43% of these careers already have a full profile page; the rest publish with the next tranche and show the same bank data here in the meantime.
30 Remote-Friendly Careers, Ranked by Median Wage (2026)
Industrial-Organizational Psychologist tops this list at $193,950 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with +6.3% projected employment change over 2024–2034. Below are 30 careers that meet the criteria, each with its real median wage, outlook and entry requirement.
Desk-based occupations with high electronic communication and low physical or outdoor demands, the work-context profile that travels well to remote work.
- Careers on this list
- 30
- Median pay on the list
- $141,990
- Projected to grow
- 29 of 30
- Openings a year
- 792,700
From 923 in the bank
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Combined, BLS EP
How we built this list
- Included when O*NET work context shows high electronic communication together with low physical activity and low outdoor exposure.
- This measures whether the work *can* be done remotely, not whether employers currently allow it.
- Occupations with no BLS wage or projection data are excluded rather than estimated.
- The list is regenerated from source data on every bank refresh. It is not hand-picked and no editorial ranking is applied.
The top 30 remote-friendly careers
1. Industrial-Organizational Psychologist
Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Median pay
- $193,950
- Growth
- +6.3%
- Openings / yr
- 400
- Education
- Master's
Apply principles of psychology to human resources, administration, management, sales, and marketing problems.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Management
- Median pay
- $175,140
- Growth
- +15.2%
- Openings / yr
- 55,600
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as electronic data processing, information systems, systems analysis, and computer programming.
3. Physicist
Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Median pay
- $172,250
- Growth
- +4.0%
- Openings / yr
- 1,700
- Education
- Doctorate
Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Management
- Median pay
- $171,270
- Growth
- +3.8%
- Openings / yr
- 14,500
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as architecture and engineering or research and development in these fields.
5. Natural Sciences Manager
Management
- Median pay
- $167,220
- Growth
- +3.7%
- Openings / yr
- 8,500
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities in such fields as life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, statistics, and research and development in these fields.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Management
- Median pay
- $166,790
- Growth
- +6.6%
- Openings / yr
- 34,300
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan, direct, or coordinate marketing policies and programs, such as determining the demand for products and services offered by a firm and its competitors, and identify potential customers.
Management
- Median pay
- $166,570
- Growth
- +14.8%
- Openings / yr
- 74,600
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan, direct, or coordinate accounting, investing, banking, insurance, securities, and other financial activities of a branch, office, or department of an establishment.
Management
- Median pay
- $166,570
- Growth
- +14.8%
- Openings / yr
- 74,600
- Education
- Bachelor's
Direct financial activities, such as planning, procurement, and investments for all or part of an organization.
Management
- Median pay
- $166,570
- Growth
- +14.8%
- Openings / yr
- 74,600
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan, direct, or coordinate investment strategy or operations for a large pool of liquid assets supplied by institutional investors or individual investors.
10. Computer Hardware Engineer
Architecture and Engineering
- Median pay
- $161,740
- Growth
- +7.3%
- Openings / yr
- 4,700
- Education
- Bachelor's
Research, design, develop, or test computer or computer-related equipment for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Legal
- Median pay
- $159,670
- Growth
- +4.1%
- Openings / yr
- 31,500
- Education
- Doctorate
Represent clients in criminal and civil litigation and other legal proceedings, draw up legal documents, or manage or advise clients on legal transactions.
Management
- Median pay
- $149,280
- Growth
- +5.0%
- Openings / yr
- 17,900
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan, direct, or coordinate human resources activities and staff of an organization.
