According to a previous study by FlexJobs, working from home and online jobs are 115% more popular nowadays.
That’s why over 1.8 million Americans have said they are happier now that they get to work on their own time and from home.
With the Coronavirus pandemic and ensuing lockdown, working from home is now even more normal and an accepted way to work.
Whether you’re looking to make some extra income on the side or are actively seeking to replace your full-time income, there are many working from home job opportunities that can help you get started.
In this article you’ll get some interesting statistics around working from home and cover some legit online jobs that could help you earn over the national salary average in the U.S.
Working From Home Statistics
While working from home and online jobs have been steadily growing way beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s certainly reason rapidly over the last few months.
However, many careers have become completely online and allow people to work from anywhere as long as they have a computer and internet connection.
Before I jump into some of the best online jobs, I thought it would be interesting to share some statistics around remote work.
- 80% of employees want to work from home at least some of the time. (Global Workplace Analytics)
- The average telecommuter makes approximately $4,000 more on their yearly salary than the average non-telecommuter. (Fundera)
- Remote workers say they are likely to stay in their current job for the next five years 13% more than onsite workers. (OwlLabs)
- 99% of remote workers want to continue telecommuting in the future. (Review42)
- 80% of telecommuters experience less work-related stress. (Review42)
- The amount of people who work remotely at least once per week has grown by 400% since 2010. (GetApp)
- If they could, 99% of people would choose to work remotely, at least part-time, for the rest of their careers. (Buffer)
Of course, these stats are only scratching the surface of interesting data, but let’s get into the best online jobs that pay well.
Legit Online Jobs That Pay Well
Below are some of the best online jobs you might want to consider. These can be full-time career choices, part-time work, help you with a career change, or even your own business pending what you are interested in doing.
Additionally, if you want to dive in the average rates, salaries, and more — I recommend doing some research on PayScale or similar sites.
1. Virtual Assistant
With more businesses and sole traders working online now than ever, many are hiring virtual assistants to help manage admin tasks and stay organised.
Virtual assistants are freelancers who work online and help other workers with business related issues, such as responding to email, writing content and managing social media. You can get started as a virtual assistant on sites such as Upwork or Zirtual.
A virtual assistant can earn an average of $30k per year or more, pending experience.
2. Online teacher
Whether you’ve got a teaching degree or not, you can now tutor students online with video chatting and teaching programs.
You can choose to work for an online school as a fully digital teacher, or you can set yourself up as a freelancer and pick your own students.
There is high demand for English teachers for foreign students. Check out websites such as VIPKid and TeachAway to get started.
You can earn a starting salary of up to $30k (or more) as an online teacher.
3. Transcriptionist
A transcriptionist takes audio or video content and turns it into written text. As a transcriptionist, you need to know how to type quickly and accurately, and be able to understand everything mentioned.
There are many platforms that help you get started as a transcriptionist, such as Rev and Scribie. You can also offer your services as a freelancer on a site such as Fiverr or Upwork.
You can earn $15 to $30 per hour or around $25k per year.
4. Translator
If you are bilingual, chances are you can make a full time income translating text. Most translators actually work from home, and according to BLS, 22% are self-employed.
Once again, you can choose to work as a professional translator in more technical and governmental industries, or you can set yourself as a freelancer and manage your own clients.
The average wage for a translator is around $50k per year.
5. Freelance Writer
Freelance writing is a good way to earn an income if you enjoy writing content, news articles and blogs.
More and more sites and companies are outsourcing the writing to freelancers, so there is definitely a high demand for good writers out there.
In order to make money writing, you’ll need to build up a portfolio and learn how to pitch to companies or publications.
Freelance sites such as Media Bistro and Freelancer.com are good places to start. And one of my favorites to find legit writing gigs is Flexjobs. While you have a subscription fee, some of the best freelance and work from home gigs are available to you.
The salary of a writer depends largely on your experience, current portfolio, and how much work you want to put in. The average wage is around $62,000 but many writers make six figure incomes.
6. Call center agent
As a call center agent you would be helping companies with sales, telemarketing, customer service and customer support.
You would mostly handle incoming calls and are likely to work for a company rather than as a freelancer. And you will be able to choose between part-time and full-time work.
An average call center agent salary can range from $30k to $40k per year.
7. Blogger
Starting and managing a blog is more like managing an online business. If you love writing about a specific topic, starting a blog may be a good way to earn a full time income.
It takes quite some time to build up, but eventually you can start earning money through affiliate marketing, sponsored posts and advertisements on your website.
Setting up a WordPress blog has minor startup costs and can be very rewarding when building a community.
According to Glassdoor, bloggers make an average of $32k per year.
8. Amazon remote employee
Amazon hires employees remotely for positions such as customer service agents, technical support and data entry. Depending on what you’re applying to, you can check whether you meet the requirements or not.
You can check Amazon’s Virtual Locations page to learn more about whether you could take on a full-time or part-time job.
Your earnings as an Amazon remote employee can average around $50k for a full-time position, or $10 per hour if you’re working per hour.
9. Data entry
Data entry is another job that is great to do from home. Many companies outsource data entry to freelancers to help manage specific projects.
You will likely need some experience and know how to deal with data entry. Companies that hire these kinds of workers include Sigtrack and Support Ninja.
You can expect to earn an average salary of $41,500.
10. Insurance claims investigator
As an insurance claims investigator your job is to inspect claims made by policyholders and look for any possibilities of fraud.
You will mostly be working from home and can do the bulk of work online, but may need to go out to take photos or interview individuals.
You may not need formal training, but you’ll need to excel in fields of communication, research and interviewing.
With this job, you can earn a salary of $60k to work as an insurance investigator full-time.
11. Social media manager
A social media manager is someone who manages various social platforms and helps promote a company or individual on said networks.
