Remote work used to mean low pay and phone-heavy customer service. Not anymore. Plenty of business, tech, and even healthcare roles now hire people who are early in their careers, let them work from home most or all of the time, and still pay at least $75,000. Below are 12 roles that currently clear that bar based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) median-pay data from 2024. These aren’t fantasy jobs; they’re real occupations with national pay data, and most of them have lots of employers who hire fully remote or hybrid.
Software developer
BLS says software developers earned a median $133,080 in May 2024, which gives you a lot of room to start lower and still stay above $75K. Entry-level titles are often “junior developer,” “associate software engineer,” or “software developer I,” and remote hiring is common in SaaS, fintech, and IT services.
To get in the door, you usually need solid projects (bootcamp, portfolio, or open source), comfort with Git, and at least one in-demand language or framework. Because the ceiling is so high here, this is one of the few jobs where an early-career, mostly remote role can still pay well into the 80s or 90s if the company is in a high-paying industry or city.
Watch out for “QA/tester only” roles if you want the bigger money fast, they pay well but not always as much as core dev.
Software developer median salary: $133,080
Information security analyst
BLS pegs infosec analysts at $124,910 median pay in May 2024, and security is one of the most remote-friendly parts of IT. A lot of teams run 100% distributed, and many hire people who are still early as long as they have a tech foundation plus a security cert (Security+, CySA+, etc.).
The work is: monitor systems, investigate alerts, help implement controls, and document what happened. Because the stakes are high, employers pay up even for junior staff, they’d rather pay than clean up a breach. Rotating on-call and occasional off-hours work are normal, so factor that in.
This is also a skill that compounds: another year in security tends to be worth more than another year doing general help desk.
Information security analyst median salary: $124,910
Data scientist
Data scientists were at $112,590 median pay in May 2024. Plenty of “junior data scientist,” “applied data analyst,” or “ML ops assistant” roles are remote or hybrid because the work is already done in notebooks, repos, and dashboards.
Entry-level here usually means: you can clean data, you can build and explain a model, and you can turn it into something a business person understands. Python, SQL, and a portfolio (Kaggle, personal projects, capstones) make a huge difference. Some employers will title you “analyst” but slot you on the DS pay band if you’re doing actual modeling.
If you don’t have a master’s, lean harder on demonstrable projects and GitHub. Companies hiring remote early-career data folks just want to see you can ship usable insights without hand-holding.
Data scientist median salary: $112,590
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Database administrators and architects
BLS shows DBAs and database architects at a $123,100 median in May 2024. Lots of that work, provisioning, backups, performance tuning, security, can be done from anywhere, so remote is common, especially with companies in cloud or managed services.
Entry-level versions look like “junior DBA,” “data platform analyst,” or “SQL administrator.” You’ll get the routine tickets first (permissions, imports, monitoring alerts) and grow into design. Because the data layer is mission-critical, companies pay more even for less-experienced folks than they might for, say, general tech support.
Certs in specific database platforms (Azure, AWS, PostgreSQL, Oracle) can nudge you over the line if your experience is light.
Database administrators and architects median salary: $123,100
Computer systems analyst
Systems analysts sat at $103,790 median pay in May 2024. This is a classic “translator” role: you figure out what the business wants, what the system can do, and how to bridge the two. Because so much of it is meetings, documentation, and configuration, remote and hybrid setups are normal.
Early-career hires often come in knowing one domain (finance, healthcare, HR tech) plus a bit of SQL or scripting. You start by mapping processes, testing features, and writing user stories. Once you show you can keep a project moving, you become indispensable and your comp starts to look like mid-level IT money fast.
It’s a good choice if you’re more “organized and technical” than “pure coder.”
Computer systems analyst median salary: $103,790
Project management specialist
Project management specialists were at $100,750 median in May 2024, and a ton of PM work is already in Slack, Zoom, and Asana. That makes remote entry-level project coordinators and junior PM roles pretty common, especially at agencies and tech companies.
