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12 'Boring' Remote Jobs That Secretly Pay $100,000+ (And Are Desperate for Workers)

These under-the-radar careers clear six figures, keep hiring, and can be run from a spare bedroom instead of a corner office.

By Chris Lewis, CEPF , Edited by Calista Headrick

Updated Sept. 23, 2026

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Some of the best-paying work out there comes with a title nobody asks about twice. These are the quiet, behind-the-scenes roles that keep systems running, keep information locked down, and keep the numbers honest, and plenty of them never require setting foot in an office.

If you like steady, analytical work and would rather be working remotely than sitting in traffic, the unglamorous end of the job market deserves a closer look.

Editor's note: All salary and job outlook data is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS).

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Actuary

Median annual salary: $130,000

Actuaries spend their days working out how likely certain risks are, like accidents, illness, or death, and what those events will cost. It is spreadsheet, database, and modeling software work from start to finish, which makes it a natural fit for a home office.

Employment is projected to grow 9% from 2025 to 2035, with about 1,500 openings a year, and many of those come from people retiring or moving on. The usual path in is a bachelor's degree in mathematics, actuarial science, statistics, or another analytical field, followed by a series of certification exams that employers often help pay for.

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Computer network architect

Median annual salary: $134,050

These are the people who design the networks a company runs on, mapping how data moves and hunting for weak points before they turn into outages. Much of the design, testing, and troubleshooting happens remotely, though hardware deployment can still put you onsite, so this one is often partly remote rather than fully.

Employment is projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with roughly 9,600 openings a year. Expect to need a bachelor's degree in a computer-related field plus five years or more in a related job such as network administrator, and vendor or vendor-neutral certifications carry real weight with hiring managers.

Information security analyst

Median annual salary: $129,180

Information security analysts plan and run the defenses around a company's networks, watching for breaches and putting firewalls and encryption between sensitive data and the people who want it. The monitoring tools live in the cloud, so the work travels well.

This is one of the fastest-growing fields on the list, with employment projected to rise 21% from 2025 to 2035 and about 14,100 openings a year. A bachelor's degree in a computer science-related field plus some hands-on experience is typical, and a professional security certification is often what moves a resume to the top.

Software developer

Median annual salary: $135,980

Software developers translate what users need into working programs, designing the structure, writing and testing code, and maintaining it after launch. Few jobs adapt to remote work as easily, since the whole product lives on a screen.

Employment is projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, and the volume of hiring is hard to ignore at roughly 106,100 openings a year. A bachelor's degree in computer and information technology or a related field like engineering or math is the norm, backed by real programming practice from coursework, internships, or personal projects.

Computer systems analyst

Median annual salary: $105,850

Computer systems analysts look at how an organization's technology actually performs, then figure out how to make it faster, cheaper, or less fragile. They research new tools, configure upgrades, and write the manuals that teach everyone else to use them, all of which is screen work.

Employment is projected to grow 8% from 2025 to 2035, with about 32,900 openings a year. A bachelor's degree in computer and information technology, management information systems, or a related field such as mathematics is the typical requirement, and prior work experience generally is not expected.

Database administrator

Median annual salary: $104,620

Database administrators build and babysit the systems that hold a company's records, keeping backups current, permissions tight, and queries fast. Because the databases themselves are remote, so is most of the job.

Employment for database administrators specifically is projected to hold at 4% from 2025 to 2035, while the broader group of database administrators and architects sees about 7,300 openings a year as workers retire or move into other roles. A bachelor's degree in computer and information technology or a related field plus fluency in database languages such as SQL is typical, and employers often require product-specific certifications.

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Statistician

Median annual salary: $105,650

Statisticians design surveys, experiments, and polls, then dig through the results to separate real patterns from noise and explain what they found to people who do not speak math. The analysis happens inside statistical software, so location barely matters.

Employment is projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,000 openings a year across statisticians and mathematicians combined. A master's degree in statistics or a related field is the typical entry point, though some entry-level roles do accept a bachelor's degree.

Financial analyst

Median annual salary: $103,570

Financial analysts pull apart financial data, build forecasts, and write up recommendations for companies and investors. It is research and reporting work built on documents and models, which is why so many of these teams went remote and stayed there.

Employment is projected to grow 7% from 2025 to 2035, and turnover keeps roughly 29,500 openings coming each year. A bachelor's degree in finance or a related field such as business is the standard requirement, and some positions call for FINRA licensure that an employer typically sponsors.

Financial manager

Median annual salary: $166,570

Financial managers own the reporting and budgeting for an organization, hunting for cost savings and advising leadership on where the money should go. This is the highest earner on the list, but it is a step you promote into rather than start at, and supervising a team means it often lands as partly remote instead of fully.

Employment is projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, with about 65,600 openings a year. The typical route is a bachelor's degree plus five years or more in another business or financial role such as accountant, securities sales agent, or financial analyst, and professional certification can help you stand out.

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Management analyst

Median annual salary: $101,860

Management analysts study how a company operates and recommend changes that trim costs or lift revenue, working through interviews, data, and presentations. Client work sometimes means travel, but the analysis and writing that fill most of the week can happen anywhere.

Employment is projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, with about 94,100 openings a year, one of the largest streams on this list. A bachelor's degree is the standard requirement, and most analysts also bring several years of related experience, since certification is optional but useful.

Data scientist

Median annual salary: $120,230

Data scientists wrangle huge datasets, build and retrain the models behind machine learning, and turn the output into recommendations a business can act on. The tooling is entirely digital, so remote is the default rather than a perk.

This is the fastest-growing job here, with employment projected to jump 35% from 2025 to 2035 and about 24,800 openings a year. At least a bachelor's degree in mathematics, statistics, computer science, or a related field is expected, and some employers want a master's or doctoral degree.

Computer and information research scientist

Median annual salary: $140,300

These researchers invent new uses for computing technology, working on algorithms and computer architecture and testing systems alongside scientists and engineers. It is conceptual, code-heavy work that suits a quiet home setup, though lab access matters in some specialties.

Employment is projected to grow 22% from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,900 openings a year, a small field with fast growth. A master's or higher degree in computer science or a related field is typically required, adding two to three years past a bachelor's, though a bachelor's may be enough for some federal jobs.

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Bottom line

If one of these fields lines up with what you are already good at, the way in is usually narrower than it looks. Pick the closest match to your background, then chase the specific certification, licensing exam, or portfolio project that hiring managers in that field actually ask about, since several of these doors open on proven skills rather than a four-year degree.

Get the credential, get the interview, and keep looking for ways to grow your money more once the bigger paycheck shows up.

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