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Ten relatively low-search U.S. occupations in an October 23, 2026 analysis show reported average annual salaries above $100,000. The list includes financial risk specialists, training and development managers, fundraising managers, geoscientists and several operational or public-service roles. The figures are Click Intelligence averages reproduced by Forbes—not guaranteed starting offers. Pay varies with location, experience, employer and duties, while Google-search volume measures attention to a job title, not applicant competition.
What do these six-figure careers have in common?
They are specialized jobs that are easy to overlook when people search for familiar professions such as software developer, physician or attorney. Some require advanced education; others are reached through a promotion, a license or substantial field experience. The table uses the reported average supplied for the analysis and the estimated monthly U.S. search volume used as its attention proxy.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors| Occupation | Reported average annual salary | Estimated monthly searches | Typical preparation or access route |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial risk specialist | $124,400 | 310 | Bachelor’s degree; quantitative or finance experience |
| First-line supervisor of police and detectives | $112,200 | 400 | Promotion after law-enforcement service and supervisory experience |
| Postsecondary social sciences teacher | $101,100 | 490 | Usually a Ph.D.; a master’s may qualify for some community-college roles |
| Training and development manager | $148,400 | 540 | Bachelor’s or master’s degree plus related experience |
| Fundraising manager | $140,000 | 1,110 | Bachelor’s degree is typical; advancement and nonprofit experience help |
| Meteorologist | $106,100 | 1,120 | Bachelor’s degree; research positions may require graduate study |
| Power distributor and dispatcher | $111,300 | 1,210 | Utility training, technical instruction and continuing qualification |
| Ship engineer | $111,800 | 1,240 | Maritime credentials, sea time and employer-specific qualifications |
| Financial examiner | $106,200 | 1,240 | Bachelor’s degree, commonly with accounting coursework |
| Geoscientist | $116,200 | 1,290 | Relevant science degree; specialty, field experience and sometimes graduate study |
Low search volume should not be read as proof that a job is easy to get. It can reflect an unfamiliar title, a small occupation, hiring through internal pipelines or geographic concentration. The salary figures are annual means; they are not entry-level offers.
Which overlooked careers pay the most?
Training and development manager
The analysis reports an average of $148,400. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported a May 2025 median wage of $133,000, 6% projected growth from 2025 to 2035 and about 4,100 openings per year. BLS defines the role as planning, coordinating and directing programs that improve employees’ skills and knowledge. A bachelor’s or master’s degree plus related experience is typical, so this is often an advancement path for learning-and-development, human-resources or operations professionals.
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Fundraising manager
The reported average is $140,000, closely aligned with the BLS May 2025 annual mean of $140,020. Fundraising managers plan campaigns, cultivate donors and oversee appeals for nonprofit, educational, health and cultural organizations. BLS lists a bachelor’s degree as typical entry education; measurable results in development work, grant strategy or major-donor programs can matter as much as the title of an earlier job.
Financial risk specialist
Click Intelligence’s reported average is $124,400, with only 310 estimated monthly searches. BLS’s Occupation Finder places financial risk specialists in the $100,000-or-more 2025 median-pay band, requiring a bachelor’s degree and showing much-faster-than-average projected growth with 1,000–4,999 projected new jobs. The work can include stress testing, credit and market-risk analysis, controls and regulatory reporting. Employers commonly look for statistics, economics, finance, mathematics or data skills.
Geoscientist
The reported average is $116,200. BLS lists a May 2025 median of $101,920, while the median in mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction was $158,590. That spread shows why specialty and industry matter: environmental, energy, engineering and public-sector geoscientists can face very different pay and travel patterns. Check the local market and the specific specialty before paying for training.
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Which options can be reached without a doctorate?
First-line supervisor of police and detectives
The reported average is $112,200 and the title had 400 estimated monthly searches. This is an advancement route for experienced law-enforcement workers, not a direct-from-school occupation. Eligibility depends on agency service requirements, examinations, promotion rules, leadership record and jurisdiction; supervisory responsibility does not eliminate shift work, emergency call-ins or public-accountability demands.
Power distributor and dispatcher
The reported average is $111,300. BLS reports a $106,730 median for the detailed power-distributor-and-dispatcher occupation within the broader power-plant-operator, distributor and dispatcher group. Dispatchers balance generation and demand, respond to outages and follow strict safety procedures, often in control rooms operating around the clock. The broader group is projected to decline, so many openings are expected to come from replacement demand rather than net-new jobs.
