The popular story is that AI is coming for good jobs. Our data tells a more specific one: the occupations where AI touches the work most are the highest-paid and fastest-growing — radiology, cybersecurity leadership, finance, engineering. On average they pay 69% more than the least-exposed jobs and grow faster. The pattern reads as augmentation, not erasure.
The genuinely AI-can't-touch work is hands-on and human — care, therapy, the skilled trades — and some of it is booming: wind turbine technician (+50%), family nurse practitioner (+40%), solar installer (+42.1%).
Average median salary and projected 10-yr growth, by PayCrunch AI-exposure rating (n=1,008).
| Occupation | Median | Growth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radiologist | $420,860 | +3% |
| 2 | Pathologist | $243,000 | +4% |
| 3 | Chief Technology Officer | $205,000 | +11% |
| 4 | Chief Information Security Officer | $195,000 | +32% |
| 5 | Chief Data Officer | $195,000 | +18% |
| 6 | Chief Operating Officer | $185,000 | +7% |
| 7 | Patent Attorney | $175,000 | +8% |
| 8 | Chief Marketing Officer | $175,000 | +8% |
| 9 | IT Director | $161,000 | +11% |
| 10 | AI/ML Engineer | $157,800 | +23% |
| 11 | Marketing Manager | $156,580 | +6% |
| 12 | Financial Manager | $156,100 | +16% |
| 13 | AI Product Manager | $155,000 | +25% |
| 14 | Software Architect | $155,000 | +16% |
| 15 | DevOps Architect | $155,000 | +22% |
| 16 | Machine Learning Engineer | $152,000 | +31% |
| 17 | Physicist | $152,000 | +8% |
| 18 | Investment Banker | $150,000 | +7% |
| 19 | Creative Director | $148,000 | +6% |
| 20 | Lawyer | $145,760 | +5% |
| 21 | Cloud Architect | $145,500 | +25% |
| 22 | Fund Manager | $145,000 | +16% |
| 23 | Natural Language Processing Engineer | $145,000 | +28% |
| 24 | Application Architect | $145,000 | +16% |
| 25 | MLOps Engineer | $145,000 | +30% |
| Occupation | Median | Growth | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wind Turbine Technician | $57,320 | +50% |
| 2 | Family Nurse Practitioner | $121,610 | +40% |
| 3 | Occupational Therapy Assistant | $64,250 | +25% |
| 4 | Physical Therapy Assistant | $61,180 | +24% |
| 5 | Solar Panel Installer | $47,670 | +42.1% |
| 6 | Home Health Aide | $33,530 | +22% |
| 7 | Speech Pathologist | $89,290 | +19% |
| 8 | Massage Therapist | $49,860 | +18% |
| 9 | Substance Abuse Counselor | $48,000 | +18% |
| 10 | Speech Language Pathologist Assistant | $48,000 | +18% |
| 11 | Crisis Counselor | $45,000 | +18% |
| 12 | Athletic Trainer | $53,840 | +17% |
| 13 | Physical Therapist | $99,710 | +15% |
| 14 | Dental Therapist | $78,000 | +15% |
| 15 | Electric Vehicle Technician | $52,000 | +15% |
| 16 | Birth Doula | $38,000 | +15% |
| 17 | Veterinary Technician | $38,000 | +15% |
| 18 | Early Childhood Educator | $36,460 | +15% |
| 19 | Preschool Teacher | $36,460 | +15% |
| 20 | Dog Walker | $28,000 | +15% |
| 21 | Pet Sitter | $28,000 | +15% |
| 22 | Perfusionist | $135,000 | +14% |
| 23 | Acupuncturist | $72,000 | +14% |
| 24 | Respiratory Care Practitioner | $62,000 | +14% |
| 25 | Respiratory Therapist | $77,960 | +13% |