Some jobs are more strenuous than others, and while stress is normal, it can lead to burnout. Check out the most and least stressful jobs.
- Enlisted military personnel and those working in the emergency services field are under the most stress.
- Not all stress is bad. Healthy stress can serve as a motivator, while unhealthy stress zaps concentration.
- More than half of Americans report that work is a significant source of stress in their lives. The least stressful jobs include diagnostic medical sonographer, compliance officer, and hairstylist.
It may come as no surprise that careers in the military and public safety sector are considered among the most stressful jobs. For the third year in a row, enlisted military personnel, firefighter, airline pilot, and police officer are the four most stressful occupations, according to CareerCast’s annual Most Stressful Jobs report.
Kyle Kensing, online content editor for CareerCast, said the specific factors his company uses to measure the stress level of an occupation were the most prevalent in military service, police work and firefighting more than any other career.
“These [factors] include physical demands, on-the-job hazards, environmental conditions, [and] the risk of personal injury or injury to another for whom the worker is directly responsible,” Kensing said.
This year’s 10 most stressful jobs and their stress scores are
- Enlisted military personnel: 72.58
- Firefighter: 72.38
- Airline pilot: 61.20
- Police officer: 51.94
- Broadcaster: 51.27
- Event coordinator: 51.19
- Newspaper reporter: 49.96
- Public relations executive: 49.48
- Senior corporate executive: 48.97
- Taxi driver: 48.17
The average salaries of high-stress jobs that pay well include
- Surgeons: $208,000
- Lawyers: $119,250
- Airline pilots: $121,408
