The highest paid jobs in the untouched band
Occupations in the untouched band with a published median wage, ranked from the highest pay downward. Release v2026.Q3, capability reference date 2026-09-15, built on O*NET 31.0.
If the question is where to aim rather than what to avoid, this is the list: work a current system cannot produce, that the market already pays well for.
| # | Occupation | Exposed | Assisted | Median pay | Rank of 923 | Band |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pediatric Surgeons | 15.9% | 25.8% | $559,030 | 690 | untouched |
| 2 | Cardiologists | 16.2% | 23.8% | $496,010 | 680 | untouched |
| 3 | Anesthesiologists | 14.3% | 24.5% | $391,490 | 718 | untouched |
| 4 | Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric | 16.2% | 26.0% | $358,550 | 681 | untouched |
| 5 | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons | 4.1% | 12.3% | $352,220 | 887 | untouched |
| 6 | Emergency Medicine Physicians | 16.5% | 30.1% | $335,550 | 668 | untouched |
| 7 | Dermatologists | 17.6% | 26.6% | $328,730 | 652 | untouched |
| 8 | Prosthodontists | 4.6% | 10.1% | $311,180 | 882 | untouched |
| 9 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric | 17.9% | 27.7% | $300,080 | 647 | untouched |
| 10 | Obstetricians and Gynecologists | 17.7% | 27.2% | $292,910 | 648 | untouched |
| 11 | Orthodontists | 14.0% | 26.9% | $289,140 | 721 | untouched |
| 12 | Urologists | 13.0% | 21.7% | $265,930 | 734 | untouched |
| 13 | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians | 11.9% | 27.3% | $265,930 | 758 | untouched |
| 14 | General Internal Medicine Physicians | 18.5% | 30.9% | $256,560 | 629 | untouched |
| 15 | Nurse Anesthetists | 10.7% | 15.1% | $236,590 | 784 | untouched |
| 16 | Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers | 21.4% | 22.4% | $232,140 | 560 | untouched |
| 17 | Pediatricians, General | 16.4% | 28.6% | $210,040 | 674 | untouched |
| 18 | Dentists, General | 10.0% | 13.4% | $170,950 | 794 | untouched |
| 19 | Podiatrists | 17.6% | 22.1% | $160,300 | 650 | untouched |
| 20 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates | 8.2% | 10.7% | $153,990 | 823 | untouched |
| 21 | Optometrists | 9.3% | 22.2% | $136,570 | 809 | untouched |
| 22 | Physician Assistants | 20.2% | 26.9% | $135,880 | 590 | untouched |
| 23 | Anesthesiologist Assistants | 10.2% | 11.1% | $135,880 | 791 | untouched |
| 24 | Nurse Midwives | 18.6% | 24.9% | $134,040 | 627 | untouched |
| 25 | Nurse Practitioners | 20.8% | 28.8% | $132,300 | 579 | untouched |
| 26 | Veterinarians | 16.1% | 20.7% | $130,100 | 687 | untouched |
| 27 | Commercial Pilots | 26.0% | 21.1% | $123,220 | 480 | untouched |
| 28 | Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers | 17.3% | 19.3% | $117,860 | 658 | untouched |
| 29 | Naturopathic Physicians | 23.0% | 24.2% | $115,210 | 527 | untouched |
| 30 | Orthoptists | 17.6% | 29.0% | $115,210 | 651 | untouched |
| 31 | Neuropsychologists | 19.3% | 25.6% | $110,840 | 613 | untouched |
| 32 | Clinical Neuropsychologists | 16.8% | 27.2% | $110,840 | 664 | untouched |
| 33 | Nuclear Technicians | 14.6% | 20.5% | $110,240 | 711 | untouched |
| 34 | Nuclear Monitoring Technicians | 19.8% | 16.7% | $110,240 | 598 | untouched |
| 35 | Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers | 10.3% | 9.3% | $109,910 | 788 | untouched |
| 36 | Ship Engineers | 24.7% | 15.9% | $109,530 | 496 | untouched |
| 37 | First-Line Supervisors of Police and Detectives | 26.4% | 18.8% | $106,040 | 476 | untouched |
| 38 | Radiation Therapists | 19.2% | 20.6% | $105,310 | 616 | untouched |
| 39 | Power Plant Operators | 22.9% | 15.9% | $102,040 | 533 | untouched |
| 40 | Biomass Plant Technicians | 19.7% | 14.3% | $102,040 | 604 | 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.