Top 10 highest paying jobs you can do from home

The thought of staying home while still having the ability to support yourself and your family is appealing to many people.

No commute cost, often more flexibility when it comes to your work hours, and the ability to work from wherever you might desire can seem like huge perks, especially during a pandemic.

While almost all work-from-home jobs come with these benefits in one way or another, some remote jobs offer the opportunity to make more money than others. And different jobs require varying degrees of education or experience.

In this article, we’ll walk through the top ten highest paying remote jobs in a variety of different fields or industries, what it takes to be successful in those roles, and the requirements to land them.

Best work-from-home jobs that pay well

The following list of work-from-home opportunities includes roles that require a range of education levels and experience, both full-time and part-time, ordered from the lowest to highest paying.

The salary data in this article comes from PayScale, the market leader in collecting salary data in the United States. The annual salaries we’ll share with you are averages, and may vary significantly depending on where you live.

For example, salaries in cities like New York and San Francisco are traditionally much higher than in cities like Dallas or Cincinnati.

One last thing to note is that all roles mentioned require an internet connection.

1. Medical transcriptionist: $33,341

A medical transcriptionist is responsible for transcribing medical codes made from a doctor’s notes in the healthcare industry.

These codes indicate a patient’s diagnosis or prescribed treatment, and it’s the job of the transcriptionist to transfer those codes from an audio recording to a document or computerized database.

The average yearly salary is $33,341, but could be as high as $48,000 depending on your location, experience, and the medical practice.

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In order to work as a medical transcriptionist, you’ll need a GED or high school diploma. From there, you’ll be able to work towards certification, which can be completed in as little as six months.

Medical practices typically look for transcriptionists that have strong organizational skills and attention to detail. Transcription requires the use of medical transcriptionist software and medical dictation equipment.

2. Call center representative: $36,403

Call center representatives are a company’s front lines. They’re required to answer questions and respond to complaints, solve problems and handle transactions like returns, refunds, changes to accounts, and more.

Employees in this role typically work in shifts, which can vary greatly depending on the company. Companies with 24-hour service may have overnight shifts, while others are a standard 9:00 am to 5:00 pm workday.

The average annual salary is $36,403, but could be as high as $55,000, depending on the location and company.

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The minimum education requirement for flexjobs like this one is a GED or high school diploma, but in some cases, employers may require a college degree.

This is most common with companies that require specific sets of technical skills or industry knowledge, like enterprise software or finance.

3. Data entry specialist: $36,512

A data entry specialist is an online job as someone who enters information or data into a computer for processing, or to keep up-to-date records.

These roles are available from companies of all shapes and sizes, including insurance, online retail, medical practices, and more.

The average annual salary for a data entry specialist is $36,512, but could be as high as $52,000, depending on your location and industry.

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Working as a data entry specialist requires working at a computer to enter data in spreadsheets, forms, or other relevant software.

Employees are typically required to have a GED or high school diploma. In some positions where data entry specialists work with sensitive information, like medical records or financial data, your employer might require some vocational training.

4. Blogger: $39,371

When you hear the word blogger or blogging, you might immediately think of someone writing about their life or opinion on a personal blog, but bloggers are frequently sought after by a company’s marketing department.

Bloggers are often hired to write for a company’s blog, in order to provide that company’s customers with valuable information and solutions to their problems.

Bloggers are expected to create engaging articles that might describe the company’s industry, products, updates on new services, and more.

On average, bloggers make $39,371 annually, but could make as much as $77,000 depending on their prior experience, employer, knowledge area, and industry.

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Many bloggers have a degree in marketing, English, professional writing, or a related field, but it’s not usually a requirement for the role.

A portfolio of well-written work is often enough to find work as a blogger. Knowledge of HTML or related web publishing languages can also be helpful.

5. Customer service representative: $39,378

A customer service representative is similar to a call center representative. They’re required to take incoming telephone calls from customers, but also may be required to make outbound calls as well.