13. Compensation and Benefits Manager
Management
- Median pay
- $149,230
- Growth
- +0.2%
- Openings / yr
- 1,500
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan, direct, or coordinate compensation and benefits activities of an organization.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
14. Purchasing Manager
Management
- Median pay
- $148,080
- Growth
- +3.1%
- Openings / yr
- 6,400
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan, direct, or coordinate the activities of buyers, purchasing officers, and related workers involved in purchasing materials, products, and services.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
15. Political Scientist
Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Median pay
- $142,080
- Growth
- -3.1%
- Openings / yr
- 500
- Education
- Master's
Study the origin, development, and operation of political systems.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
16. Regulatory Affairs Manager
Management
- Median pay
- $141,900
- Growth
- +4.5%
- Openings / yr
- 106,700
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan, direct, or coordinate production activities of an organization to ensure compliance with regulations and standard operating procedures.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
17. Compliance Manager
Management
- Median pay
- $141,900
- Growth
- +4.5%
- Openings / yr
- 106,700
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan, direct, or coordinate activities of an organization to ensure compliance with ethical or regulatory standards.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
18. Computer and Information Research Scientist
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $140,300
- Growth
- +19.7%
- Openings / yr
- 3,200
- Education
- Master's
Conduct research into fundamental computer and information science as theorists, designers, or inventors.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
19. Database Architect
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $139,500
- Growth
- +8.7%
- Openings / yr
- 4,000
- Education
- Bachelor's
Design strategies for enterprise databases, data warehouse systems, and multidimensional networks.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
20. Data Warehousing Specialist
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $139,500
- Growth
- +8.7%
- Openings / yr
- 4,000
- Education
- Bachelor's
Design, model, or implement corporate data warehousing activities.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $135,980
- Growth
- +15.8%
- Openings / yr
- 115,200
- Education
- Bachelor's
Research, design, and develop computer and network software or specialized utility programs.
Architecture and Engineering
- Median pay
- $134,960
- Growth
- +6.1%
- Openings / yr
- 4,500
- Education
- Bachelor's
Perform engineering duties in designing, constructing, and testing aircraft, missiles, and spacecraft.
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $134,050
- Growth
- +11.9%
- Openings / yr
- 11,200
- Education
- Bachelor's
Design and implement computer and information networks, such as local area networks (LAN), wide area networks (WAN), intranets, extranets, and other data communications networks.
24. Training and Development Manager
Management
- Median pay
- $133,000
- Growth
- +5.8%
- Openings / yr
- 3,800
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan, direct, or coordinate the training and development activities and staff of an organization.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
25. Electronics Engineer, Except Computer
Architecture and Engineering
- Median pay
- $130,220
- Growth
- +6.2%
- Openings / yr
- 5,700
- Education
- Bachelor's
Research, design, develop, or test electronic components and systems for commercial, industrial, military, or scientific use employing knowledge of electronic theory and materials properties.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
26. Radio Frequency Identification Device Specialist
Architecture and Engineering
- Median pay
- $130,220
- Growth
- +6.2%
- Openings / yr
- 5,700
- Education
- Bachelor's
Design and implement radio frequency identification device (RFID) systems used to track shipments or goods.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $130,000
- Growth
- +21.8%
- Openings / yr
- 2,400
- Education
- Bachelor's
Analyze statistical data, such as mortality, accident, sickness, disability, and retirement rates and construct probability tables to forecast risk and liability for payment of future benefits.
Computer and Mathematical
- Median pay
- $129,180
- Growth
- +28.5%
- Openings / yr
- 16,000
- Education
- Bachelor's
Plan, implement, upgrade, or monitor security measures for the protection of computer networks and information.
29. Astronomer
Life, Physical, and Social Science
- Median pay
- $128,820
- Growth
- +2.2%
- Openings / yr
- 100
- Education
- Doctorate
Observe, research, and interpret astronomical phenomena to increase basic knowledge or apply such information to practical problems.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
30. Law Teacher, Postsecondary
Educational Instruction and Library
- Median pay
- $128,500
- Growth
- +2.2%
- Openings / yr
- 2,200
- Education
- Doctorate
Teach courses in law.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Remote-Friendly Careers: FAQ
What is the top career on the remote-friendly careers list?
Industrial-Organizational Psychologist leads the list with a median wage of $193,950 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025) and projected employment change of +6.3% over 2024–2034. Typical entry-level education is master's.
How was this list put together?
Desk-based occupations with high electronic communication and low physical or outdoor demands, the work-context profile that travels well to remote work. Included when O*NET work context shows high electronic communication together with low physical activity and low outdoor exposure. This measures whether the work *can* be done remotely, not whether employers currently allow it. Every figure comes from BLS OEWS May 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET 30.3 Database.
How much do remote-friendly careers pay?
Across the 30 careers on this list the middle occupation pays $141,990 a year, from $128,500 at the bottom to $193,950 at the top (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The median across all US occupations is $50,980.
How many of these careers can you enter without a degree?
None. BLS lists an associate's degree or higher as the typical entry requirement for all 30 careers on this list.