What does "below/around/above the US median" mean?

It is a comparison of the occupation's typical US pay to the US all-occupations median wage, based on Bureau of Labor Statistics data. It shows where a role sits relative to the typical American job — it is not a salary quote for any specific person, city or employer.

Which roles are easiest to break into?

The "Easy entry" tier — customer support, chat support, data entry, data annotation, transcription and virtual assistant — typically needs no degree and little prior experience. They usually pay around or below the US median, so they are best as entry points or side income rather than high-earning careers.

Do all these roles really hire remotely?

The roles listed are ones that are commonly performed remotely, but not every employer offers remote work for every one of them. Remote availability varies by company, region and job posting, so always confirm the role is remote before applying.

Why use the BLS median rather than job-board salaries?

BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook data is the most reliable, government-sourced measure of typical wages for an occupation. Job-board averages skew high because of listing practices and self-selection. The BLS figure gives a stable, citable baseline.

Is a degree always required?

No. "No" means a degree is not typically required to break in; "Often" means many employers want one but experience can substitute; "Usually" means most employers expect a degree or equivalent credentials. Skills and portfolio increasingly outweigh degrees in creative and technical roles.

Free Comparison Directory

Remote Role Matrix

A filterable directory of 40+ remote-friendly roles, compared by how hard they are to enter, what skills and tools they need, and how their pay compares to the US all-occupations median.

Pay tiers reference US Bureau of Labor Statistics median wages per occupation.

Pay vs US median:Below US all-occupations medianAround US all-occupations medianAbove US all-occupations medianWell above US all-occupations median

