Work Context Index

Jobs with the least contact with people of any kind that pay above the U.S. median

Jobs with the least contact with people of any kind, restricted to occupations with a BLS median annual wage above $50,980, the 2025 median for all U.S. occupations. Every value is O*NET's own mean rating; the percentile is where that value sits among all 894 occupations, not among the restricted set.

Which jobs have the least contact with people, across every way O*NET measures it that pay above the U.S. median wage?

Only 593 of the 894 occupations O*NET 30.3 rates have a BLS median annual wage above $50,980, the 2025 median for all U.S. occupations. Ranked by the mean percentile across contact with others, customers and the public, face-to-face discussions, phone conversations, 25 are listed: 6 also appear in the unrestricted ranking and 19 enter only under this restriction, led by Mathematicians (91st percentile), Astronomers (90th percentile), Software Developers (89th percentile). The strongest overall are Fallers (95th percentile), Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers (94th percentile), Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders (94th percentile). Their median BLS wage is $58,470 (2025, 25 of 25 with a BLS line item), and 17 of the 25 with BLS education data typically need less than a bachelor's degree.

Occupations compared: 593 of 894 O*NET occupations qualify (a BLS median annual wage above $50,980, the 2025 median for all U.S. occupations); percentiles are still taken over all 894
Measures combined: Contact With Others (lower is preferred); Deal With External Customers or the Public in General (lower is preferred); Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams (lower is preferred); Telephone Conversations (lower is preferred)
How they are combined: Each measure becomes a percentile rank among all occupations, flipped where lower is preferred, then the percentiles are averaged with equal weight. The figure is a rank average, not a suitability score.
Wage and outlook source: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, Table 1.2 Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics, 2025 (Employment in thousands). 4 of the 25 occupations listed have a dedicated RoleSprint page.

Source and method

O*NET 30.3 Database (Work Context), U.S. Department of Labor, and BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2. Verified 2026-09-05. Ratings are reproduced from O*NET as published mean incumbent responses on each question's own 1-to-5 scale. Percentile ranks, composite averages and the resulting order are RoleSprint's computation and are described on the methodology page. Wage, education and outlook fields are reproduced from BLS for the matching SOC code and left blank where BLS publishes no line item.

What this page does and does not claim

People search this as “jobs for introverts”. O*NET does not measure introversion, or any personality trait, so this ranking is built from what it does measure: 4 Work Context questions — Contact With Others, Deal With External Customers or the Public in General, Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams, Telephone Conversations — each rated on a fixed 1-to-5 scale by people who do each job. That compares the work; it does not predict how a job will feel to you.

It does not say which jobs suit a personality, a temperament or a health condition. It reports a measured condition of the work and lets you decide whether that condition is the one you meant.

The 25 occupations

Ordered by mean percentile across contact with others, customers and the public, face-to-face discussions, phone conversations.

