Work Context Index
Jobs with the most freedom to make decisions
O*NET asks people in every occupation "How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?" and publishes the mean answer on a 1-to-5 scale. This page lists the 25 occupations whose mean sits highest, with the BLS wage, education and outlook for each.
Which jobs give the most decision-making freedom without supervision?
Across the 894 occupations O*NET 30.3 rates, the 25 highest for Freedom to Make Decisions average between 4.86 and 5.0 on O*NET's 1-to-5 scale, where 1 means "No freedom" and 5 means "A lot of freedom"; the median across all occupations is 4.14. Highest are Sports Medicine Physicians (5.0), Podiatrists (5.0), Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric (5.0). Their median BLS wage is $160,300 (2025, 25 of 25 with a BLS line item), and 4 of the 25 with BLS education data typically need less than a bachelor's degree.
- Occupations compared
- 894 O*NET 30.3 occupations with published Work Context ratings
- What O*NET asks incumbents
- Freedom to Make Decisions: "How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?"
- Scale
- 1 = No freedom; 3 = Limited freedom; 5 = A lot of freedom. Values are mean incumbent ratings.
- Wage and outlook source
- BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, Table 1.2 Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics, 2025 (Employment in thousands). 2 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.
The 25 occupations
Ordered by mean rating for Freedom to Make Decisions, highest first. Scale: 1 = No freedom; 5 = A lot of freedom.
| # | Occupation | O*NET value | Rank | BLS wage and education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sports Medicine Physicians O*NET-SOC 29-1229.06 | 5.00 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $265,930 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +3.4% 2025-35 |
| 2 | Podiatrists O*NET-SOC 29-1081.00 | 5.00 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $160,300 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +2% 2025-35 |
| 3 | Ophthalmologists, Except Pediatric O*NET-SOC 29-1241.00 | 5.00 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $300,080 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +4.5% 2025-35 |
| 4 | Urologists O*NET-SOC 29-1229.03 | 4.99 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $265,930 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +3.4% 2025-35 |
| 5 | Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates O*NET-SOC 23-1023.00 | 4.99 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $153,990 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +2.8% 2025-35 |
| 6 | Dermatologists O*NET-SOC 29-1213.00 | 4.99 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $328,730 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +6.8% 2025-35 |
| 7 | Family Medicine Physicians O*NET-SOC 29-1215.00 | 4.98 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $244,180 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +3.3% 2025-35 |
| 8 | Chiropractors O*NET-SOC 29-1011.00 | 4.96 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $79,200 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +8.7% 2025-35 |
| 9 | Motorboat Operators O*NET-SOC 53-5022.00 | 4.96 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $47,520 median (2025) Postsecondary nondegree award · +4.9% 2025-35 |
| 10 | Chief Executives O*NET-SOC 11-1011.00 | 4.95 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $213,990 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +3.2% 2025-35 |
| 11 | Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1042.00 | 4.95 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $84,620 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +7.3% 2025-35 |
| 12 | Prosthodontists O*NET-SOC 29-1024.00 | 4.95 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $311,180 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +5.8% 2025-35 |
| 13 | Animal Breeders O*NET-SOC 45-2021.00 | 4.94 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $51,130 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +3% 2025-35 |
| 14 | Emergency Medicine Physicians O*NET-SOC 29-1214.00 | 4.93 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $335,550 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +3.2% 2025-35 |
| 15 | Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons O*NET-SOC 29-1022.00 | 4.93 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $352,220 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +5.6% 2025-35 |
| 16 | Geography Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1064.00 | 4.93 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $97,590 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +2.7% 2025-35 |
| 17 | Neurologists O*NET-SOC 29-1217.00 | 4.92 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $248,560 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +6.4% 2025-35 |
| 18 | Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Physicians O*NET-SOC 29-1229.04 | 4.91 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $265,930 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +3.4% 2025-35 |
| 19 | History Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1125.00 | 4.91 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $83,820 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · 0% 2025-35 |
| 20 | Real Estate Brokers O*NET-SOC 41-9021.00 | 4.89 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $73,220 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +0.8% 2025-35 |
| 21 | Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1066.00 | 4.89 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $80,340 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +4% 2025-35 |
| 22 | Psychiatrists O*NET-SOC 29-1223.00 | 4.87 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $281,870 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +7.2% 2025-35 |
| 23 | Carpet Installers O*NET-SOC 47-2041.00 | 4.87 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $50,340 median (2025) No formal educational credential · -16.4% 2025-35 |
| 24 | Education Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1081.00 | 4.86 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 97% of 894 occupations | $75,350 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +2.5% 2025-35 |
| 25 | Atmospheric, Earth, Marine, and Space Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1051.00 | 4.86 of 5 A lot of freedom | Higher than 97% of 894 occupations | $103,170 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +2.4% 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
Freedom to Make Decisions (O*NET element 4.C.3.a.4). The question put to incumbents: “How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?”
- 1
No freedom
- 2
Very little freedom
- 3
Limited freedom
- 4
Some freedom
- 5
A lot of freedom
894 of 894 occupations have a published, unsuppressed value for this element. The percentile beside each occupation is its position among them.
The full method, including how ties are broken and what the data cannot tell you, is on the methodology page.
Narrow the list with BLS data
Each variant keeps the same measure and restricts the occupations by a published BLS threshold. A variant exists only where the restriction actually changes the list rather than the heading; the combinations that left the answer much as it was were not published.
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 selectionThis 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.