Role	What it is	Entry difficulty	Degree	Pay	Source
Customer support representative Answering customer questions by chat, phone or email for a single employer. Remote customer support jobs	Answering customer questions by chat, phone or email for a single employer.	Easy entry	No	Around US all-occupations median	BLS
Chat support agent Handling customer questions entirely in written live-chat conversations. Remote chat support jobs	Handling customer questions entirely in written live-chat conversations.	Easy entry	No	Around US all-occupations median	BLS
Data entry clerk Inputting, cleaning and verifying records in spreadsheets and databases. Remote data entry jobs	Inputting, cleaning and verifying records in spreadsheets and databases.	Easy entry	No	Below US all-occupations median	BLS
Data annotation / labeling specialist Labeling images, text or audio to train machine-learning models. Remote data entry jobs	Labeling images, text or audio to train machine-learning models.	Easy entry	No	Around US all-occupations median	BLS
Virtual assistant (VA) Running calendars, email, bookings and admin for clients from home. Remote virtual assistant jobs	Running calendars, email, bookings and admin for clients from home.	Moderate entry	No	Around US all-occupations median	BLS
Transcriptionist Converting audio or video into accurate written text, usually per audio hour. Remote transcription jobs	Converting audio or video into accurate written text, usually per audio hour.	Easy entry	No	Below US all-occupations median	BLS
Medical coder Translating medical records into standard billing codes for insurers.	Translating medical records into standard billing codes for insurers.	Some skills/credentials needed	No	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
Bookkeeper Recording daily transactions and reconciling accounts for small businesses. Remote bookkeeping jobs	Recording daily transactions and reconciling accounts for small businesses.	Some skills/credentials needed	No	Around US all-occupations median	BLS
Payroll specialist Processing payroll, taxes and employee payment records. Remote accounting jobs	Processing payroll, taxes and employee payment records.	Some skills/credentials needed	No	Around US all-occupations median	BLS
Recruiter / HR specialist Sourcing, screening and hiring candidates for an employer. Remote recruiter jobs	Sourcing, screening and hiring candidates for an employer.	Some skills/credentials needed	Often	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
HR coordinator Handling onboarding, records, benefits admin and HR inboxes. Remote HR jobs	Handling onboarding, records, benefits admin and HR inboxes.	Moderate entry	Often	Around US all-occupations median	BLS
Accounts payable / receivable clerk Processing invoices, payments and reconciliations for a company. Remote accounting jobs	Processing invoices, payments and reconciliations for a company.	Moderate entry	No	Around US all-occupations median	BLS
Insurance claims assistant Gathering documents and processing claims for an insurer.	Gathering documents and processing claims for an insurer.	Moderate entry	No	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
Loan processor assistant Preparing loan files and verifying documents for lenders.	Preparing loan files and verifying documents for lenders.	Moderate entry	No	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
Sales development representative (SDR) Prospecting and setting qualified meetings for a sales team. Remote sales jobs	Prospecting and setting qualified meetings for a sales team.	Moderate entry	Often	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
Inside sales representative Closing sales over the phone or video rather than in person. Remote sales jobs	Closing sales over the phone or video rather than in person.	Moderate entry	No	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
Customer success manager Keeping existing customers engaged, onboarded and retained.	Keeping existing customers engaged, onboarded and retained.	Some skills/credentials needed	Often	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
Paralegal Preparing legal documents and supporting attorneys from home.	Preparing legal documents and supporting attorneys from home.	Solid skills/portfolio needed	Usually	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
Content writer / copywriter Writing articles, emails or ad copy for clients on a freelance basis. Copywriting skills	Writing articles, emails or ad copy for clients on a freelance basis.	Some skills/credentials needed	No	Around US all-occupations median	BLS
Editor / proofreader Improving grammar, clarity and structure of others' writing.	Improving grammar, clarity and structure of others' writing.	Some skills/credentials needed	No	Around US all-occupations median	BLS
Social media specialist Planning and posting content and managing community for a brand.	Planning and posting content and managing community for a brand.	Some skills/credentials needed	No	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
Graphic / digital designer Producing visual assets for websites, ads and brands.	Producing visual assets for websites, ads and brands.	Some skills/credentials needed	No	Around US all-occupations median	BLS
Video editor Cutting and finishing video content for creators and brands.	Cutting and finishing video content for creators and brands.	Some skills/credentials needed	No	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
Online tutor Teaching students a subject or language over video. Remote online tutoring jobs	Teaching students a subject or language over video.	Moderate entry	No	Around US all-occupations median	BLS
ESL teacher (English) Teaching English to non-native speakers, often over video.	Teaching English to non-native speakers, often over video.	Moderate entry	Often	Around US all-occupations median	BLS
Instructional designer Designing training courses and e-learning materials for companies.	Designing training courses and e-learning materials for companies.	Solid skills/portfolio needed	Often	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
Project coordinator Keeping project plans, meetings and tasks moving for a team. Remote project manager jobs	Keeping project plans, meetings and tasks moving for a team.	Moderate entry	Often	Around US all-occupations median	BLS
Project manager Owning delivery, stakeholders and timelines for a project or programme. Remote project manager jobs	Owning delivery, stakeholders and timelines for a project or programme.	Solid skills/portfolio needed	Often	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
Operations coordinator Handling logistics, vendor comms and process admin for a business.	Handling logistics, vendor comms and process admin for a business.	Moderate entry	No	Around US all-occupations median	BLS
Marketing coordinator Supporting campaigns, content and marketing ops for a team. Remote marketing jobs	Supporting campaigns, content and marketing ops for a team.	Some skills/credentials needed	Often	Around US all-occupations median	BLS
SEO specialist Improving websites' visibility in search engines. How to learn SEO from scratch	Improving websites' visibility in search engines.	Some skills/credentials needed	No	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
Web developer / front-end dev Building and maintaining websites and web apps.	Building and maintaining websites and web apps.	Solid skills/portfolio needed	No	Well above US all-occupations median	BLS
Software developer Designing and shipping software products and systems.	Designing and shipping software products and systems.	Specialised expertise	Often	Well above US all-occupations median	BLS
QA / software test analyst Finding and reporting bugs before software ships.	Finding and reporting bugs before software ships.	Some skills/credentials needed	No	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
Data analyst Turning business questions into queries, dashboards and insight.	Turning business questions into queries, dashboards and insight.	Solid skills/portfolio needed	Often	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
IT support specialist Resolving employees' hardware and software issues remotely. Remote IT support jobs	Resolving employees' hardware and software issues remotely.	Some skills/credentials needed	No	Around US all-occupations median	BLS
UX designer Designing how products look and, more importantly, how they work.	Designing how products look and, more importantly, how they work.	Solid skills/portfolio needed	No	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
Technical writer Turning complex products into clear documentation and help content.	Turning complex products into clear documentation and help content.	Some skills/credentials needed	Often	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
Translator / interpreter Converting content between languages with accurate nuance.	Converting content between languages with accurate nuance.	Solid skills/portfolio needed	Often	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
Grant writer Researching funders and writing grant proposals for nonprofits.	Researching funders and writing grant proposals for nonprofits.	Solid skills/portfolio needed	Often	Above US all-occupations median	BLS
Insurance sales agent (remote) Selling insurance policies over the phone or online. Remote sales jobs	Selling insurance policies over the phone or online.	Some skills/credentials needed	No	Above US all-occupations median	BLS

Showing 41 of 41 roles.

Pay tiers are comparisons, not quotes. They tell you whether a role's typical pay sits below, around, or above the US median — they are not salary offers for your city or experience level. Always verify real numbers for your location and level using the linked BLS source before making a decision. Pay varies by geography, employer, experience and negotiation.

Start with our beginner guides:

Understand the pay tiers

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