Work Context Index
The most hands-on jobs that pay above the U.S. median
The most hands-on jobs, 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 involve the most hands-on work with tools, objects and controls that pay above the U.S. median wage?
Only 594 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 Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls, highest first, 25 are listed: 13 also appear in the unrestricted ranking and 12 enter only under this restriction, led by Tire Builders (4.87 of 5), Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers (4.86 of 5), Machinists (4.85 of 5). The strongest overall are Dental Hygienists (5.0 of 5), Watch and Clock Repairers (5.0 of 5), Roof Bolters, Mining (4.99 of 5). Their median BLS wage is $63,190 (2025, 25 of 25 with a BLS line item), and 25 of the 25 with BLS education data typically need less than a bachelor's degree.
- Occupations compared
- 594 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
- What O*NET asks incumbents
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls: "How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?"
- Scale
- 1 = Never; 3 = About half the time; 5 = Continually or almost continually. 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). 10 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 “hands on jobs”. This page answers that with the measurement behind it: Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls, rated on a fixed 1-to-5 scale by people who do each job.
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 rating for Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls, highest first. Scale: 1 = Never; 5 = Continually or almost continually.
| # | Occupation | O*NET value | Rank | BLS wage and education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dental Hygienists O*NET-SOC 29-1292.00 | 5.00 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $98,100 median (2025) Associate's degree · +8% 2025-35 |
| 2 | Watch and Clock Repairers O*NET-SOC 49-9064.00 | 5.00 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $67,230 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -0.3% 2025-35 |
| 3 | Roof Bolters, Mining O*NET-SOC 47-5043.00 | 4.99 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $78,540 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -18.9% 2025-35 |
| 4 | Automotive Body and Related Repairers O*NET-SOC 49-3021.00 | 4.95 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $54,890 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +3.7% 2025-35 |
| 5 | Electricians O*NET-SOC 47-2111.00 | 4.94 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $63,190 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +9.2% 2025-35 |
| 6 | Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers O*NET-SOC 47-2051.00 | 4.93 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 99% of 894 occupations | $57,020 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +1.6% 2025-35 |
| 7 | Subway and Streetcar Operators O*NET-SOC 53-4041.00 | 4.92 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $86,380 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +3.7% 2025-35 |
| 8 | Tile and Stone Setters O*NET-SOC 47-2044.00 | 4.90 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $55,690 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +9.8% 2025-35 |
| 9 | Plasterers and Stucco Masons O*NET-SOC 47-2161.00 | 4.90 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $57,660 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +2.8% 2025-35 |
| 10 | Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles O*NET-SOC 47-2042.00 | 4.89 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $56,460 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +9% 2025-35 |
| 11 | Continuous Mining Machine Operators O*NET-SOC 47-5041.00 | 4.89 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $61,810 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +3.2% 2025-35 |
| 12 | Hoist and Winch Operators O*NET-SOC 53-7041.00 | 4.89 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 98% of 894 occupations | $56,450 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +0.2% 2025-35 |
| 13 | Rail Car Repairers O*NET-SOC 49-3043.00 | 4.88 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 97% of 894 occupations | $67,530 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +2.6% 2025-35 |
| 14 | Tire Builders O*NET-SOC 51-9197.00 | 4.87 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 97% of 894 occupations | $57,390 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +0.8% 2025-35 |
| 15 | Aircraft Structure, Surfaces, Rigging, and Systems Assemblers O*NET-SOC 51-2011.00 | 4.86 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 97% of 894 occupations | $65,380 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -5.6% 2025-35 |
| 16 | Machinists O*NET-SOC 51-4041.00 | 4.85 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 97% of 894 occupations | $58,750 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +1% 2025-35 |
| 17 | Elevator and Escalator Installers and Repairers O*NET-SOC 47-4021.00 | 4.84 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 96% of 894 occupations | $109,910 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +5.7% 2025-35 |
| 18 | Wind Turbine Service Technicians O*NET-SOC 49-9081.00 | 4.84 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 96% of 894 occupations | $64,120 median (2025) Postsecondary nondegree award · +29.5% 2025-35 |
| 19 | Fallers O*NET-SOC 45-4021.00 | 4.84 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 96% of 894 occupations | $52,100 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -9.9% 2025-35 |
| 20 | Diagnostic Medical Sonographers O*NET-SOC 29-2032.00 | 4.80 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 95% of 894 occupations | $96,590 median (2025) Associate's degree · +13.9% 2025-35 |
| 21 | Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists O*NET-SOC 49-3031.00 | 4.79 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 95% of 894 occupations | $61,770 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +3.6% 2025-35 |
| 22 | Terrazzo Workers and Finishers O*NET-SOC 47-2053.00 | 4.78 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 95% of 894 occupations | $76,170 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -13% 2025-35 |
| 23 | Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters O*NET-SOC 47-2152.00 | 4.76 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 95% of 894 occupations | $63,800 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +6.8% 2025-35 |
| 24 | Electrical and Electronics Installers and Repairers, Transportation Equipment O*NET-SOC 49-2093.00 | 4.76 of 5 Continually or almost continually | Higher than 95% of 894 occupations | $84,890 median (2025) Postsecondary nondegree award · +5.4% 2025-35 |
| 25 | Glaziers O*NET-SOC 47-2121.00 | 4.75 of 5 between "More than half the time" and "Continually or almost continually" | Higher than 95% of 894 occupations | $57,080 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +1.9% 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
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls (O*NET element 4.C.2.d.1.g). The question put to incumbents: “How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?”
- 1
Never
- 2
Less than half the time
- 3
About half the time
- 4
More than half the time
- 5
Continually or almost continually
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.
The restriction applied
Only occupations with a BLS median annual wage above $50,980, the 2025 median for all U.S. occupations are listed: 594 of 894 qualify.
The unrestricted ranking is at The most hands-on jobs.
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.