#	Occupation	Component values	Rank	BLS wage and education
1	Fallers O*NET-SOC 45-4021.00	Contact with others 2.84 · lower than 99% Customers and the public 1.84 · lower than 96% Face-to-face discussions 3.79 · lower than 96% Phone conversations 2.72 · lower than 89%	95th percentile mean of 4 measures	$52,100 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -9.9% 2025-35
2	Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers O*NET-SOC 27-3043.05	Contact with others 2.68 · lower than 99% Customers and the public 1.91 · lower than 95% Face-to-face discussions 2.86 · lower than 99% Phone conversations 3.29 · lower than 83%	94th percentile mean of 4 measures	$76,910 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · -0.3% 2025-35
3	Metal-Refining Furnace Operators and Tenders O*NET-SOC 51-4051.00	Contact with others 3.48 · lower than 95% Customers and the public 1.69 · lower than 97% Face-to-face discussions 4.02 · lower than 93% Phone conversations 2.47 · lower than 92%	94th percentile mean of 4 measures	$54,430 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -2.9% 2025-35
4	Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic O*NET-SOC 51-4035.00	Contact with others 3.49 · lower than 95% Customers and the public 1.88 · lower than 95% Face-to-face discussions 4.26 · lower than 85% Phone conversations 1.77 · lower than 98%	93rd percentile mean of 4 measures	$52,800 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -13.2% 2025-35
5	Pourers and Casters, Metal O*NET-SOC 51-4052.00	Contact with others 3.44 · lower than 96% Customers and the public 1.11 · lower than 99% Face-to-face discussions 4.41 · lower than 74% Phone conversations 1.86 · lower than 97%	92nd percentile mean of 4 measures	$51,810 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -5% 2025-35
6	Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators O*NET-SOC 43-5053.00	Contact with others 3.80 · lower than 85% Customers and the public 1.41 · lower than 99% Face-to-face discussions 4.25 · lower than 85% Phone conversations 1.93 · lower than 96%	91st percentile mean of 4 measures	$58,470 median (2025) No formal educational credential · -5.3% 2025-35
7	Mathematicians O*NET-SOC 15-2021.00	Contact with others 3.35 · lower than 98% Customers and the public 2.00 · lower than 93% Face-to-face discussions 4.26 · lower than 85% Phone conversations 2.89 · lower than 87%	91st percentile mean of 4 measures	$126,710 median (2025) Master's degree · +0.6% 2025-35
8	Astronomers O*NET-SOC 19-2011.00	Contact with others 3.57 · lower than 94% Customers and the public 2.04 · lower than 93% Face-to-face discussions 4.14 · lower than 90% Phone conversations 3.13 · lower than 85%	90th percentile mean of 4 measures	$128,820 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +7.8% 2025-35
9	Software Developers O*NET-SOC 15-1252.00 Am I qualified to be a software engineer? Career Escape Map for software engineers	Contact with others 3.88 · lower than 83% Customers and the public 1.93 · lower than 94% Face-to-face discussions 3.00 · lower than 99% Phone conversations 3.43 · lower than 80%	89th percentile mean of 4 measures	$135,980 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +10.2% 2025-35
10	Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators O*NET-SOC 23-1022.00	Contact with others 3.65 · lower than 92% Customers and the public 2.26 · lower than 88% Face-to-face discussions 3.67 · lower than 98% Phone conversations 3.47 · lower than 79%	89th percentile mean of 4 measures	$75,530 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +4.7% 2025-35
11	Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators O*NET-SOC 27-1013.00	Contact with others 3.04 · lower than 99% Customers and the public 2.67 · lower than 78% Face-to-face discussions 3.23 · lower than 99% Phone conversations 3.47 · lower than 79%	89th percentile mean of 4 measures	$55,490 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · -2.9% 2025-35
12	Welders, Cutters, Solderers, and Brazers O*NET-SOC 51-4121.00 Am I qualified to be a welder? Career Escape Map for welders Welder job description for a resume	Contact with others 3.79 · lower than 86% Customers and the public 1.99 · lower than 94% Face-to-face discussions 4.35 · lower than 78% Phone conversations 2.14 · lower than 94%	88th percentile mean of 4 measures	$53,750 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +2.4% 2025-35
13	Environmental Economists O*NET-SOC 19-3011.01	Contact with others 2.85 · lower than 99% Customers and the public 2.44 · lower than 84% Face-to-face discussions 4.08 · lower than 92% Phone conversations 3.56 · lower than 76%	88th percentile mean of 4 measures	$124,720 median (2025) Master's degree · +4.7% 2025-35
14	Tire Builders O*NET-SOC 51-9197.00	Contact with others 3.79 · lower than 86% Customers and the public 2.09 · lower than 92% Face-to-face discussions 4.40 · lower than 74% Phone conversations 1.74 · lower than 98%	88th percentile mean of 4 measures	$57,390 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +0.8% 2025-35
15	Semiconductor Processing Technicians O*NET-SOC 51-9141.00	Contact with others 3.73 · lower than 88% Customers and the public 1.72 · lower than 97% Face-to-face discussions 3.92 · lower than 94% Phone conversations 3.75 · lower than 71%	87th percentile mean of 4 measures	$51,430 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +8.2% 2025-35
16	Animal Breeders O*NET-SOC 45-2021.00	Contact with others 3.33 · lower than 98% Customers and the public 2.88 · lower than 72% Face-to-face discussions 3.14 · lower than 99% Phone conversations 3.46 · lower than 79%	87th percentile mean of 4 measures	$51,130 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +3% 2025-35
17	Terrazzo Workers and Finishers O*NET-SOC 47-2053.00	Contact with others 3.55 · lower than 94% Customers and the public 2.14 · lower than 91% Face-to-face discussions 4.29 · lower than 82% Phone conversations 3.41 · lower than 81%	87th percentile mean of 4 measures	$76,170 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -13% 2025-35
18	Foreign Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1124.00	Contact with others 4.00 · lower than 77% Customers and the public 1.88 · lower than 95% Face-to-face discussions 4.11 · lower than 91% Phone conversations 3.08 · lower than 85%	87th percentile mean of 4 measures	$79,350 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +0.2% 2025-35
19	Paperhangers O*NET-SOC 47-2142.00	Contact with others 3.84 · lower than 84% Customers and the public 2.48 · lower than 83% Face-to-face discussions 3.83 · lower than 95% Phone conversations 3.06 · lower than 85%	87th percentile mean of 4 measures	$52,140 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +4.3% 2025-35
20	Model Makers, Metal and Plastic O*NET-SOC 51-4061.00	Contact with others 3.31 · lower than 98% Customers and the public 1.31 · lower than 99% Face-to-face discussions 4.61 · lower than 51% Phone conversations 1.65 · lower than 99%	87th percentile mean of 4 measures	$63,340 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -17.3% 2025-35
21	Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons O*NET-SOC 49-9045.00	Contact with others 4.23 · lower than 64% Customers and the public 1.64 · lower than 98% Face-to-face discussions 3.69 · lower than 98% Phone conversations 2.86 · lower than 88%	87th percentile mean of 4 measures	$61,290 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -13.7% 2025-35
22	Sheet Metal Workers O*NET-SOC 47-2211.00 Am I qualified to be a sheet metal worker?	Contact with others 3.68 · lower than 90% Customers and the public 2.96 · lower than 69% Face-to-face discussions 4.10 · lower than 91% Phone conversations 2.08 · lower than 95%	86th percentile mean of 4 measures	$61,800 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +2.5% 2025-35
23	Model Makers, Wood O*NET-SOC 51-7031.00	Contact with others 3.77 · lower than 87% Customers and the public 2.26 · lower than 88% Face-to-face discussions 4.21 · lower than 87% Phone conversations 3.33 · lower than 82%	86th percentile mean of 4 measures	$56,550 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -3.3% 2025-35
24	Automotive Body and Related Repairers O*NET-SOC 49-3021.00 Am I qualified to be a auto body repairer? Career Escape Map for auto body repairers	Contact with others 3.56 · lower than 94% Customers and the public 2.32 · lower than 87% Face-to-face discussions 4.43 · lower than 71% Phone conversations 2.56 · lower than 91%	86th percentile mean of 4 measures	$54,890 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +3.7% 2025-35
25	Loading and Moving Machine Operators, Underground Mining O*NET-SOC 47-5044.00	Contact with others 3.67 · lower than 91% Customers and the public 1.65 · lower than 98% Face-to-face discussions 4.55 · lower than 60% Phone conversations 2.11 · lower than 95%	86th percentile mean of 4 measures	$74,500 median (2025) No formal educational credential · -15.8% 2025-35

