With so many unemployed Americans struggling to find any sort of paying work, the idea of obtaining a steady, low-stress job can seem like a pipe dream. But it is possible.
A recent survey by CareerCast pinpoints those careers with the lowest levels of stress. To quantify workplace anxiety, they asked respondents to rate 200 jobs by eleven stress factors: outlook/growth potential, travel, deadlines, working in the public eye, competitiveness, physical demands, environmental conditions, hazards encountered, own life at risk, life of another at risk and meeting the public.
The results indicate that several factors contribute to a more relaxed working life, with job stability, a common trait among tenured professors or government employees, reported to be among the most critical. In the healthcare industry, which makes up more than half of the jobs on this list, that level of stability can be attributed in large part to the increasing medical needs of aging baby boomers.
Another factor that shouldn't be discounted, either, is workplace flexibility. Many in the tech industry, such as computer programmers and software engineers, are big beneficiaries of that often overlooked perk.
10. Chiropractor
Stress Rank: 37
Stress Score: 13.58
Hiring Outlook Rank: 12 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 8+
Income: $68,358.00
9. Occupational TherapistStress Rank: 35
Stress Score: 13.22
Hiring Outlook Rank: 8 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 6-8
Income: $70,193.00
8. MathematicianStress Rank: 31
Stress Score: 12.78
Hiring Outlook Rank: 19 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 6-10
Income: $94,178.00
7. PhilosopherStress Rank: 28
Stress Score: 12.56
Hiring Outlook Rank: 68 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 6-10
Income: $61,221.00
6. Speech PathologistStress Rank: 25
Stress Score: 12.43
Hiring Outlook Rank: 28 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 8
Income: $65,143.00
5. Dental HygienistStress Rank: 23
Stress Score: 12.07
Hiring Outlook Rank: 2 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 6-8
Income: $67,107.00
4. Computer ProgrammerStress Rank: 21
Stress Score: 11.76
Hiring Outlook Rank: 168 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 8-10+
Income: $71,176.00
3. Software EngineerStress Rank: 15
Stress Score: 10.40
Hiring Outlook Rank: 5 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 8-10+
Income: $87,140.00
2. DietitianStress Rank: 14
Stress Score: 10.27
Hiring Outlook Rank: 103 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 8
Income: $52,127.00
1. AudiologistStress Rank: 11
Stress Score: 9.44
Hiring Outlook Rank: 13 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 8
Income: $63,144
