AI proof jobs paying over $80,000
Median annual pay of $80,000 or more, outside the exposed band, ranked from the lowest exposed share upward. Release v2026.Q3, capability reference date 2026-09-15, built on O*NET 31.0.
The same cut one pay band higher. Note how many of these are licensed or supervisory: accountability is the friction that pays.
| # | Occupation | Exposed | Assisted | Median pay | Rank of 923 | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | 4.1% | 12.3% | $352,220 | 887 | untouched |
| 2 | Prosthodontists | 4.6% | 10.1% | $311,180 | 882 | untouched |
| 3 | Electrical Power-Line Installers and Repairers | 5.1% | 5.9% | $95,320 | 872 | untouched |
| 4 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | 8.2% | 10.7% | $153,990 | 823 | untouched |
| 5 | Optometrists | 9.3% | 22.2% | $136,570 | 809 | untouched |
| 6 | Dentists, General | 10.0% | 13.4% | $170,950 | 794 | untouched |
| 7 | Anesthesiologist Assistants | 10.2% | 11.1% | $135,880 | 791 | untouched |
| 8 | Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers | 10.3% | 9.3% | $109,910 | 788 | untouched |
| 9 | Nurse Anesthetists | 10.7% | 15.1% | $236,590 | 784 | untouched |
| 10 | Signal and Track Switch Repairers | 11.3% | 10.1% | $92,460 | 771 | untouched |
| 11 | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians | 11.9% | 27.3% | $265,930 | 758 | untouched |
| 12 | Orthotists and Prosthetists | 12.2% | 17.9% | $81,110 | 752 | untouched |
| 13 | Urologists | 13.0% | 21.7% | $265,930 | 734 | untouched |
| 14 | Respiratory Therapists | 13.1% | 20.6% | $82,280 | 732 | untouched |
| 15 | Police Identification and Records Officers | 13.5% | 12.7% | $93,790 | 726 | untouched |
| 16 | Orthodontists | 14.0% | 26.9% | $289,140 | 721 | untouched |
| 17 | Anesthesiologists | 14.3% | 24.5% | $391,490 | 718 | untouched |
| 18 | Nuclear Technicians | 14.6% | 20.5% | $110,240 | 711 | untouched |
| 19 | Critical Care Nurses | 15.0% | 23.6% | $97,550 | 709 | untouched |
| 20 | Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment | 15.3% | 8.6% | $84,890 | 702 | untouched |
| 21 | Transit and Railroad Police | 15.7% | 21.1% | $90,230 | 693 | untouched |
| 22 | Pediatric Surgeons | 15.9% | 25.8% | $559,030 | 690 | untouched |
| 23 | Veterinarians | 16.1% | 20.7% | $130,100 | 687 | untouched |
| 24 | Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists | 16.1% | 27.4% | $100,330 | 685 | untouched |
| 25 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | 16.2% | 26.0% | $358,550 | 681 | untouched |
| 26 | Cardiologists | 16.2% | 23.8% | $496,010 | 680 | untouched |
| 27 | Pediatricians, General | 16.4% | 28.6% | $210,040 | 674 | untouched |
| 28 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | 16.5% | 30.1% | $335,550 | 668 | untouched |
| 29 | Clinical Neuropsychologists | 16.8% | 27.2% | $110,840 | 664 | untouched |
| 30 | Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers | 17.3% | 19.3% | $117,860 | 658 | untouched |
| 31 | Detectives and Criminal Investigators | 17.3% | 20.4% | $93,790 | 657 | untouched |
| 32 | Acute Care Nurses | 17.4% | 27.4% | $97,550 | 655 | untouched |
| 33 | Hydroelectric Plant Technicians | 17.5% | 12.7% | $102,040 | 653 | untouched |
| 34 | Dermatologists | 17.6% | 26.6% | $328,730 | 652 | untouched |
| 35 | Orthoptists | 17.6% | 29.0% | $115,210 | 651 | untouched |
| 36 | Podiatrists | 17.6% | 22.1% | $160,300 | 650 | untouched |
| 37 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | 17.7% | 27.2% | $292,910 | 648 | untouched |
| 38 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | 17.9% | 27.7% | $300,080 | 647 | untouched |
| 39 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | 18.5% | 30.9% | $256,560 | 629 | untouched |
| 40 | Nurse Midwives | 18.6% | 24.9% | $134,040 | 627 | untouched |
How to read this
Exposed is the share of an occupation’s weighted task load that a generally available AI system can produce today with little structural friction. Assisted is work it can produce but cannot finish alone, because somebody has to be present, accountable, or because checking the output costs as much as doing the work. Untouched is work it cannot produce at all.
Every figure here is computed from task level ratings, and every occupation links to the page that shows its own tasks. If a rating looks wrong, the task is the level to argue at: how this is measured.
Other cuts of the same data
Exposure is not displacement. This index measures what current systems can produce and what stands in the way. It does not forecast job losses, and it models no adoption, employment or wage effect.