Data study

AI-Resistant Careers (2026): The Data

Name: NueCareer AI-resilience scores for 1703 US occupations (2026)
Creator: NueCareer
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

NueCareer scored 1,703 US occupations on AI resilience using O*NET work-activity and work-context data. The median score is 40/100. The 30 most resistant occupations pay a median of $58,390 a year against $78,760 for the 30 least resistant (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Both lists, with every score, are below.

The resilience score is a NueCareer analysis of public O*NET data. It is not a BLS or O*NET published figure, and it is not a forecast.

Occupations scored: 1,703of 1,741 in the bank
Median score: 40/100NueCareer analysis
Top-quartile median pay: $57,410BLS OEWS, May 2025
Bottom-quartile median pay: $99,070BLS OEWS, May 2025

Quotable

Key statistics

Each figure below is sourced and safe to quote on its own.

NueCareer scored 1,703 of the 1,741 US occupations in its career bank for AI resilience using O*NET work-activity and work-context data; the median score is 40/100.
The 30 most AI-resistant occupations pay a median of $58,390 a year, against $78,760 for the 30 least resistant (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Occupations in the top quartile for AI resilience account for 18,671,000 projected job openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035).
74 of the 459 occupations in the bottom AI-resilience quartile are already projected to lose jobs over 2025–2035, compared with 89 of the 438 in the top quartile.
81% of top-quartile AI-resilient occupations have a typical entry requirement below an associate's degree. High AI resilience is not the same as high educational barrier.
Median pay in the top AI-resilience quartile is $57,410, against $99,070 in the bottom quartile and $50,980 across all US occupations.

Most resistant

The 30 most AI-resistant careers

Scored 0–100 by NueCareer, highest first. Median pay is BLS OEWS May 2025; growth is BLS Employment Projections 2025–2035.

1
Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installer$45,990 median · +5.8%
82/100
2
Derrick Operator, Oil and Gas$58,620 median · +1.6%
78/100
3
Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer$95,320 median · +10.3%
76/100
4
Crane and Tower Operator$68,080 median · +3.8%
76/100
5
Registered Longshore Worker$68,080 median · +3.8%
76/100
6
Longshore Foreman$68,080 median · +3.8%
76/100
7
Transmission Lineworker$95,320 median · +10.3%
76/100
8
Storm Restoration Lineworker$95,320 median · +10.3%
76/100
9
High Voltage Cable Splicer$95,320 median · +10.3%
76/100
10
Tower Crane Operator$68,080 median · +3.8%
76/100
11
Offshore Crane Operator$68,080 median · +3.8%
76/100
12
Helpers--Electrician$42,670 median · +0.6%
74/100
13
Helpers--Extraction Worker$47,730 median · +1.7%
74/100
14
Segmental Paver$49,910 median · +3.9%
73/100
15
Earth Driller, Except Oil and Gas$60,190 median · +3.6%
73/100
16
Mechanical Door Repairer$55,720 median · +6.4%
73/100
17
Construction Laborer$47,120 median · +7.3%
72/100
18
Electrician$63,190 median · +9.2%
72/100
19
Roofer$55,440 median · +5.3%
72/100
20
Service Unit Operator, Oil and Gas$58,160 median · +1.1%
72/100
21
EV Charging Technician$63,190 median · +9.2%
72/100
22
Wind Energy Operations Manager$141,900 median · +4.9%
71/100
23
Tree Trimmer and Pruner$50,960 median · +4.2%
71/100
24
Baggage Porter and Bellhop$37,080 median · -3.0%
71/100
25
Oil and Gas Roustabout$46,960 median · +3.6%
71/100
26
Bicycle Repairer$42,780 median · -5.7%
71/100
27
Consulting Arborist$50,960 median · +4.2%
71/100
28
Utility Line Clearance Arborist$50,960 median · +4.2%
71/100
29
Agricultural Equipment Operator$41,730 median · +8.6%
70/100
30
Operating Engineer and Other Construction Equipment Operator$59,850 median · +4.6%
70/100

Looking for a shortlist you can act on? Jobs AI can't replace combines these scores with the BLS exposure category, and adds pay, entry requirements and openings for each.

Most exposed

The 30 most AI-exposed careers

Lowest scores first. A low score means the work is concentrated in routine information processing and repetitive precision, the tasks current systems handle best. It is an exposure signal, not a prediction that the occupation disappears.

