Need a New Career But Hate Talking to People? 15 Highest-Paying Jobs for Introverts

Introverts may be the quiet members of society, but they make up a significant portion of it. While precise numbers are hard to find, introverts likely comprise at least a third of the U.S. population.

That means introverts also make up a sizable portion of the workforce, though not every career is ideal for them. They tend to avoid jobs requiring a lot of interaction or dealing with groups of people.

But there are plenty of good jobs introverts will feel comfortable in that can help them get ahead financially. Here are 15 of the highest-paying opportunities.

Education required: Bachelor's degree
Median annual salary: $77,250
Projected job growth: 6% (to 2031)

If you’ve got a knack for numbers, accounting might be the career for you.

While many accountants work in an office, there are plenty of remote options. You can even establish a home office or operate in a freelance capacity. Working in a small team or alone is common.

Education required: Bachelor's degree
Median annual salary: $105,900
Projected job growth: 21% (to 2031)

Those with a good head for math, statistics, and finance theory can bring home an excellent paycheck as an actuary. The career takes things a bit further than accounting.

Actuaries are tasked with analyzing the economics of risk and uncertainty. Many work for insurance companies, but you can also work online.

Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
Median annual salary: $128,160
Projected job growth: 8% (to 2031)

Astronomy careers are all about the study of planets, stars, and other celestial bodies. Even as part of a team, you’ll often find yourself working alone, and nighttime observation is sometimes needed.

Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
Median annual salary: $102,270
Projected job growth: 15% (to 2031)

If solitary laboratory work sounds like a good time to you, the biochemistry field is worth a look. Biochemists spend a lot of time studying the chemical and physical aspects of living things.

There can be a high barrier from an education standpoint — you’ll need a Ph.D. for independent work — but some entry-level positions only require a bachelor’s or master's degree.

Education required: Bachelor's degree
Median annual salary: $159,010
Projected job growth: 16% (to 2031)

IT managers aren’t just the people you call when something goes wrong with your computer, though they can handle that too.

Computer and information system managers are in charge of pretty much all computer-related activities in an organization, from policy to hardware.

Given that managers are in charge of others, there’s a social aspect to the career, but the teams tend to be smaller and the work more independent.

Education required: Bachelor's degree
Median annual salary: $100,910
Projected job growth: 36% (to 2031)

Where some people’s eyes glaze over if they see a raw set of numbers, data scientists see a project ripe for analysis, with the endgame being to extract useful information.

They gather and identify data, clean it up so it can be understood, and use it for anything from algorithms to research or even better web browsing. There are plenty of remote jobs.

Education required: Bachelor's degree
Median annual salary: $63,350
Projected job growth: -5% (to 2031)

Editors are the unsung heroes of written content. They review and revise everything a writer puts together. While they can work in an office, remote jobs are equally common.

Deadlines can make it stressful, though, and you’ll have to know all the ins and outs of the written language.

Education required: Bachelor’s degree
Median annual salary: $50,710
Projected job growth: 3% (to 2031)

Graphic design can easily be considered a dream job, and it usually involves lots of solitary work. Those in the profession are at the intersection of objective-driven art and technology.

They creatively convey ideas and messages in an aesthetically pleasing way. Their projects run the gamut from designing a local store’s website to an ad campaign for a major fashion brand.

Education required: Bachelor's degree
Median annual salary: $93,370
Projected job growth: 4% (to 2031)

Marine engineers design, build, and maintain the internal aspects of all the vessels that sail the seas. That includes propulsion, electrical, refrigeration, and steering systems for ships and submarines.

Most of the work is done in an office with computer software for design and analysis, though you may be called offshore to maintain something you designed or built.

Education required: Doctoral degree; license for clinical practice
Median annual salary: $81,040
Projected job growth: 6% (to 2031)

Few careers are as independent as psychologists. Most work alone — either conducting research, consulting clients, or counseling patients.

It does require you to get through an extraordinary amount of schooling, however, and specific requirements may vary from state to state.

Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
Median annual salary: $208,000
Projected job growth: 3% (to 2031)

Radiologists are doctors, but they tend to work behind the scenes and don’t frequently have to interact with patients.

More specifically, they review and interpret medical imaging — X-rays, MRIs, and ultrasounds, for example — to diagnose injuries or diseases.

Education required: Bachelor's degree
Median annual salary: $62,800
Projected job growth: 8% (to 2031)

Yes, social media specialists have to deal with the public, but it’s not social in a traditional sense — you don’t need to have any face-to-face time with strangers.

Social media managers are in charge of a brand’s online presence. So even though you’ll be interacting with the public, it’s through the written word.

Education required: Bachelor's degree
Median annual salary: $109,020
Projected job growth: 25% (to 2031)

Software developers design computer programs and applications. While the career is naturally collaborative, there are tons of remote options.

A master's degree may be required in some cases, even though you usually need a bachelor’s degree in computer and information technology.

Education required: Bachelor's degree
Median annual salary: $78,060
Projected job growth: 6% (to 2031)

Every time you crack open an instructional manual or a how-to guide, it’s probably the work of a technical writer.

Technical writers are tasked with getting across complex information in a way anyone can understand.

It requires a degree and usually some knowledge of or experience with a field like science or engineering. There are lots of remote possibilities.

Education required: Doctoral or professional degree
Median annual salary: $100,370
Projected job growth: 19% (to 2031)

Veterinarians indeed have to deal with pet owners, but their patients are animals, and that’s who they spend most of their time with.

Many do their duties in private clinics or hospitals, but others can find a quiet laboratory to work in or help farm animals in rural settings.

Being an introvert doesn’t have to hold your career back. It doesn’t matter if you’re unhappy in your current job or you’re just getting started and looking for the right career path.

Being quiet and wanting to work alone isn’t a hindrance to a healthy bank account or being able to retire early. And the rise of remote work means introverts have more options than ever.