Highest-paying jobs safe from AI (2026)
High pay and low AI exposure overlap in a narrow band of work: medicine done with your hands, and management done in person. Every occupation below has a BLS median wage of at least $100,000. It also sits at or below the median of Microsoft's 785 occupations for generative-AI applicability, and scores 30/100 or lower on our own risk score.
That 4/100 is the average for the roles on this list. What's yours?
Experience moves this number a long way in both directions, and it is the only thing about you we cannot read off this page. Answer two questions and GPT-4o writes you the 3 moves that keep you on the safe side of this, the skills gap for each, and a 90-day plan — free, in about 30 seconds.
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New · every week
New remote roles in your field — with each one's AI-exposure score — every week
10–15 remote postings from the past week, picked from company career pages and the Himalayas and Jobicy boards. Each shows how exposed the occupation is to AI, from Microsoft's 2025 study of 785 jobs. You apply on the original posting.
Our risk score
4–30/100
Microsoft exposure
p5–p50
BLS median pay
$100,330–$559,030
Surgeons and specialist physicians dominate the top, and the reason is concrete. A procedure needs a licensed person in the room, and the liability sits with them. Below the doctors comes a layer of managers whose jobs are mostly people and premises: security, facilities, operations, HR and school administration. AI is reshaping their reporting work. The work of being accountable for a site and the people in it is much harder to hand over.
What's missing matters just as much. Software developers, lawyers, pharmacists and financial managers all earn six figures, and all are more exposed on Microsoft's measure. Pay hasn't protected knowledge work that happens mostly on a screen. If you're choosing a high-paying path for the next decade, look at where the work happens, not just the salary.
How this list was built
Every occupation in our database with a BLS May 2025 national median wage of $100,000 or more, kept only if Microsoft's AI applicability percentile is 50 or lower and our risk score is under 60, then ranked by our risk score, lowest first.
Each role shows two different numbers. Our risk score (0–100) is the one on its job page. AI applicability comes from Microsoft's 2025 study of Copilot use across 785 occupations. Lower means less exposure on both. Neither one is a promise about any single job.
The list
1.Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric
Risk: 4/100- AI applicability 0.08: the 27th percentile of 785 occupations
- BLS median pay: $358,550
Diagnose and perform surgery to treat and prevent rheumatic and other diseases in the musculoskeletal system.
2.Pediatric Surgeons
Risk: 4/100- AI applicability 0.12: the 39th percentile of 785 occupations
- BLS median pay: $559,030
Diagnose and perform surgery to treat fetal abnormalities and birth defects, diseases, and injuries in fetuses, premature and newborn infants, children, and adolescents.
3.Cardiologists
Risk: 4/100- AI applicability 0.14: the 47th percentile of 785 occupations
- BLS median pay: $496,010
Diagnose, treat, manage, and prevent diseases or conditions of the cardiovascular system.
4.First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives
Risk: 25/100- AI applicability 0.08: the 26th percentile of 785 occupations
- BLS median pay: $106,040
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of members of police force.
A task our analysis keeps with a person: Supervise and coordinate the investigation of criminal cases, offering guidance and expertise to investigators, and ensuring that procedures are conducted in accordance with laws and regulations.
Full breakdown for First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives →
5.Security Managers
Risk: 26/100- AI applicability 0.06: the 16th percentile of 785 occupations (score for its occupation group)
- BLS median pay: $106,660
Direct an organization's security functions, including physical security and safety of employees and facilities.
A task our analysis keeps with a person: Direct or participate in emergency management and contingency planning.
6.Dentists, General
Risk: 27/100- AI applicability 0.05: the 10th percentile of 785 occupations
- BLS median pay: $170,950
Examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums.
A task our analysis keeps with a person: Use masks, gloves, and safety glasses to protect patients and self from infectious diseases.
7.Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists
Risk: 27/100- AI applicability 0.11: the 35th percentile of 785 occupations (score for its occupation group)
- BLS median pay: $100,330
Provide therapy to patients with visual impairments to improve their functioning in daily life activities.