At the start, you’re chasing deadlines, keeping notes, updating timelines, and unblocking people. If you can prove you keep teams on track across time zones, you can justify pay that’s well north of $75K in companies that bill by the hour or ship software.
A CAPM or similar entry-level PM cert can help you jump the line if you don’t have formal PM experience yet.
Project management specialist median salary: $100,750
Sales representative, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
BLS puts the technical/scientific segment of this job at $100,070 median in May 2024. A lot of this selling is done over video and email now, so plenty of teams will hire you to work remotely, especially if you can learn the product fast.
“Entry-level” here usually means you’re good with people and willing to make calls, and they’ll teach you the product. Because these are higher-ticket B2B products, pay targets are higher too. You may see a base in the 60s–70s with commissions that push you over $75K total comp, which still counts, because the BLS median is clearly in six figures.
If you like talking to people more than talking to code, this is the high-paying remote starter lane.
Sales representative (technical and scientific products) median salary: $100,070
Registered nurse (telehealth / care management)
Registered nurses had a $93,600 median in May 2024, and post-2020 there’s a steady stream of remote-ish nurse roles: telehealth triage, remote case management, utilization review, and nurse advice lines. They want licensed RNs, but not always years of hospital experience.
The work is mainly phone and documentation, often for insurers or large health systems. You’ll assess, educate, and route patients, which is a lot easier to do from home with good workflows. Because it’s still nursing, the pay stays in nurse territory even when you’re not at the bedside.
Make sure you meet the licensure requirements for the states they serve; multistate licenses help.
Registered nurse median salary: $93,600
Technical writer
Technical writers were at a $91,670 median in May 2024, and this is one of the most reliably remote writing jobs around. Tech companies, SaaS platforms, and even government contractors hire writers to turn complicated processes into usable docs.
Entry-level writers start by updating existing documentation, writing how-tos, and organizing content. If you can read technical material and explain it in plain English, you’re valuable, and companies will pay because good docs reduce support costs.
A portfolio (even self-made docs for open-source tools) can get you in, and then you grow into higher-paying lead or API-doc roles.
Technical writer median salary: $91,670
Web developer and digital designer
BLS reports web developers at $90,930 and web/digital interface designers at $98,090, with the combined group at $95,380 in May 2024. Web work is internet-native, so tons of employers don’t care where you sit as long as you hit deadlines.
Early roles look like site builds, landing pages, CMS work, and UI tweaks. If you can show real sites, clean HTML/CSS/JS, and maybe a modern framework, you can slot into a remote agency or product team fairly quickly and the median shows there’s enough money in the field to keep you above that $75K line with a year or two of experience.
Freelance can be your foot in the door if you don’t have formal experience yet.
Web developer / digital designer median salary: $90,930–$98,090
Accountant and auditor
Accountants and auditors were at $81,680 median in May 2024. Since so much accounting work is done in cloud systems now, remote and hybrid are extremely normal, especially for corporate accounting, outsourced bookkeeping firms, and public-accounting busy seasons.
Entry-level staff accountants do reconciliations, AP/AR, payroll help, and reporting. Auditors do testing and workpaper prep. Once you can close a month reliably from home, you become very attractive to employers in higher-cost cities who are happy to pay you well to stay remote.
Certifications (or actively working toward CPA) can help you push up faster, but the median alone hits your target.
Accountant and auditor median salary: $81,680
Market research analyst and marketing specialist
Market research analysts came in at $76,950 median in May 2024. This is one of the lowest-stress ways to crack $75K remotely because the work is already spreadsheet- and survey-based.
Early-career analysts gather data on customers, competitors, and pricing, then turn it into presentations or dashboards. If you can analyze results and tell a clear story to marketing and sales, you can justify the higher end of the pay range, especially at fast-growing companies.
Strong Excel/Sheets, basic SQL, and comfort with survey tools will make you a faster hire.
Market research analyst median salary: $76,950
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