Job opportunities are available at companies across a wide range of industries that need customer service representatives, like e-commerce, manufacturing companies, cable corporations, rental industries, beverage industries, and so many more.

The average annual salary for a customer service representative is $39,378, but could be as high as $54,000.

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You’ll be required to have a GED or high school diploma, and in many cases, an associate’s degree in arts or business may be preferred. It will also be important for you to be proficient in computer systems like Microsoft Word, Excel, or Powerpoint.

6. Freelance writer: $40,547

A role as a freelance writer requires working for a variety of clients to assist them in producing editorial, advertising, and marketing materials. They may also function as a proofreader, staffed for proofreading materials used for sales or online marketing.

The average annual salary for a freelance writer is $40,547, but could be as high as $81,000, depending on your clients and expertise.

Technical freelance writers are a specific type of freelance writer that specializes in fields like law, finance, development, code, and medicine. On average, they make $6 an hour more than other freelancers.

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There are no specific education requirements for entry-level work-at-home jobs as a freelance writer, but prior experience or a strong portfolio of written work is almost always required.

You’ll often find freelance writers who have a bachelor’s degree in English, journalism, communications, or marketing, but experience is more important than education.

7. Virtual assistant: $41,080

A virtual assistant works with executives to do essentially whatever tasks are needed to help the company run smoothly. They may make calls to customers and contacts, schedule meetings, manage vendors, arrange deliveries, pick up packages, book travel, and much more.

The average annual salary for a virtual assistant is $41,080, but could be as high as $62,000, depending on location and industry.

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This role is popular within a startup or small business. There is no educational requirement for a virtual assistant position, but companies will look for candidates with a proven record of being highly organized and responsive, as well as someone who is comfortable with video conferencing.

8. Search engine optimization specialist: $46,579

A search engine optimization (SEO) specialist helps companies develop strategies that ensure their company appears in search results on sites like Google, Bing, Yahoo, and more.

As a search engine evaluator, they research and define the search terms that are most relevant to their company, and are used frequently by target customers, in order to provide recommendations on how to improve their company’s website.

These recommendations might include the creation of new web pages, images, video, cross-linking between pages, tagging, and much more.

The average annual salary for an SEO specialist is $46,579, but could be as high as $65,000.

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Depending on the role, a bachelor's degree may be required or preferred for SEO specialist positions, but there are many certification programs from market leaders like Google, SEMRush and Yoast that would appeal to hiring managers.

Most importantly, SEO specialists must understand the basics behind coding languages such as HTML and CSS to help out as a web developer or website tester, as well as best practices across search engines.

They’ll also need an understanding of Google Analytics and Google’s Webmaster Tools.

9. Full charge bookkeeper: $49,661

A full charge bookkeeper works to make sure a company makes economically safe decisions so that finances stay under control and that, ultimately, the company is profitable. Duties include calculating and recording financial transactions, balancing financial reports, and doing payroll.

Bookkeeping also requires working with managers or business owners to make good decisions when it comes to selling company assets, evaluating total revenue, profits, losses, and overall financial position.

The average annual salary for a full charge bookkeeper is $49,661, but could be as high as $67,000.

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Work as a bookkeeper often requires an associate's degree or some college in relation to accounting or finance. However, certification from market leaders like QuickBooks and the NACPB and knowledge of personal finance could help.

10. Social media manager $51,591

Social media managers are responsible for maintaining a company’s social media presence across a variety of accounts. They’re responsible for tasks like communicating with customers and vendors to manage social media pages, profiles, and sites.

Remote workers in social media also write company statements and respond to questions, concerns, and inquiries on the social media platforms they manage on the company’s behalf.

The average annual salary of a social media manager is $51,591, but could be as high as $79,000, depending on location and industry.

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A bachelor's degree in marketing, communications, or a related field is generally required for this position, but certifications from market leaders like HubSpot and Facebook help make you appealing as a candidate for roles like this one.

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