Anthropic recently released the 2025 Anthropic Economic Index, a report that, for the first time, brings together geographic, job-related and enterprise-level business data to show how people around the world are using AI through its large language model, Claude. The report examines millions of anonymized conversations to provide insights into how AI is being adopted and its implications for economic growth, workforce development and public policy. Globally, the research found:

• Adoption is uneven: Advanced economies and certain U.S. states are moving quickly to integrate Claude into core business functions, while others are progressing more slowly, which could widen gaps in economic strength over time.
• Work patterns are shifting: Coding remains a dominant use case for Claude, but its application on more diverse tasks in education and the sciences are growing rapidly as AI is used across industries, suggesting increased appetite for AI tools among a greater proportion of the workforce.
• Less augmentation, more automation: For the first time, automation (where AI directly produces work with minimal user input) has become overall more common than augmentation (where the user and AI collaborate to get things done), which could have broader workforce and hiring implications.

Claude in the Heartland

Nationally, Missouri stands out as the only heartland state ranked in the top “Leading” tier for relative Claude AI adoption, placing 12th overall, with Illinois (#14) and Minnesota (#20) close behind. This is critical, as early adoption of new technologies often fuels innovation, job creation and long-term economic growth.

Building on this national snapshot, Heartland Forward conducted a deeper analysis using data from the Anthropic Economic Index to examine how AI adoption varies across the 20 heartland states. This regional view highlights where progress is strongest, where gaps remain and how the heartland can position itself to compete in an AI-driven economy:

• Adoption Leaders: Texas leads the heartland in overall Claude use, driven by state size and the diversity of the economy. By comparison, smaller and more rural heartland states show strong AI adoption rates relative to their populations, but lower total Claude usage, signaling potential gaps in AI access and training that could widen over time if not addressed. 

• AI in the Workforce: The data revealed that AI adoption with Claude across the heartland is heavily concentrated in computer and math-based jobs. This trend is most pronounced in Texas, Illinois and Missouri, where such fields comprise a larger share of the workforce. While computer and math-based jobs naturally lend themselves to AI because they rely on data, coding and analysis, other fields—such as administrative support, education and media—are also seeing year-over-year increases in AI adoption.

• AI Use Cases: Across the heartland, the most common way people are using AI is to edit or improve written content and documents—this ranked as the top use case in 18 of the 20 heartland states. Its near-universal prominence shows how AI is already being integrated into everyday work across a wide range of industries and communities. More advanced and specialized uses of AI, such as fixing software code errors across programming languages (most common in Washington) or performing complex mathematical calculations (most common in California) are far less common in heartland states. This highlights the need to build skills and infrastructure to unlock more lucrative and innovative opportunities for heartland residents.

The Anthropic report is notable for being the first to track state-by-state AI adoption based on actual usage data from a single large language model—Claude—rather than surveys or self-reported information. This provides a valuable baseline, but it’s important to note that Claude is just one AI tool in a much larger ecosystem. When we layer in data from additional sources, a more complete picture of AI adoption across the heartland emerges:

• Small Business Adoption: Kansas, Illinois and Louisiana all rank in the national top ten for small business AI use, with roughly two-thirds of the small businesses in each state already integrating generative AI into their operations, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

• School Districts: School districts in Wisconsin, Illinois and Texas rank among the top 20 nationwide for how actively they are planning for and governing AI use in schools, according to the Starbridge U.S. School Districts AI Adoption Index.

• Student AI Use: Another recent report shows Arkansas, Texas and Mississippi leading the country in individual student AI use, demonstrating that younger generations in these states have been exposed to and quickly gained confidence in using AI tools.

Taken together, these findings and the Anthropic analysis show that AI adoption in the heartland is multi-layered, yet uneven, with some states and sectors advancing more quickly while others risk falling behind. To help close these gaps and strengthen regional competitiveness, leaders can focus on three priorities:

• Invest in Workforce Readiness: Expand training and education to help workers build the problem-solving, leadership and digital skills needed to thrive alongside AI.
  • Heartland Examples to Follow: Ohio University’s fully online AI Graduate Certificate and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s three new AI courses provide working professionals with practical, hands-on training they can apply directly—helping today’s workforce integrate AI into their roles and prepare for the jobs of the future.

• Support Widespread Adoption: Provide tools, expertise and resources so small businesses, rural areas and non-tech industries can fully participate in the AI economy.
  • Heartland Example to Follow: Tulsa’s Black Tech Street, the State of Oklahoma and NVIDIA are partnering to train 10,000 local learners in Tulsa in partnership to catalyze economic growth in the area by supporting tech startups and creating high-paying jobs in the burgeoning AI sector. 

• Break Down Communication Siloes: Convenings that bring together business, education, government and community leaders can foster shared understanding and alignment around AI’s role in the region.
  • Heartland Examples to Follow: Events like the Arkansas AI Roundtable, the Ohio Chamber’s Exploring AI Summit, the Waco Chamber’s State of AI Luncheon in Texas and the Kentucky Chamber’s AI Summit are bringing leaders together to discuss the future of AI, helping states align their efforts and build momentum toward a more coordinated, strategic approach to AI innovation.

With continued thoughtful strategy and coordinated action, the heartland can transform existing pockets of innovation into region-wide leadership. This moment represents more than a challenge—it’s an opportunity to shape how AI strengthens communities and drives sustainable economic growth.

As part of Heartland Forward’s ongoing Regional Competitiveness work, we will continue tracking these trends, sharing insights and convening stakeholders to ensure the heartland leverages AI as a driver of innovation, growth and opportunity.

*The Anthropic Economic Index reflects usage data from Anthropic’s Claude only. It does not capture activity from other leading AI platforms such as ChatGPT or Gemini. As such, it represents a partial view of overall AI adoption.