A task our analysis keeps with a person: Teach cane skills, including cane use with a guide, diagonal techniques, and two-point touches.
8.Facilities Managers
Risk: 28/100- AI applicability 0.06: the 16th percentile of 785 occupations (score for its occupation group)
- BLS median pay: $106,660
Plan, direct, or coordinate operations and functionalities of facilities and buildings.
A task our analysis keeps with a person: Oversee the maintenance and repair of machinery, equipment, and electrical and mechanical systems.
9.Emergency Medicine Physicians
Risk: 28/100- AI applicability 0.08: the 23rd percentile of 785 occupations
- BLS median pay: $335,550
Make immediate medical decisions and act to prevent death or further disability.
A task our analysis keeps with a person: Select, request, perform, or interpret diagnostic procedures, such as laboratory tests, electrocardiograms, emergency ultrasounds, and radiographs.
10.Administrative Services Managers
Risk: 28/100- AI applicability 0.09: the 28th percentile of 785 occupations
- BLS median pay: $114,130
Plan, direct, or coordinate one or more administrative services of an organization, such as records and information management, mail distribution, and other office support services.
A task our analysis keeps with a person: Conduct classes to teach procedures to staff.
11.Occupational Therapists
Risk: 28/100- AI applicability 0.11: the 35th percentile of 785 occupations (score for its occupation group)
- BLS median pay: $100,330
Assess, plan, and organize rehabilitative programs that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills, as well as general independence, to persons with disabilities or developmental delays.
A task our analysis keeps with a person: Select activities that will help individuals learn work and life-management skills within limits of their mental or physical capabilities.
Full breakdown for Occupational Therapists → · Will AI replace them?
12.Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric
Risk: 29/100- AI applicability 0.09: the 29th percentile of 785 occupations
- BLS median pay: $300,080
Diagnose and perform surgery to treat and help prevent disorders and diseases of the eye.
A task our analysis keeps with a person: Perform comprehensive examinations of the visual system to determine the nature or extent of ocular disorders.
13.Industrial Production Managers
Risk: 29/100- AI applicability 0.12: the 41st percentile of 785 occupations (score for its occupation group)
- BLS median pay: $126,060
Plan, direct, or coordinate the work activities and resources necessary for manufacturing products in accordance with cost, quality, and quantity specifications.
A task our analysis keeps with a person: Hire, train, evaluate, or discharge staff or resolve personnel grievances.
14.Nurse Midwives
Risk: 29/100- AI applicability 0.13: the 44th percentile of 785 occupations
- BLS median pay: $134,040
Diagnose and coordinate all aspects of the birthing process, either independently or as part of a healthcare team.
A task our analysis keeps with a person: Initiate emergency interventions to stabilize patients.
15.Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary
Risk: 29/100- AI applicability 0.14: the 46th percentile of 785 occupations
- BLS median pay: $105,870
Plan, direct, or coordinate the academic, administrative, or auxiliary activities of kindergarten, elementary, or secondary schools.
A task our analysis keeps with a person: Counsel and provide guidance to students regarding personal, academic, vocational, or behavioral issues.
Full breakdown for Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary →
16.Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
Risk: 30/100- AI applicability 0.03: the 5th percentile of 785 occupations
- BLS median pay: $352,220
Perform surgery and related procedures on the hard and soft tissues of the oral and maxillofacial regions to treat diseases, injuries, or defects.
A task our analysis keeps with a person: Collaborate with other professionals, such as restorative dentists and orthodontists, to plan treatment.
17.General and Operations Managers
Risk: 30/100- AI applicability 0.11: the 36th percentile of 785 occupations
- BLS median pay: $105,770
Plan, direct, or coordinate the operations of public or private sector organizations, overseeing multiple departments or locations.
A task our analysis keeps with a person: Perform personnel functions, such as selection, training, or evaluation.
