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AI-Resistant Careers (2026): The Data

NueCareer scored 894 US occupations on AI resilience using O*NET work-activity and work-context data. The median score is 45/100. The 30 most resistant occupations pay a median of $53,200 a year against $81,295 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
894

of 923 in the bank

Median score
45/100

NueCareer analysis

Top-quartile median pay
$53,140

BLS OEWS, May 2025

Bottom-quartile median pay
$83,510

BLS OEWS, May 2025

Key statistics

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

  1. 1. NueCareer scored 894 of the 923 US occupations in its career bank for AI resilience using O*NET work-activity and work-context data; the median score is 45/100.
  2. 2. The 30 most AI-resistant occupations pay a median of $53,200 a year, against $81,295 for the 30 least resistant (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
  3. 3. Occupations in the top quartile for AI resilience account for 8,553,000 projected job openings a year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034).
  4. 4. 59 of the 231 occupations in the bottom AI-resilience quartile are already projected to lose jobs over 2024–2034, compared with 58 of the 237 in the top quartile.
  5. 5. 88% 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.
  6. 6. Median pay in the top AI-resilience quartile is $53,140, against $83,510 in the bottom quartile and $50,980 across all US occupations.

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 2024–2034.

  1. 1. Manufactured Building and Mobile Home Installer82/100 · $45,990 median · +5.9%
  2. 2. First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers76/100 · $93,530 median · +3.4%
  3. 3. Electrical Power-Line Installer and Repairer76/100 · $95,320 median · +6.6%
  4. 4. Firefighter75/100 · $59,280 median · +3.4%
  5. 5. Helpers--Electrician74/100 · $42,670 median · +0.2%
  6. 6. Helpers--Extraction Worker74/100 · $47,730 median · -1.7%
  7. 7. Segmental Paver73/100 · $49,910 median · +3.5%
  8. 8. Earth Driller, Except Oil and Gas73/100 · $60,190 median · +2.9%
  9. 9. Bicycle Repairer73/100 · $42,780 median · -2.3%
  10. 10. Construction Laborer72/100 · $47,120 median · +7.3%
  11. 11. Electrician72/100 · $63,190 median · +9.5%
  12. 12. Roofer72/100 · $55,440 median · +5.9%
  13. 13. Service Unit Operator, Oil and Gas72/100 · $58,160 median · +0.4%
  14. 14. Wind Energy Operations Manager71/100 · $141,900 median · +4.5%
  15. 15. Tree Trimmer and Pruner71/100 · $50,960 median · +3.3%
  16. 16. Baggage Porter and Bellhop71/100 · $37,080 median · -1.6%
  17. 17. Oil and Gas Roustabout71/100 · $46,960 median · +2.5%
  18. 18. Agricultural Equipment Operator70/100 · $41,730 median · +7.7%
  19. 19. Operating Engineer and Other Construction Equipment Operator70/100 · $59,850 median · +3.6%
  20. 20. Painter, Construction and Maintenance70/100 · $49,400 median · +3.8%
  21. 21. Sheet Metal Worker70/100 · $61,800 median · +2.4%
  22. 22. Stone Cutter and Carver, Manufacturing70/100 · $46,170 median · +6.2%
  23. 23. First-Line Supervisor of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers69/100 · $58,430 median · +2.3%
  24. 24. Landscaping and Groundskeeping Worker69/100 · $39,150 median · +3.6%
  25. 25. Stonemason69/100 · $57,390 median · -3.0%
  26. 26. Helpers--Pipelayer, Plumber, Pipefitter, and Steamfitter69/100 · $42,360 median · +4.9%
  27. 27. Rotary Drill Operator, Oil and Gas69/100 · $67,890 median · +0.2%
  28. 28. Glazier68/100 · $57,080 median · +3.3%
  29. 29. Insulation Worker, Floor, Ceiling, and Wall68/100 · $49,120 median · +3.8%
  30. 30. Plasterer and Stucco Mason68/100 · $57,660 median · +4.1%

Looking for a shortlist you can act on? Our AI-resistant careers list ranks the same data with entry requirements and openings for each.

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. 1. Proofreader and Copy Marker0/100 · $51,120 median · -0.6%
  2. 2. Credit Analyst3/100 · $83,510 median · -4.4%
  3. 3. Social Science Research Assistant4/100 · $61,990 median · +4.4%
  4. 4. Business Intelligence Analyst4/100 · $120,230 median · +33.5%
  5. 5. Statistician4/100 · $105,650 median · +8.5%
  6. 6. Data Warehousing Specialist5/100 · $139,500 median · +8.7%
  7. 7. Insurance Claim and Policy Processing Clerk6/100 · $49,230 median · -3.7%
  8. 8. Title Examiner, Abstractor, and Searcher6/100 · $58,650 median · +2.0%
  9. 9. Judicial Law Clerk6/100 · $64,920 median · +2.5%
  10. 10. Software Developer6/100 · $135,980 median · +15.8%
  11. 11. Payroll and Timekeeping Clerk7/100 · $58,260 median · -16.7%
  12. 12. Bioinformatics Technician7/100 · $81,490 median · +4.0%
  13. 13. Clinical Data Manager7/100 · $120,230 median · +33.5%
  14. 14. Brokerage Clerk8/100 · $65,750 median · -9.5%
  15. 15. Billing and Posting Clerk8/100 · $48,500 median · -0.4%
  16. 16. Environmental Economist8/100 · $124,720 median · +1.2%
  17. 17. Actuary8/100 · $130,000 median · +21.8%
  18. 18. Financial Quantitative Analyst8/100 · $81,100 median · +3.1%
  19. 19. Budget Analyst8/100 · $91,640 median · +1.0%
  20. 20. Statistical Assistant9/100 · $50,330 median · -2.5%
  21. 21. QA Analyst9/100 · $104,300 median · +10.0%
  22. 22. Data Entry Keyer10/100 · $41,340 median · -25.9%
  23. 23. Bookkeeping, Accounting, and Auditing Clerk10/100 · $50,670 median · -5.8%
  24. 24. Database Architect10/100 · $139,500 median · +8.7%
  25. 25. Search Marketing Strategist10/100 · $78,760 median · +6.7%
  26. 26. Eligibility Interviewer, Government Programs11/100 · $54,210 median · +1.0%
  27. 27. Technical Writer11/100 · $90,390 median · +0.9%
  28. 28. Paralegal11/100 · $62,890 median · +0.2%
  29. 29. Economist11/100 · $124,720 median · +1.2%
  30. 30. Web Developer11/100 · $92,650 median · +7.5%

Which fields hold up best

SOC major groups most represented in the top AI-resilience quartile
Occupation groupIn top quartileShare of the quartile
Construction and Extraction5724%
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair3816%
Transportation and Material Moving2511%
Production219%
Personal Care and Service156%

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 29 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.

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), First-Line Supervisor of Firefighting and Prevention Workers (76/100), 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 Proofreader and Copy Marker (0/100), Credit Analyst (3/100), Social Science Research Assistant (4/100). 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. 29 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 $53,140 against $83,510 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.