | 151,520 | $34,440 | BLS OEWS May 2020 [4] |
| 2021 | 147,170 | $35,630 | BLS OEWS May 2021 [4] |
| 2022 | 157,380 | $36,190 | BLS OEWS May 2022 [4] |
| 2023 | 154,230 | $37,790 | BLS OEWS May 2023 [4] |
| 2024 | 135,280 | $39,850 | BLS OEWS May 2024 [4] |
| 2025 | 127,080 | $41,340 | BLS OEWS May 2025 [4] |

## Sources (84)

### Employment series

1. [U.S. Census Bureau History -- The Hollerith Machine (census operators, card preparation rates)](https://www.census.gov/about/history/bureau-history/census-innovations/technology/hollerith-machine.html), U.S. Census Bureau
2. [The Conversation -- "How the US census led to the first data processing company 125 years ago" (Hollerith, IBM, and the punched-card labor force)](https://theconversation.com/how-the-us-census-led-to-the-first-data-processing-company-125-years-ago-and-kick-started-americas-computing-industry-172850), The Conversation
3. [ERIC -- "Employment Trends in Computer Occupations" BLS Bulletin 2101, 1981 (keypunch operators as ~1-in-5 of 1.455M computer workers in 1980)](https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED224915), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics / ERIC
4. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
5. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
6. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
7. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Wage series

8. [University of Missouri Libraries -- Prices and Wages by Decade: 1960-1969 (BLS clerical wage benchmarks)](https://libraryguides.missouri.edu/pricesandwages/1960-1969), University of Missouri Libraries / BLS historical sources
9. BLS OEWS, national cross-industry estimates (flat file), Bureau of Labor Statistics. Editions: [2003](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm03nat.zip), [2004](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm04nat.zip), [2005](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm05nat.zip), [2006](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm06nat.zip), [2007](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm07nat.zip), [2008](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm08nat.zip), [2009](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm09nat.zip), [2010](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm10nat.zip), [2011](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm11nat.zip), [2012](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm12nat.zip), [2013](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm13nat.zip), [2014](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm14nat.zip), [2015](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm15nat.zip), [2016](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm16nat.zip), [2017](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm17nat.zip), [2018](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm18nat.zip), [2019](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm19nat.zip), [2020](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm20nat.zip), [2021](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm21nat.zip), [2022](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm22nat.zip), [2023](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm23nat.zip), [2024](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), [2025](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm25nat.zip)
10. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2006, Table 97-563-XCB2006069 (Wage and salary statistics by occupation, NOC-S 2006), income reference year 2005](https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/tbt/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&PID=96285), Statistics Canada
11. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2016, Table 98-400-X2016356 (Occupation by employment income statistics, NOC 2016), income reference year 2015](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/catalogue/98-400-X2016356), Statistics Canada
12. [Statistics Canada, Census of Population 2021, Table 98-10-0586 (Employment income statistics by occupation unit group, NOC 2021), income reference year 2020](https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/t1/tbl1/en/tv.action?pid=9810058601), Statistics Canada

### Tool eras

13. [U.S. Census Bureau History -- The Hollerith Machine (processing rates, cost savings, operator roles)](https://www.census.gov/about/history/bureau-history/census-innovations/technology/hollerith-machine.html), U.S. Census Bureau
14. [Computer History Museum -- Making Sense of the Census: Hollerith's Punched Card Solution](https://www.computerhistory.org/revolution/punched-cards/2/2), Computer History Museum
15. [Columbia University Computing History -- The IBM 026 Key Punch (machine specifications and operator rates)](http://www.columbia.edu/cu/computinghistory/026.html), Columbia University
16. [Wikipedia -- Keypunch (IBM 026, operator workflow, Remington Rand UNITYPER)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keypunch), Wikipedia
17. [Wikipedia -- Data entry clerk (history: 1970s VDT replacement of punched cards)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_entry_clerk), Wikipedia
18. [Encyclopedia.com -- Data Entry Keyer (employment context circa 2004)](https://www.encyclopedia.com/economics/news-and-education-magazines/data-entry-keyer), Encyclopedia.com / BLS
19. [O\*NET 43-9021.00 -- BLS OEWS May 2024 (current employment 141,600)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/43-9021.00), O\*NET / BLS
20. [WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025 -- Data entry clerks among fastest-declining occupations, -34% by 2030](https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/), World Economic Forum