Ship engineer
The analysis reports an average of $111,800 and 1,240 monthly searches. Ship engineers maintain propulsion, electrical and mechanical systems and stand watches at sea. Before pursuing a posting, verify the maritime credential level, required sea time, medical standards, rotation schedule, vessel type, port location and expected time away from home; these conditions can change the practical value of the salary.
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Financial examiner
The reported average is $106,200. BLS says financial examiners ensure compliance with laws governing institutions that handle monetary transactions. Its May 2025 median was $94,160, with 9% projected growth and about 4,500 annual openings. A bachelor’s degree with accounting coursework is typical, and candidates may work for banking regulators or state agencies as well as financial institutions. Read a posting carefully for travel, examination authority and required accounting or audit experience.
Which careers require advanced academic training?
Postsecondary social sciences teacher
The reported average is $101,100 and the title generated 490 estimated monthly searches. BLS says postsecondary teachers typically need a Ph.D., although a master’s degree may qualify someone for some community-college roles. Overall postsecondary-teacher median pay was $85,330 in May 2025, with 7% projected growth through 2035. Pay and job security vary sharply by discipline, institution, tenure status and whether the position is full-time or contingent.
Meteorologist
The reported average is $106,100. BLS groups meteorologists with atmospheric scientists, reporting a May 2025 median of $99,070 and a bachelor’s degree as typical preparation. Forecasting jobs exist in government, broadcasting, aviation, energy and private weather services; research roles may require graduate study. Work can involve rotating shifts and high-pressure decisions when severe weather threatens public safety.
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How should you interpret the salary and search figures?
Click Intelligence combined BLS employment, wage and projection data with monthly Google-search estimates. A reported average is an arithmetic mean across workers covered by the source, whereas a BLS median is the midpoint at which half of workers earn more and half earn less. They are different statistics and should not be treated as interchangeable.
- Check geography: national averages can conceal large differences between metropolitan areas, rural regions and offshore or remote assignments.
- Check experience: many of these figures describe established professionals, not first-year hires.
- Check the employer: government, nonprofit, utility, industrial and private-sector pay structures differ.
- Check the schedule: watches, emergency coverage, travel and long rotations can be part of the compensation trade-off.
- Check the pipeline: internal promotion, licensing or scarce technical credentials may matter more than online visibility.
How can you evaluate one of these careers before retraining?
- Read several current postings. Record the required degree, license, years of experience, travel, shift pattern and salary range in your target region.
- Compare the occupation’s median with the reported average. A wide gap can signal seniority, industry concentration or a small number of high-paying employers.
- Map the shortest credible entry route. Determine whether a certificate, degree, apprenticeship, agency exam, sea time or promotion is actually accepted.
- Validate demand locally. Search utility, regulator, university, nonprofit, maritime and industrial employers directly rather than relying on the title’s Google volume.
- Price the full transition. Include tuition, licensing, unpaid clinical or sea time, relocation, lost income and continuing-education requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are these salaries starting pay?
No. They are reported annual averages from Click Intelligence’s analysis, reproduced by Forbes. Starting offers can be substantially lower or higher depending on location, experience, employer and responsibilities.
Which of these jobs has the strongest projected growth?
Financial risk specialists are listed in the BLS Occupation Finder’s much-faster-than-average growth category. Financial examiners are projected to grow 9% through 2035, while training and development managers are projected to grow 6%; projections are not guarantees for a particular region.
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Can I become a financial examiner with a finance degree instead of accounting?
Often, but postings control the details. BLS describes a bachelor’s degree with accounting coursework as typical, so a finance graduate may need additional accounting classes or audit experience to meet a regulator’s requirements.
Do geoscientists always earn more in energy?
No. BLS’s May 2025 median of $158,590 for mining, quarrying and oil and gas extraction is an industry figure, not a promise for every geoscientist. Environmental, government, engineering and academic roles can have different pay, travel and stability.
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Why does a low Google-search count not mean low competition?
Search estimates measure how often people look up a title, not the number of qualified applicants or vacancies. An occupation may recruit through professional networks, civil-service lists, unions, campus pipelines or internal promotion instead of broad web searches.
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