Mathematics
Knowledge · O*NET work requirement
Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.
In the O*NET occupational database, Mathematics is an area of knowledge that work requires. O*NET rates how important it is (1–5) and what level of it a job needs (0–7) for every U.S. occupation. It is rated as important (3 or higher) in 496 of 894 occupations.
Breadth here means how widely O*NET rates this area of knowledge as important across occupations — not that it is rare, high-paying, or currently in employer demand.
Occupations that rely most on Mathematics
Ranked by O*NET importance to the occupation (1–5). Bars are sized against the 1–5 scale; the level column is what depth of the area of knowledge the job needs (0–7).
Showing the top 40 of 496 occupations where this is important.
How AI is used by roles that need Mathematics
This area of knowledge is not itself "being automated" — but we can look at the roles for which O*NET rates it important and ask how those people actually use AI. This rolls the Anthropic Economic Index per-role signal up across those roles (importance-weighted). 58.9% of the 496 roles where this is important carry observed AI-usage data (292 roles).
Across those roles, 46.6% of AI conversations are people working with AI and 31.3% hand a task to AI , with an average autonomy of 3.60 / 5.
| Collaboration pattern | Share | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| directive | 28.7% | AI does it; you give the instruction |
| task iteration | 23.0% | you and AI go back and forth |
| learning | 20.5% | you ask AI to explain or teach |
| validation | 3.0% | you do it; AI checks your work |
| feedback loop | 2.6% | AI does it, then adjusts from your feedback |
Roles behind this signal
The roles where this area of knowledge is most important and that also have the most AEI data. "Works with AI" is the role's share of conversations that augment rather than automate.
| Occupation | Importance | Works with AI | Autonomy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 4.2 | 63.2% | 4.0/5 |
| Economics Teachers, Postsecondary | 4.5 | 65.7% | 3.3/5 |
| Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | 4.3 | 66.3% | 4.0/5 |
| Mathematical Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 4.9 | 65.0% | 3.0/5 |
| Physics Teachers, Postsecondary | 4.8 | 65.9% | 4.0/5 |
| Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary | 3.3 | 66.2% | 3.3/5 |
| Instructional Coordinators | 3.7 | 53.1% | 4.0/5 |
| Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary | 4.5 | 67.0% | 4.0/5 |
| Forestry and Conservation Science Teachers, Postsecondary | 4.3 | 65.3% | 4.0/5 |
| Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary | 3.8 | 66.2% | 4.0/5 |
| Education Teachers, Postsecondary | 3.4 | 65.3% | 3.5/5 |
| Chemistry Teachers, Postsecondary | 4.5 | 66.0% | 4.0/5 |
Source: Anthropic Economic Index (2026-01-15-v4-plus-2025-03-27-v2) over a sample of Claude.ai Free and Pro conversations — not all AI tools and not the whole workforce. Shares are of observed conversations, weighted by how important this area of knowledge is to each role; some conversations are left unclassified by Anthropic's taxonomy, so shares need not sum to 100.
Industries that concentrate this
Where Mathematics matters most across the economy. Employment reach is the share of an industry's workers in occupations that significantly rely on Mathematics (O*NET importance ≥ 3 of 5). Concentration compares that reach to the national average industry, so a value above 1× means the requirement is more pervasive here than across the economy as a whole.
Nationally, about 43.1% of workers are in occupations that significantly rely on Mathematics (measured across 67 industries).
Sectors with the most such workers
| Sector | Workers | Employment reach |
|---|---|---|
| Health Care and Social Assistance | 7,858,460 | 34.0% |
| Retail Trade | 7,482,550 | 48.0% |
| Manufacturing | 7,087,830 | 55.5% |
| Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services | 6,628,550 | 61.5% |
| Educational Services | 5,824,050 | 42.7% |
| Construction | 5,055,070 | 62.2% |
| Finance and Insurance | 4,723,350 | 75.9% |
| Wholesale Trade | 3,342,670 | 55.4% |
| Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services | 2,660,920 | 29.5% |
| Transportation and Warehousing | 2,017,350 | 27.3% |
| Management of Companies and Enterprises | 1,796,030 | 63.9% |
| Information | 1,596,720 | 54.9% |
Industries where it is most concentrated
| Industry | Level | Concentration | Employment reach |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wind Electric Power Generation | National industry | 1.99× | 85.6% |
| Electrical Contractors and Other Wiring Installation Contractors | National industry | 1.89× | 81.5% |
| Plumbing, Heating, and Air-Conditioning Contractors | National industry | 1.87× | 80.7% |
| Engineering Services | National industry | 1.83× | 78.7% |
| Roofing Contractors | National industry | 1.83× | 78.7% |
| Testing Laboratories and Services | National industry | 1.8× | 77.7% |
| Insurance Agencies and Brokerages | National industry | 1.78× | 76.7% |
| Sporting Goods Retailers | National industry | 1.77× | 76.2% |
| Finance and Insurance | Sector | 1.76× | 75.9% |
| Farm and Garden Machinery and Equipment Merchant Wholesalers | National industry | 1.74× | 74.9% |
| Hydroelectric Power Generation | National industry | 1.74× | 75.1% |
| Fossil Fuel Electric Power Generation | National industry | 1.71× | 73.6% |
Reach is a measure of how widespread a requirement is across an industry's workforce, not how intensively any individual uses it. Sector worker counts come from BLS OEWS employment; the significance threshold and tool use come from O*NET. Industries shown by concentration are filtered to a real worker base so a tiny specialty cannot top the list on rounding.
Related knowledge, skills & abilities
Capabilities required by many of the same occupations — a measure of which skills, knowledge and abilities tend to travel together, not a judgment of similarity.
| Capability | Type | Shared occupations |
|---|---|---|
| Deductive Reasoning | Ability | 480 |
| Information Ordering | Ability | 490 |
| Critical Thinking | Basic skill | 476 |
| Category Flexibility | Ability | 439 |
| Problem Sensitivity | Ability | 493 |
| Inductive Reasoning | Ability | 449 |
| Complex Problem Solving | Cross-functional skill | 412 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | Cross-functional skill | 425 |
| Monitoring | Basic skill | 455 |
| Oral Expression | Ability | 484 |
| Written Comprehension | Ability | 445 |
| Speech Recognition | Ability | 466 |
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Census NAICS 2022 U.S. Census Bureau
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Singulariki. "Mathematics." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; Census NAICS 2022; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27). Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/knowledge/mathematics
Singulariki. (2026). Mathematics. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/knowledge/mathematics
@misc{singulariki-mathematics,
title = {Mathematics},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; Census NAICS 2022; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27). Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/knowledge/mathematics}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.