1
AI Data Trainer$51,120 median · -0.9%
0/100
2
Statistical Assistant$50,330 median · -1.8%
0/100
3
Proofreader and Copy Marker$51,120 median · -0.9%
0/100
4
Billing and Posting Clerk$48,500 median · -0.1%
2/100
5
Credit Analyst$83,510 median · -4.3%
3/100
6
Analytics Engineer$120,230 median · +34.6%
4/100
7
Staff Data Scientist$120,230 median · +34.6%
4/100
8
Psychometrist$61,990 median · +5.0%
4/100
9
Pension Actuary$130,000 median · +9.2%
4/100
10
Pricing Actuary$130,000 median · +9.2%
4/100
11
Psychometrician$105,650 median · +11.0%
4/100
12
Social Science Research Assistant$61,990 median · +5.0%
4/100
13
Business Intelligence Analyst$120,230 median · +34.6%
4/100
14
Data Scientist$120,230 median · +34.6%
4/100
15
Statistician$105,650 median · +11.0%
4/100
16
Actuary$130,000 median · +9.2%
4/100
17
Sports Marketing Manager$78,760 median · +7.0%
5/100
18
Lifecycle Marketing Manager$78,760 median · +7.0%
5/100
19
Affiliate Marketing Manager$78,760 median · +7.0%
5/100
20
Brand Partnerships Manager$78,760 median · +7.0%
5/100
21
Programmatic Trader$78,760 median · +7.0%
5/100
22
Conversion Rate Optimization Specialist$78,760 median · +7.0%
5/100
23
Games User Researcher$78,760 median · +7.0%
5/100
24
Trial Consultant$78,760 median · +7.0%
5/100
25
Growth Marketing Manager$78,760 median · +7.0%
5/100
26
Product Marketing Manager$78,760 median · +7.0%
5/100
27
Luxury Brand Manager$78,760 median · +7.0%
5/100
28
Fragrance Evaluator$78,760 median · +7.0%
5/100
29
Trend Forecaster$78,760 median · +7.0%
5/100
30
Hotel Revenue Manager$78,760 median · +7.0%
5/100

For the federal view, BLS publishes its own relative AI exposure category for every occupation it projects. See the jobs BLS rates most exposed to AI, the least exposed, or look up a single job, for example will AI replace accountants?

By field

Which fields hold up best

Occupation groups in the top AI-resilience quartile

Number of occupations from each SOC major group, with its share of the quartile

Construction and Extraction16% of the quartile70
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair13% of the quartile58
Transportation and Material Moving12% of the quartile52
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical9% of the quartile41
Personal Care and Service8% of the quartile37

SOC major groups most represented in the top AI-resilience quartile
Item	Value
Construction and Extraction	70
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair	58
Transportation and Material Moving	52
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical	41
Personal Care and Service	37

Source: NueCareer analysis of O*NET data

Method

How we score AI resilience

The score is built from the composition of an occupation's O*NET work activities and work context, not from any claim about a specific model's capabilities. Work that scores high involves assisting and caring for others, physical dexterity in unpredictable environments, sustained face-to-face contact, or creative origination. Work that scores low is concentrated in routine information processing, repetitive precision and structured document handling.

Limits worth stating plainly: this is a task-composition heuristic, not a labour-market forecast; it does not model how quickly technology is adopted in an industry; it does not account for regulation or licensing, which slows automation in many licensed occupations; and 38 occupations in the bank have O*NET work-activity coverage too sparse to score at all, so they are left unscored rather than estimated. Full methodology.

Reusing these numbers? Please cite “NueCareer analysis of O*NET work-activity data, 2026” and link back to this page.

Questions

AI and careers: FAQ

Which careers are most resistant to AI?

On NueCareer's analysis of O*NET work-activity data, the most resistant occupations are Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installer (82/100), Derrick Operator, Oil and Gas (78/100), Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer (76/100). What they share is physical work in unpredictable settings, direct care of other people, or judgement calls that carry real consequences, the parts of a job that are hardest to reduce to a text prompt.

Which careers are most exposed to AI?

The lowest-scoring occupations in the bank are AI Data Trainer (0/100), Statistical Assistant (0/100), Proofreader and Copy Marker (0/100). Low scores mean the work is concentrated in routine information processing and repetitive precision. A low score is an exposure signal, not a prediction that the occupation disappears.

How is the AI-resilience score calculated?

It is a NueCareer analysis, not a BLS or O*NET published statistic. Each occupation's O*NET work activities and work context are scored on a 0–100 scale: assisting and caring for others, physical dexterity in unpredictable environments, face-to-face contact and creative origination raise the score; routine information processing and repetitive precision lower it. 38 occupations have work-activity data too sparse to score and are excluded rather than guessed at. The full method is on our methodology page.

Do AI-resistant careers pay less?

Not systematically. The top AI-resilience quartile has a median wage of $57,410 against $99,070 in the bottom quartile (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Both sit either side of the $50,980 US median, and the spread inside each quartile is far wider than the gap between them.