High-paying jobs for introverts
We combined seven O*NET ratings of social demand into one score from 0 to 100, kept the quietest 40 percent of occupations, and then kept the ones that pay at least 1.5 times the US median wage and employ at least 20,000 people.
That leaves 41 jobs, sorted by pay.
What the data shows
- The best paid quiet job is Physicists at $172,250 a year.
- 93% of these jobs usually need some form of degree or postsecondary award.
- 25 of the 41 are growing faster than the typical occupation (+2.8% over ten years).
- The fastest growing is Data Scientists at +34.6%.
- 3 of the 41 need no more than a high school diploma.
The ranking
Click a column heading to sort. Pay is the national median annual wage. Growth is the projected change in employment from 2025 to 2035.
| # | Occupation | Social score | Median pay | Typical entry education | Growth 2025-35 | Openings a year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Physicists | 58 | $172,250 | Doctoral or professional degree | +7.2% | 1,300 |
| 2 | Computer Hardware Engineers | 62 | $161,740 | Bachelor's degree | +9.1% | 4,100 |
| 3 | Database Architects | 60 | $139,500 | Bachelor's degree | +9.4% | 3,900 |
| 4 | Software Developers | 47 | $135,980 | Bachelor's degree | +10.2% | 95,300 |
| 5 | Electronics Engineers, Except Computer | 64 | $130,220 | Bachelor's degree | +3.7% | 4,900 |
| 6 | Actuaries | 58 | $130,000 | Bachelor's degree | +9.2% | 1,500 |
| 7 | Law Teachers, Postsecondary | 58 | $128,500 | Doctoral or professional degree | +2.6% | 1,800 |
| 8 | Biochemists and Biophysicists | 57 | $127,410 | Doctoral or professional degree | +12.3% | 2,900 |
| 9 | Chemical Engineers | 64 | $125,040 | Bachelor's degree | +4.7% | 1,100 |
| 10 | Physical Scientists, All Other | 60 | $122,570 | Bachelor's degree | +2.1% | 1,400 |
| 11 | Data Scientists | 57 | $120,230 | Bachelor's degree | +34.6% | 24,800 |
| 12 | Computer Occupations, All Other | 63 | $116,580 | Bachelor's degree | +5.1% | 27,000 |
| 13 | Bioengineers and Biomedical Engineers | 61 | $109,370 | Bachelor's degree | +7.6% | 1,200 |
| 14 | Statisticians | 61 | $105,650 | Master's degree | +11.0% | 1,900 |
| 15 | Personal Financial Advisors | 61 | $105,070 | Bachelor's degree | +1.4% | 17,100 |
| 16 | Database Administrators | 56 | $104,620 | Bachelor's degree | -0.1% | 3,300 |
| 17 | Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers | 64 | $104,300 | Bachelor's degree | +5.7% | 10,700 |
| 18 | Web and Digital Interface Designers | 62 | $104,000 | Bachelor's degree | +6.0% | 8,300 |
| 19 | Power Plant Operators | 64 | $102,040 | High school diploma or equivalent | -5.1% | 2,300 |
| 20 | Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | 64 | $101,920 | Bachelor's degree | +5.1% | 1,800 |
| 21 | Computer Programmers | 59 | $100,390 | Bachelor's degree | -7.3% | 4,400 |
| 22 | Network and Computer Systems Administrators | 63 | $99,130 | Bachelor's degree | -4.1% | 13,400 |
| 23 | Business Teachers, Postsecondary | 65 | $99,080 | Doctoral or professional degree | +5.9% | 7,600 |
| 24 | Biological Scientists, All Other | 59 | $98,920 | Bachelor's degree | +4.7% | 4,300 |
| 25 | Dental Hygienists | 62 | $98,100 | Associate's degree | +8.0% | 15,000 |
| 26 | Petroleum Pump System Operators, Refinery Operators, and Gaugers | 61 | $96,710 | High school diploma or equivalent | -1.9% | 2,700 |
| 27 | Web Developers | 60 | $92,650 | Bachelor's degree | +3.8% | 5,300 |
| 28 | Chemists | 59 | $91,240 | Bachelor's degree | +6.4% | 5,900 |
| 29 | Operations Research Analysts | 59 | $88,940 | Bachelor's degree | +11.9% | 7,500 |
| 30 | Accountants and Auditors | 65 | $83,680 | Bachelor's degree | +5.0% | 115,300 |
| 31 | Credit Analysts | 60 | $83,510 | Bachelor's degree | -4.3% | 3,100 |
| 32 | Locomotive Engineers | 61 | $81,410 | High school diploma or equivalent | +0.5% | 2,000 |
| 33 | Financial Specialists, All Other | 61 | $81,100 | Bachelor's degree | +4.1% | 9,400 |
| 34 | Fashion Designers | 54 | $80,960 | Bachelor's degree | +0.1% | 2,500 |
| 35 | Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary | 60 | $80,260 | Doctoral or professional degree | +2.0% | 1,800 |
| 36 | Aircraft Mechanics and Service Technicians | 62 | $79,870 | Postsecondary nondegree award | +5.4% | 11,400 |
| 37 | Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists | 55 | $78,760 | Bachelor's degree | +7.0% | 82,000 |
| 38 | Cost Estimators | 64 | $78,740 | Bachelor's degree | -3.1% | 17,600 |
| 39 | Engineering Technologists and Technicians, Except Drafters, All Other | 63 | $78,350 | Associate's degree | +2.8% | 5,400 |
| 40 | Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technologists and Technicians | 62 | $78,190 | Associate's degree | +2.4% | 8,100 |
| 41 | Writers and Authors | 41 | $76,910 | Bachelor's degree | -0.3% | 11,900 |
What to keep in mind
- The social score combines contact with others, face-to-face talking, phone calls, public speaking, dealing with customers, teamwork and conflict. A low score is not a personality test result. It describes what the job asks of you.
- O*NET scores describe what the job asks of workers. They do not measure personality, and they are not medical or psychological advice.
- Pay and growth are national figures. Local pay varies, and some occupations have small samples. We left out 5 occupations that O*NET flags as unreliable.
See every occupation in the full introvert jobs table.