High-paying jobs with the most autonomy: the most freedom to make decisions, $100,000+.
Occupations in the top fifth for O*NET's freedom-to-make-decisions rating that also have a BLS median of $100,000 or more, ranked by that rating.
65 occupations combine top-fifth decision freedom with a BLS median of $100,000 or more. Ophthalmologist rates highest (5.00 of 5; $300,080 median).
25 rows
Data Computed by TryHired from O*NET and BLS data. Download the CSV.
| Occupation | Freedom to make decisions (1–5) | Percentile | BLS median pay | Projected growth 2025–35 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ophthalmologist | 5.00 | 100th | $300,080 | +4.5% |
| Dentist | 5.00 | 100th | $170,950 | +5.7% |
| Podiatrist | 5.00 | 100th | $160,300 | +2.0% |
| Dermatologist | 4.99 | 99th | $328,730 | +6.8% |
| Urologist (BLS: Physicians, All Other) | 4.99 | 99th | $265,930 | +3.4% |
| Judge | 4.99 | 99th | $153,990 | +2.8% |
| Family Medicine Physician | 4.98 | 99th | $244,180 | +3.3% |
| Prosthodontist | 4.95 | 99th | $311,180 | +5.8% |
| CEO | 4.95 | 99th | $213,990 | +3.2% |
| Emergency Medicine Physician | 4.93 | 98th | $335,550 | +3.2% |
| Neurologist | 4.92 | 98th | $248,560 | +6.4% |
| Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians (BLS: Physicians, All Other) | 4.88 | 98th | $265,930 | +3.4% |
| Law Teachers, Postsecondary | 4.86 | 97th | $128,500 | +2.6% |
| Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary | 4.86 | 97th | $103,170 | +2.4% |
| Pediatrician | 4.85 | 97th | $210,040 | +1.5% |
| Political Scientist | 4.85 | 97th | $142,080 | -2.0% |
| General Internal Medicine Physician | 4.84 | 97th | $256,560 | +4.0% |
| Astronomer | 4.83 | 96th | $128,820 | +7.8% |
| Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers | 4.83 | 96th | $117,860 | +0.0% |
| Clinical Neuropsychologist (BLS: Psychologists, All Other) | 4.83 | 96th | $110,840 | +2.3% |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | 4.83 | 96th | $107,310 | +17.9% |
| OB-GYN | 4.82 | 96th | $292,910 | +1.7% |
| Orthodontist | 4.81 | 95th | $289,140 | +6.0% |
| Commercial Pilot | 4.81 | 95th | $123,220 | +5.2% |
| Operations Manager | 4.81 | 95th | $105,770 | +5.0% |
How this page is built
This page includes information from the O*NET® 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. TryHired has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Freedom to make decisions = the O*NET 31.0 work-context rating (1–5) for how much decision-making freedom, without supervision, the job offers. Top fifth = 80th percentile or higher among all rated occupations. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025 national median; the CSV's last column names the BLS occupation whose wage is shown. Ratings are occupation averages; they describe the work, not how any one person experiences it, and nothing here implies cause and effect. Changes made by TryHired: selected work-context, interest, work-style and knowledge ratings were combined as described above, joined to BLS wages and projections, and ranked. Questions: hello@tryhired.co.
- Detailed O*NET occupations that share one BLS occupation code show that occupation's BLS pay and projections.
- Whether a job suits you: ratings describe the occupation on average, not every employer, team or person.
- Personality, stress or happiness: O*NET measures work context, styles and interests; it does not diagnose introversion or rate how stressful anyone finds a job.
- National Center for O*NET Development, O*NET® 31.0 Database (August 2026 release; work context, work styles, interests, knowledge), CC BY 4.0.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections program, occupational projections 2025–35.
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