Last updated May 9, 2026 · based on 156 verified listings
Median $19/hr — about $39,520/year at full time.
Pay data on this page comes from 156 verified, US-eligible listings active on CushyJobs in the last 30 days. We re-run this analysis weekly. Content moderation pay at the bottom 25% works out to about $14/hr; the top 25% is around $26/hr.
Range: $14–$26/hr · Median $19/hr
| Bracket | Hourly | Annual |
|---|---|---|
| Bottom 25% | $14/hr | $29,120 |
| Median | $19/hr | $39,520 |
| Top 25% | $26/hr | $54,080 |
Most cushy WFH roles pay the same nationally, but a few employers adjust by metro. Multipliers below applied to the median $19/hr.
San Francisco, CA
$22/hr
18% above the national median
New York, NY
$22/hr
14% above the national median
Boston, MA
$21/hr
10% above the national median
Seattle, WA
$21/hr
9% above the national median
Washington, DC
$20/hr
7% above the national median
Entry (0-1 yr)
$15/hr
~$31,200/year FT
Mid (2-4 yr)
$19/hr
~$39,520/year FT
Senior (5+ yr)
$23/hr
~$47,840/year FT
Across 156 verified listings, the median is $19/hour (about $39,520/year at full time). The bottom 25% earn $14/hr; the top 25% earn $26/hr.
Most cushy WFH roles pay the same nationally regardless of where the worker lives. A small minority of employers (mostly tech and high-cost-of-living based) adjust by metro — those rates are reflected in our top-paying-cities table above.
Most cushy content-moderation work is benign (search-quality rating, AI training data). The minority involving distressing content is clearly labeled in our listings and pays a premium of $4–8/hr above standard.
Yes — both are large publicly-traded AI data companies. Pay is reliable but project work is intermittent (you may go weeks between assignments).