### Forecasts and exposure studies

21. [BLS Employment Projections 2025-35, National Employment Matrix: 43-9021 Data entry keyers (2025: 131.8 thousand; 2035: 98.2 thousand; -25.5%)](https://data.bls.gov/projections/nationalMatrix?queryParams=43-9021&ioType=o), Bureau of Labor Statistics
22. [Eloundou, Manning, Mishkin & Rock (2023), "GPTs are GPTs", occupation-level exposure data occ\_level.csv (O\*NET-SOC 43-9021.00, human-rated β 0.5)](https://github.com/openai/GPTs-are-GPTs/blob/main/data/occ_level.csv), OpenAI

### Historical notes

23. [U.S. Census Bureau History -- The Hollerith Machine](https://www.census.gov/about/history/bureau-history/census-innovations/technology/hollerith-machine.html), U.S. Census Bureau
24. [IBM -- "The punched card tabulator" (IBM corporate history and card-punch product line)](https://www.ibm.com/history/punched-card-tabulator), IBM
25. [Columbia University Computing History -- The IBM 026 Key Punch](http://www.columbia.edu/cu/computinghistory/026.html), Columbia University
26. [Wikipedia -- Keypunch (IBM 026/029 card punch, gendered workforce demographics)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keypunch), Wikipedia
27. [Wikipedia -- Data entry clerk (VDT transition from punched cards in the 1970s)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Data_entry_clerk), Wikipedia
28. [Parsli -- "67 Data Entry Statistics and Automation Trends (2026)" (healthcare data entry and HIPAA accountability)](https://parsli.co/blog/data-entry-statistics), Parsli
29. [DataUSA -- Data Entry Keyers (employment trend 2014 peak of 375,267; 2024 level of 287,688)](https://datausa.io/profile/soc/data-entry-keyers), DataUSA / BLS
30. [WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025 -- fastest-declining occupations, data entry clerks -34% by 2030](https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/), World Economic Forum

### Predecessors & successors

31. [U.S. Census Bureau History -- The Hollerith Machine (census operator roles, 1890)](https://www.census.gov/about/history/bureau-history/census-innovations/technology/hollerith-machine.html), U.S. Census Bureau
32. [Wikipedia -- Keypunch (keypunch operator as primary predecessor to modern data entry keyer)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keypunch), Wikipedia

### Present-day analysis

- [O\*NET 30.3 — Data Entry Keyers (43-9021.00)](https://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/43-9021.00), accessed 2026-06-05
- [BLS OEWS May 2024 — Data Entry Keyers wage and employment data (national flat file)](https://www.bls.gov/oes/special-requests/oesm24nat.zip), accessed 2026-10-07
- [WEF Future of Jobs Report 2025 — Fastest-declining occupations](https://www.weforum.org/publications/the-future-of-jobs-report-2025/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Parsli — 67 Data Entry Statistics and Automation Trends (2026)](https://parsli.co/blog/data-entry-statistics), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Eloundou et al. 2024 — GPTs are GPTs (Science)](https://arxiv.org/abs/2303.10130), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Rossum — AI-powered document processing for transactional workflows](https://rossum.ai/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Nanonets IDP — Intelligent document processing accuracy benchmarks](https://idp-software.com/vendors/nanonets/), accessed 2026-06-05
- [Hyperscience — Data entry automation accuracy and human-review interface](https://marketplace.uipath.com/listings/hyperscience-data-entry-automation-606454), accessed 2026-06-05

How to read these figures: https://futurehistory.earth/methodology. Every figure links to its own source; gaps stay gaps.