Values are mean ratings from O*NET 30.3; most come from surveys of people in the occupation, some from occupational experts, and some for newer occupations from O*NET analysts. Wage, education and outlook are from BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 for the matching SOC code and are blank where BLS publishes no line item.

How this was measured

Contact With Others (lower is preferred)
“How much does this job require the worker to be in contact with others (face-to-face, by telephone, or otherwise) in order to perform it?” Scale 1 = No contact with others; 5 = Constant contact with others.
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General (lower is preferred)
“How important is it to deal with external customers (as in retail sales) or the public in general (as in police work) in this job?” Scale 1 = Not important at all; 5 = Extremely important.
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams (lower is preferred)
“How frequently does your job require face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams?” Scale 1 = Never; 5 = Every day.
Telephone Conversations (lower is preferred)
“How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?” Scale 1 = Never; 5 = Every day.

The full method, including how ties are broken and what the data cannot tell you, is on the methodology page.

The restriction applied

Only occupations with a BLS median annual wage above $50,980, the 2025 median for all U.S. occupations are listed: 593 of 894 qualify.

The unrestricted ranking is at Jobs with the least contact with people of any kind.

Combine this with other conditions

The explorer ranks all occupations on any set of measures you choose, with the same values and the same arithmetic as this page.

Open the explorer with this selection

This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. RoleSprint has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Wage, education and outlook figures are reproduced from BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

What to do next

These rankings describe occupations in general. The next question is whether a specific opening in one of them actually matches what you can show, and that is answered by comparing the posting with your resume.