18.Biomass Power Plant Managers
Risk: 30/100- AI applicability 0.12: the 41st percentile of 785 occupations (score for its occupation group)
- BLS median pay: $126,060
Manage operations at biomass power generation facilities.
A task our analysis keeps with a person: Supervise operations or maintenance employees in the production of power from biomass, such as wood, coal, paper sludge, or other waste or refuse.
19.Human Resources Managers
Risk: 30/100- AI applicability 0.14: the 47th percentile of 785 occupations
- BLS median pay: $149,280
Plan, direct, or coordinate human resources activities and staff of an organization.
A task our analysis keeps with a person: Plan, direct, supervise, and coordinate work activities of subordinates and staff relating to employment, compensation, labor relations, and employee relations.
20.Nurse Practitioners
Risk: 30/100- AI applicability 0.14: the 50th percentile of 785 occupations
- BLS median pay: $132,300
Diagnose and treat acute, episodic, or chronic illness, independently or as part of a healthcare team.
A task our analysis keeps with a person: Analyze and interpret patients' histories, symptoms, physical findings, or diagnostic information to develop appropriate diagnoses.
The two routes to a high-paying, low-exposure job
The clinical route is long: medical or dental school, residency and licensing. But it leads to the lowest scores on both measures. Nurse practitioners and nurse midwives reach the same list on a shorter graduate path, and occupational therapists come in just above the $100K line.
The management route runs through operations: facilities, security, production, HR, K-12 administration. These jobs reward years of on-site experience. They're often reachable from the hands-on roles on our trade and government lists, which makes them a realistic second step rather than a career restart.
Six-figure jobs that didn't make the cut
High pay, but more exposed on Microsoft's measure, ours, or both:
- Software Developers: risk 55/100 · AI applicability 0.28: the 85th percentile of 785 occupations · BLS median $135,980
- Lawyers: risk 31/100 · AI applicability 0.18: the 64th percentile of 785 occupations · BLS median $159,670
- Financial Managers: risk 36/100 · AI applicability 0.15: the 52nd percentile of 785 occupations (score for its occupation group) · BLS median not published
- Pharmacists: risk 32/100 · AI applicability 0.28: the 85th percentile of 785 occupations · BLS median not published
Not on the list? Check your own job
We score 1,000+ occupations. Search yours to see both numbers.
New · every week
New remote roles in your field — with each one's AI-exposure score — every week
10–15 remote postings from the past week, picked from company career pages and the Himalayas and Jobicy boards. Each shows how exposed the occupation is to AI, from Microsoft's 2025 study of 785 jobs. You apply on the original posting.
Frequently asked questions
What is the highest-paying job with low AI exposure?
On BLS May 2025 medians, pediatric surgeons, cardiologists and orthopedic surgeons pay the most among the occupations here. All three score 4/100 on our risk score and sit below the median on Microsoft's AI applicability measure.
Are there high-paying jobs with low AI exposure that don't need medical school?
Yes. Security managers, facilities managers, administrative services managers, general and operations managers, HR managers and K-12 education administrators all have six-figure BLS medians and score 30/100 or lower on our risk score.
Why aren't software developers on this list?
They earn a six-figure median, but they sit around the 85th percentile on Microsoft's AI applicability measure, well above the cut-off. See our tech list for how the field ranks internally.
Related
Sources and method
- Risk score: ReplacedByAI's 0–100 score from O*NET task, skill and work-activity data, weighted 40% on the Frey & Osborne computerisation probabilities. Full methodology.
- AI applicability: Kiran Tomlinson, Sonia Jaffe, Will Wang, Scott Counts and Siddharth Suri, “Working with AI: Measuring the Applicability of Generative AI to Occupations” (Microsoft, 2025). Data from microsoft/working-with-ai, licensed CC BY 4.0. Percentiles are our calculation, among its 785occupations. Joined on the 6-digit SOC code, so O*NET specialties share their group's score.
- Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, national annual median wage, May 2025.
- Filters: Microsoft percentile 50 or lower and our risk score under 60. “All other” catch-all occupations are excluded.