So often, a well-paying job comes with near impossible demands: long hours, the need to be “on call,” minimal sick leave, high expectations, lofty goals, no room for life balance. And then, of course, there’s the stress, oh the stress! All stemming from your job.
According to a study from The American Institute of Stress, 83% of U.S. workers suffer from work-related stress, with 25% saying their job is the No. 1 stressor in their lives. About 76% of workers report that workplace stress affects their personal relationships.
Surely, not every job is a high-stress situation. In fact, there are jobs out there that are relatively low stress.
A study by the CDC’s National Health Interview Survey was indexed by TRE House, which determined America’s least stressful industries to work in by analyzing factors such as wages, hours worked and paid sick leave.
Which are the least stressful jobs and do they actually pay enough to live on?
Transportation Equipment Manufacturer
Industries in the transportation equipment manufacturing category focus on the production of equipment for transporting people and goods. Key industries in this sector include motor vehicle manufacturing, aerospace products and parts manufacturing, and ship and boat building. How much do professionals stand to make in these respective industries?
For motor vehicle manufacturing, the average annual salary in the U.S. is $86,041, according to ZipRecruiter. This is well above the national average salary, which hovers at around $64,000 per year, according to 2022 data from the Social Security Administration.
Those working in the aerospace product industry, as engineers, average $115,100 per year, according to ZipRecruiter. This is also well above the national average salary.
Professionals in ship building sector pull in an average salary of $132,754, according to ZipRecruiter.
Insurance Carrier
Raking in an average of $58,198 a year, per ZipRecruiter, insurance carriers make slightly under the national average salary.
Machinery Worker
What exactly is the machinery job sector? Could be a few things: industrial machinery mechanics, machinery maintenance workers and millwrights, to name a few.
A job in the industrial machinery industry could be low stress, comparatively, but it’s not well-paying when looking at the national median salary: $51,053 a year, on average, according to Zippia.
Machinery workers are doing fine, salary-wise, according to ZipRecruiter, pulling in $96,249 annually.
Millwrights are getting by, but not luxuriously so; they make, on average, $54,596, according to Talent.com.
Rental and Leasing Services Worker
According to ZipRecruiter, professionals in the rental and leasing services space are not exactly cleaning up, financially. They make an average salary of just $38,515 a year.
Publishing Professional
Publishing isn’t exactly a booming industry these days — at least, not when it comes to books and magazines. And that fact makes it interesting that it is considered a relatively low-stress job. Still, the pay ain’t bad: $69,970 per year, on average, according to Indeed.
Miner
Workers in underground mining pull in an average salary of $47,840 per year, according to Talent.com. This is hardly big bucks, and it’s difficult to perceive this as a low-stress job, as the risk of dying or serious injury on the job is fairly high.
Information Services and Data Processor
This is another industry that canopies several job types. Let’s consider data processing. In this field, workers make an average of $82,640 a year, per ZipRecruiter. No wonder these folks aren’t so stressed out.
Education Services Pro
The educational services sector covers organizations that provide instruction and training in a vast array of subjects. It covers schools, colleges, universities and training centers. Now, we pretty much are all in agreement that public school teachers could stand to make more money; so, unsurprisingly, these professionals are not enjoying an excess of cash. They pull in an average salary of $46,590, according to ZipRecruiter.
Public Administrator
Public administration is a field that is all about leadership. It sees professionals serving communities to make things better for everyone within those communities. Evidently, it’s considered a low-stress job. And it pays well, too. According to ZipRecruiter, the average annual salary for professionals in this sector is $125,844. That’s twice the amount of national average salary in the U.S.
Investment Professional
This one is a doozy because it could be so many jobs, and some (e.g., securities and commodities) are complicated to examine. For the sake of space and sanity, let’s look at how much financial investors make. It’s less than you may think: on average, $69,759 a year, per ZipRecruiter.
Utilities Worker
Are your utility bills stressing you out? Well, the people behind the scenes of them are, apparently, the least stressed workers on this list. But wow are they barely getting by. They make an average annual salary of just $38,319, per ZipRecruiter. It makes you wonder how they aren’t majorly stressed out.
By Nicole Spector
This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: These Are the 11 Least Stressful Jobs, But Do They Pay Enough To Live On?
