Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the Mid-Atlantic
Question 1
Where are you right now?
Why we ask: a laid-off week and a thinking-about-a-move week look nothing alike. No résumé, no account.
Key facts
- #1 Fairfax County, VA: 50%
- #2 New York County, NY: 49%
- #3 Arlington County, VA: 46%
- 100 counties ranked in the Mid-Atlantic
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: 18% across all large counties.
- 1Fairfax County VA50%
- 2New York County NY49%
- 3Arlington County VA46%
- 4St. Mary's County MD41%
- 5Howard County MD37%
- 6Somerset County NJ36%
- 7Morris County NJ35%
- 8Richmond city VA34%
- 9Mercer County NJ34%
- 10Chester County PA33%
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Fairfax County leads on 50%, and #10 Chester County is at 33%.
- St. Mary's County reaches #4 on a sample of 32,304 jobs, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- New York County is the largest market in the top ten, with 2,255,764 jobs behind its figure.
- Counties with fewer than 20,000 jobs are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
Some local economies rely on sectors whose tasks AI can do in principle. The share of private-sector jobs in those sectors shows how exposed a county's job base is.
How to use it
Use it as a prompt to look at which skills your own work depends on. Exposure describes tasks AI could do, not jobs that will disappear.
The top 25
- 1
Fairfax County VA
50%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 548,490
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (28% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +1.7%
Based on 548,490 jobs.
- 2
New York County NY
49%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 2,255,764
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (16% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +5.1%
Based on 2,255,764 jobs.
- 3
Arlington County VA
46%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 142,571
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (34% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +4.6%
Based on 142,571 jobs.
- 4
St. Mary's County MD
41%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 32,304
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (33% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +5.6%
Based on 32,304 jobs.
- 5
Howard County MD
37%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 154,406
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (22% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +4.2%
Based on 154,406 jobs.
- 6
Somerset County NJ
36%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 174,995
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (16% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +1.0%
Based on 174,995 jobs.
- 7
Morris County NJ
35%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 272,959
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (14% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +2.4%
Based on 272,959 jobs.
- 8
Richmond city VA
34%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 126,164
- Largest exposed sector
- Admin & staffing (10% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +9.0%
Based on 126,164 jobs.
- 9
Mercer County NJ
34%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 185,956
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (13% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- −1.4%
Based on 185,956 jobs.
- 10
Chester County PA
33%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 229,927
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (11% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +2.6%
Based on 229,927 jobs.
- 11
Alexandria city VA
31%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 62,930
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (20% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- −1.6%
Based on 62,930 jobs.
- 12
New Castle County DE
31%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 268,280
- Largest exposed sector
- Finance & insurance (14% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +4.6%
Based on 268,280 jobs.
- 13
Henrico County VA
31%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 172,145
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (12% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +2.2%
Based on 172,145 jobs.
- 14
Hudson County NJ
31%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 232,842
- Largest exposed sector
- Finance & insurance (16% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +0.6%
Based on 232,842 jobs.
- 15
Montgomery County MD
30%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 364,761
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (17% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +1.4%
Based on 364,761 jobs.
- 16
Loudoun County VA
30%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 172,509
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (15% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +13.9%
Based on 172,509 jobs.
- 17
Montgomery County PA
29%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 468,571
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (11% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +0.1%
Based on 468,571 jobs.
- 18
Albany County NY
27%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 170,772
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (10% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +2.6%
Based on 170,772 jobs.
- 19
Middlesex County NJ
27%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 377,539
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (11% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- −0.5%
Based on 377,539 jobs.
- 20
Charlottesville city VA
27%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 27,172
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (11% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- −1.7%
Based on 27,172 jobs.
- 21
Allegheny County PA
26%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 606,603
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (9% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +1.4%
Based on 606,603 jobs.
- 22
Norfolk city VA
26%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 104,299
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (11% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +3.8%
Based on 104,299 jobs.
- 23
Virginia Beach city VA
25%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 151,378
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (9% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +2.8%
Based on 151,378 jobs.
- 24
Burlington County NJ
24%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 189,388
- Largest exposed sector
- Admin & staffing (8% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +5.3%
Based on 189,388 jobs.
- 25
Schenectady County NY
24%
- Private-sector jobs, 2025
- 49,874
- Largest exposed sector
- Professional & technical (12% of jobs)
- Job growth since 2022
- +6.3%
Based on 49,874 jobs.
Full ranking
All 100 counties that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
How this ranking works
A county's score is the share of its private-sector jobs in the sectors where much of the work is information handling that AI can already do in part: Information, Finance and insurance, Professional and technical services, Management of companies, and Administrative and staffing services. Jobs come from BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025.
Exposure describes the mix of a local economy, not a forecast of lost jobs. Only counties with at least 20,000 private-sector jobs in 2022 are ranked.
Sample bar: counties with fewer than 20,000 jobs are not ranked.
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025 (private-sector jobs by sector). Data as of November 2026.
Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.
Questions
- Which county ranks first: counties with the most jobs in ai-exposed sectors in the mid-atlantic?
- Fairfax County has the largest share of jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the Mid-Atlantic: 50% of its private-sector jobs, against 18% in the typical large county.
- How many counties are ranked?
- 100 counties have at least 20,000 jobs, so the list has 100 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- A county's score is the share of its private-sector jobs in the sectors where much of the work is information handling that AI can already do in part: Information, Finance and insurance, Professional and technical services, Management of companies, and Administrative and staffing services. Jobs come from BLS Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2025. Exposure describes the mix of a local economy, not a forecast of lost jobs. Only counties with at least 20,000 private-sector jobs in 2022 are ranked.
- How often is it updated?
- Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.
More rankings
- Colleges with the highest earnings 10 years after enrolling in the Mid-Atlantic
- Best college towns for junior jobs in the Mid-Atlantic
- Counties with the lowest unemployment in the Mid-Atlantic
- Counties where unemployment fell the most in the Mid-Atlantic
- Counties with the highest share of white-collar workers in the Mid-Atlantic
- Best cities for junior jobs in the Mid-Atlantic
- Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors
- All rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the Mid-Atlantic,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/counties-with-the-most-ai-exposed-jobs-in-the-mid-atlantic
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/counties-with-the-most-ai-exposed-jobs-in-the-mid-atlantic">Counties with the most jobs in AI-exposed sectors in the Mid-Atlantic (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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