The mismatch between workers’ desire for remote work flexibility and employers’ return-to-office (RTO) demands is causing a tug-of-war between employers and employees. Gallup concludes that this tug-of-war has left workers feeling undervalued, questioning their future and stuck in their discontentment. And it has led some companies to practice the detrimental workplace trend of “stealth sackings.” Others argue that “work-from-anywhere” isn’t going anywhere in 2025. If you’re looking for a remote job, you could be in luck after a new study reveals the highest-paying careers with fully remote jobs available for those who want to stay in the remote workforce.
Highest-Paying Careers With Fully Remote Jobs
Statistics show that employees who work in careers that do not require much physical labor or those that handle customer service tasks, are more likely to work remotely. The information and finance sectors are fields in which employees benefit from remote work with less than 30% of workers fully on-site.
Fullstack Academy analyzed over 62,662 fully remote jobs listed on Indeed to learn more about what is available for American workers. They identified the highest-paying careers with fully remote jobs. Here are the top twenty careers with the most remote jobs in the United States, along with the number of job posts:
1. Most Common Remote Jobs. Software developers (7,773 job posts), sales representatives (7,592 job posts) and account managers (2,848 job postings) are the most common remote jobs in the U.S. The remaining top seven most common remote jobs in descending order are customer service representatives (1,783), marketing specialists (1,542), project managers (1,159), product managers (1,100), data analysts (988), accountants (755) and insurance agents (635).
2. Highest-Paying Remote Jobs. The study found that the average pay for a fully remote job is $107,000 annually. The highest paying remote jobs in the U.S. are Psychiatrists (annual salary $284,910), Medical Directors ($246,245) and Loan Officers ($184,477). The top three are followed by Counsel (181,224), Liaison ($169,391), Product Designer ($163,850), Data Manager ($163,145), Architect ($160,340), Product Manager ($158,641) and Regulatory Affairs Specialist ($155,959).
3. States With The Most Remote Jobs. To identify which states contribute the most to remote opportunities, the researchers calculated the total number of jobs by state and then divided that number by the state’s population to determine the number of jobs per capita. Virginia (0.0001163), Maryland (0.0001015) and Colorado (0.0001004) are home to the most remote jobs per capita. The remaining seven states in descending order are Arizona (0.0000959), Massachusetts (0.0000928), Oregon (0.0000909), Minnesota (0.0000866), Illinois (0.0000816), North Carolina (0.0000805) and Tennessee (0.0000793).
4. Companies Hiring The Most Remote Workers. The top companies identified with the most listings for remote jobs are Accenture (612 job posts), Marsh McLennan Agency (540) and Optum (331). The remaining seven companies include CVS Health (234), OptiMindHealth (166), Humana (164), EXL Services (150), Emergent Financial Group (150), Everlight Solar (147) and Geico (134).
5. U.S. Cities With The Most Remote Workers. Fullstack Academy also determined the percentage of U.S. cities where most Americans work from home. The top cities with remote work are Arlington Virginia (29.22%), Seattle, Washington (28.60%) and Washington, D.C. (27.15%). The remaining top cities are Denver, Colorado (26.21%), Portland, Oregon (25.45%), Ann Arbor, Michigan (24.60%), Pasadena, California (24.56%), Columbia Maryland (24.41%), Alexandria, Virginia (24.17%) and San Francisco, California (23.38%).
Final Wrap: Highest-Paying Careers With Fully Remote Jobs
The WTW’s 2024 Flexible Work Models Pulse Survey, reports that the flexible work trend is gradually shifting as 61% of U.S. companies have implemented a formal policy requiring workers in the office for a minimum number of days a week. The report says the drive behind in-office mandates is the belief that face-to-face interactions boost employee engagement within teams (84%), strengthen corporate culture (71%) and increase collective productivity by promoting personal interaction of teams (64%).
Yet, employees’ desire for remote work has also increased, according to WTW’s Global Benefit Attitudes Survey, citing that 53% of remote workers insist they would change jobs within 12 months if their employer mandates a full-time RTO policy. And 48% of hybrid and remote workers agree they would take an average pay cut of eight percent to have work flexibility.
Despite the tug-of-war around remote work, if you’re starting a career or planning to switch to working from home, remote work is a viable opportunity. Although the RTO mandates have picked up steam, you still can find the highest-paying careers with fully remote jobs mainly in the tech industry, offering opportunities like flexibility, autonomy and high salaries.