You can work full-time for one specific company to help them with their social media, or you can also market yourself as a freelance social media manager.
You can get started on websites such as Flexjobs, SimplyHired, and Upwork. Or if you already have experience, can comb through remote job boards, LinkedIn, and elsewhere for opportunities.
According to Glassdoor, social media managers earn around $50k per year.
12. Affiliate marketer
An affiliate marketer helps companies sell their products through specific affiliate links. With affiliate marketing, your website earns a commission every time someone buys the product.
However, there are jobs at various companies for this as well.
But generally, it’s more like setting up your own online business: you’ll be posting affiliate links on your website, ads, social media accounts and can make money online by promoting other people’s products.
Many people start with Shareasale, CJ, and Amazon Associates to make money with affiliate marketing. But there are tons of various platforms to get your affiliate links set-up.
Most affiliate marketers make an average of $150k per year, according to ZipRecruiter.
13. Photographer
If you love photography, you could consider earning an income from your passion.
You could teach photography to others, sell your own digital artwork, sell photos on stock websites, offer photography skills on freelance platforms, or start your own photography business for weddings, events, etc.
Your income varies widely depending on the services you offer, but a photographer can make around $65k per year.
14. Voice over
Many companies hire voice over actors to help with marketing videos, audiobooks, podcast intros and more.
If you have great vocal skills and can even do accents, you can make some extra money by selling those services. You could sell yourself as a freelancer or also be hired as a full time voice narrator.
A voice over earns around $76k on average.
15. Consultant, advisor or coach
Is there a specific area of work where you consider yourself an expert?
This could be entrepreneurship, marketing, health and fitness, parenting and more. As a consultant, you can market your services on freelance platforms and offer advice and coaching.
Your salary will vary depending on the type of consulting you offer. On average, business consultants make $78k per year.
16 .Medical transcriptionist
A medical transcriptionist is someone who listens to voice recording from healthcare workers and then writes them into reports.
A transcriptionist could work in a hospital, or also be self-employed and work for a third party.
Although predictions are that technology will replace this job, in the meantime it can make you an income.
The median annual income is $33,380.
17. Graphic designer
A graphic designer is someone who designs everything from logos, to websites to brochures and advertisements.
If you are someone who is creative and enjoys designing, you can set yourself up with a nice career in graphic design. Plus, most design work is done via computers, so this is a top option for online jobs.
You could also set yourself up as a freelancer and offer your services to specific clients. Use platforms such as Fiverr and 99designs to help you get started and test your target market.
The median annual wage is around $52,000 per year.
18. Facebook ads specialist
A Facebook ads specialist is someone who helps companies and websites acquire customers with Facebook ads.
Many companies have Facebook pages, but don’t know how to use them appropriately, how to target the right audience or publish the appropriate posts.
You can become a Facebook ads specialist by completing courses, doing some experimenting yourself and learning how to acquire clients.
A Facebook ads specialist can earn an income of $53k.
19. App or website tester
A website tester is someone who tests all the links on websites to make sure everything is working. This is useful to companies who want to know whether their websites are user-friendly and easy to use.
You can earn an income as a website tester through platforms such as WhatUsersDo, Userfeel and Analysia.
The income you’ll earn will depend on how many websites you test. As a full time income, website testers earn around $53k.
20. E-commerce store owner
An e-commerce store owner is someone who own an online shop and sell various products. You can sell various digital products such as PDFs or printables or even inventory that you create yourself.
You can also get into dropshipping and sell items that come from U.S., China, or other countries. Making money with Shopify is easier than ever before, but building a legit online business still takes time.
And depending on how much you sell and how you’re marketing your products, you can earn anything from 0$ to $5,000 per month.
21. Travel agent
A travel agent is someone who helps clients find good deals and experiences on holiday trips. If you like planning trips and helping people set up amazing vacations, this job may be for you.
You can become certified and complete a training program to offer more specialized skills.
You can also specialize in specific kinds of travel such as cruises or amusement parks. And can choose to earn a commission every time a client books a trip, or simply charge a fee.
A travel agent earns $47,000 per year on average.
22. Vlogger/Youtuber
A Youtuber is someone who earns money creating and posting videos on Youtube. You can produce anything from how-to videos, educational videos and a lot more. You’ll be able to earn money from sponsorships, affiliates and more.
Most Youtubers don’t make much, but if you dedicate a lot of time and effort you may be able to earn over $50k per year as you build a dedicated following.
23. Bookkeeping, accounting, auditing clerk
A bookkeeper or accountant is someone who manages and produces financial records for companies or individuals.
You can work this job from home and sometimes go visit clients in person. Although there is a risk that this job will become less relevant over time, it is still a job that is currently in demand.
The median wage of a bookkeeper is $41,230 per year.
24. Meeting, convention and event planner
Do you like planning and organizing events and meetings? As an event planner, you can help clients manage birthday parties, fundraisers or conferences.
You can do most of your work from home with a phone or computer, with occasional in-person meetings. You may need a degree in hospitality or tourism management.
An event planner can earn $49k per year.
25. Proofreader
If you like correcting grammar mistakes and spotting errors, proofreading may be an ideal job for you. You’ll be reading all kinds of content including blog articles, magazines and business documents.
You can work as a full time proofreader for a company, or sell yourself as a freelancer proofreader on freelance platform sites.
A proofreader makes anything between $12 to $50 per hour, or $52.4 per year.
Final Thoughts
If you are interested in online jobs and earning money from home, you’ll have plenty of choices. The list above is only a selection of some of the common options with decent pay.
Determining which job is right for you will depend on your personal interests, skills, hobbies, and one that really connects with your financial goals.
Some times a great way to dabble in some of these online jobs is through gig economy apps, to get a feel for what it’s like working from home and on your own time.