Work Context Index
Jobs with the most independent work
This list combines 3 O*NET Work Context measures. Each occupation's mean rating on each measure becomes a percentile rank among all 894 occupations, flipped where lower is preferred, and the percentiles are averaged. The 25 with the highest average are listed, with the components shown so the average can be checked.
Which jobs offer the most independent work: freedom to decide, setting your own tasks, and less dependence on a team?
Across the 894 occupations O*NET 30.3 rates, each occupation is placed on 3 O*NET measures at once, Freedom to make decisions (higher); Setting your own tasks (higher); Working in a team (lower), each converted to a percentile among all occupations in the preferred direction and averaged. The 25 listed here all sit at the 91st percentile or better on that average. Strongest are History Teachers, Postsecondary (98th percentile), Animal Breeders (98th percentile), Political Scientists (97th percentile). Their median BLS wage is $83,820 (2025, 25 of 25 with a BLS line item), and 6 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
- Measures combined
- Freedom to Make Decisions (higher is preferred); Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals (higher is preferred); Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team (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 people who like to work alone”. This page answers that with the measurement behind it: 3 Work Context questions — Freedom to Make Decisions, Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals, Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team — each 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 percentile across freedom to make decisions, setting your own tasks, working in a team.
| # | Occupation | Component values | Rank | BLS wage and education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | History Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1125.00 |
| 98th percentile mean of 3 measures | $83,820 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · 0% 2025-35 |
| 2 | Animal Breeders O*NET-SOC 45-2021.00 |
| 98th percentile mean of 3 measures | $51,130 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +3% 2025-35 |
| 3 | Political Scientists O*NET-SOC 19-3094.00 |
| 97th percentile mean of 3 measures | $142,080 median (2025) Master's degree · -2% 2025-35 |
| 4 | Door-to-Door Sales Workers, News and Street Vendors, and Related Workers O*NET-SOC 41-9091.00 |
| 96th percentile mean of 3 measures | $41,380 median (2025) No formal educational credential · -10.4% 2025-35 |
| 5 | Law Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1112.00 |
| 96th percentile mean of 3 measures | $128,500 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +2.6% 2025-35 |
| 6 | Acupuncturists O*NET-SOC 29-1291.00 |
| 96th percentile mean of 3 measures | $76,040 median (2025) Master's degree · +8.6% 2025-35 |
| 7 | Environmental Economists O*NET-SOC 19-3011.01 |
| 95th percentile mean of 3 measures | $124,720 median (2025) Master's degree · +4.7% 2025-35 |
| 8 | Physics Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1054.00 |
| 95th percentile mean of 3 measures | $100,310 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +2.4% 2025-35 |
| 9 | Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators O*NET-SOC 23-1022.00 |
| 95th percentile mean of 3 measures | $75,530 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +4.7% 2025-35 |
| 10 | Sociology Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1067.00 |
| 95th percentile mean of 3 measures | $84,290 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +2.2% 2025-35 |
| 11 | Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers O*NET-SOC 27-3043.05 |
| 94th percentile mean of 3 measures | $76,910 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · -0.3% 2025-35 |
| 12 | Farm Labor Contractors O*NET-SOC 13-1074.00 |
| 94th percentile mean of 3 measures | $58,460 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +7.4% 2025-35 |
| 13 | Economics Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1063.00 |
| 94th percentile mean of 3 measures | $123,920 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +2.4% 2025-35 |
| 14 | Clinical and Counseling Psychologists O*NET-SOC 19-3033.00 |
| 94th percentile mean of 3 measures | $100,580 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +11.7% 2025-35 |
| 15 | Fallers O*NET-SOC 45-4021.00 |
| 93rd percentile mean of 3 measures | $52,100 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -9.9% 2025-35 |
| 16 | Business Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1011.00 |
| 93rd percentile mean of 3 measures | $99,080 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +5.9% 2025-35 |
| 17 | Mental Health Counselors O*NET-SOC 21-1014.00 |
| 93rd percentile mean of 3 measures | $59,350 median (2025) Master's degree · +18.4% 2025-35 |
| 18 | Political Science Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1065.00 |
| 92nd percentile mean of 3 measures | $98,070 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +2.5% 2025-35 |
| 19 | Watch and Clock Repairers O*NET-SOC 49-9064.00 |
| 92nd percentile mean of 3 measures | $67,230 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -0.3% 2025-35 |
| 20 | Lawyers O*NET-SOC 23-1011.00 |
| 92nd percentile mean of 3 measures | $159,670 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +4.7% 2025-35 |
| 21 | Sociologists O*NET-SOC 19-3041.00 |
| 92nd percentile mean of 3 measures | $106,030 median (2025) Master's degree · +3.8% 2025-35 |
| 22 | Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary O*NET-SOC 25-1111.00 |
| 92nd percentile mean of 3 measures | $76,590 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +1.5% 2025-35 |
| 23 | Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators O*NET-SOC 27-1013.00 |
| 91st percentile mean of 3 measures | $55,490 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · -2.9% 2025-35 |
| 24 | Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists O*NET-SOC 29-1122.01 |
| 91st percentile mean of 3 measures | $100,330 median (2025) Master's degree · +14.8% 2025-35 |
| 25 | Massage Therapists O*NET-SOC 31-9011.00 |
| 91st percentile mean of 3 measures | $58,450 median (2025) Postsecondary nondegree award · +15.3% 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 (higher is preferred)
“How much decision making freedom, without supervision, does the job offer?” Scale 1 = No freedom; 5 = A lot of freedom.
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals (higher is preferred)
“How much freedom does the worker have in determining the tasks, priorities, or goals of the job?” Scale 1 = No freedom; 5 = A lot of freedom.
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team (lower is preferred)
“How important is it to work with or contribute to a work group or team in this job?” Scale 1 = Not important at all; 5 = Extremely important.
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.