America's 10 Least Stressful Jobs 2011: CareerCast

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.

Here are the top ten least stressful jobs according to CareerCast.

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10. Chiropractor

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Stress Rank: 37 Stress Score: 13.58 Hiring Outlook Rank: 12 out of 200 Hours Per Day: 8+ Income: $68,358.00

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Stress Rank: 37
Stress Score: 13.58
Hiring Outlook Rank: 12 out of 200
Hours Per Day: 8+
Income: $68,358.00

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Comments

[behavingbadly]

01:03 PM on 06/07/2011

#1: Fact checker at Fox.

[cityprole]

12:50 PM on 06/07/2011

Some of these don't make much sense..for instance some of the most stressed-out people i've seen have been dental hygienists- so much so that in fact I've had to change mine more than once.

[mwendel]

08:17 PM on 05/23/2011

Sorry. Software Engineer and Computer Programmer the least stressful? In what field? For what company? As a former software engineer I can only say that stress was not low. At the best of times it was moderate. They might be confusing fun and stress here. This is just mind boggling to me that a job that typically works, per the report, 8-10+ hours a day (try more like 14-18 in some environments) was somehow ranked one of the LEAST stressful jobs. I think it was more like those that had the time to complete some survey were a poor representation as the rest of the engineers were busy coding and debugging.

[bobby cormier]

10:29 AM on 05/21/2011

i work in a library part-time which is very low stress. put the books on the shelves and go home and watch a dvd. then i see the bills which i can't pay and the stress level gets way high. i pound the pavement looking for more work (more stress). you don't actually pound the pavement these days, but submit your resume over the computer electronically. i used to (and still get some hours) working in health care. people become psychotic and punch me in the face or pull knives on me. high stress, and the reason i'm trying to get out of this work. i suppose some would call me a slacker at the moment. i might agree. but it's tough out there right now. not a good time to be changing careers. but i try. high stress? yeah, when i get the utility bills it is.

[Bishop Coxcomb]

11:55 AM on 05/22/2011

I work as an administrative assistant at a financial company and I kind of feel the same way. I have absolutely no stress at work until I get my paycheck and my bills. The wages in the united states need to be mandated to have a certain percentage of an increase year over year to a maximum of a percentage of what your initial pay was. I think that would keep attrition down and would help people make a living wage after they show commitment to their job.

[bobby cormier]

01:40 PM on 05/22/2011

well thought out and well said. unfortunately, i don't think we're going to see it soon. too bad. wouldn't it be nice.

[flyonfriday]

02:07 PM on 06/09/2011

I'm sorry that you've chosen, or fell into, a line of work in which the compensation is not sufficient for your standard of living. However, having a government "mandated" increases is a very, very bad idea, for a number of reasons. The two that leap immediately to mind are inflationary price pressure and deflationary hiring pressure (unemployment). Attrition may well be kept down, but our economy isn't suffering due to rampant attrition: it is suffering due to unemployment. By mandating employers to maintain this kind of policy (which isn't too different from a lot of union contracts) you just compound an already bad situation.

To make matters worse, this also creates a slippery slope... okay, we do this for administrative assistants, but how about CEOs? If the Big Man is hired on at $6MM/yr do we apply a mandated increase too? What if the company loses money that year? If not the CEO, then maybe all employees except senior management? Maybe just hourly workers? To whom does the mandate apply?

[jsalspach]

07:44 PM on 05/23/2011

I can sympathize since I work as a psychiatric nurse with the accompanying stress but it pays the bills. I cannot imagine changing careers because even though it's is pretty high stress I know there is at least some job security and a decent steady paycheck. I don't envy anyone out there job hunting today. My daughter is lucky to get a couple of hours a week as a waitress and thankfully I am in a position to help her out when many can't.
I cannot imagine the stress of wondering if you are going to make enough to pay your bills or wonder if you're going to get laid off at any time.

[AcademicFreedom]

05:39 PM on 05/18/2011

Tenured university professor is cush and low stress. I've taught a few graduate school classes and have first-hand experience with a number of tenured professors - I'd trade their $150K annually, pension, and ability to do consulting work on the side, for my $200K any day.

[Tanya Rodriguez]

06:23 PM on 05/20/2011

150k? Philosophy professors are thrilled to make half that.

[behavingbadly]

01:01 PM on 06/07/2011

As well they should be.

[revokin]

05:33 PM on 05/18/2011

computer programmer is not a low stress job. a family member has had this job for a long time and the stress level is a killer. not to mention wall street going under, bonuses collapsing, job security disappearing, salaries stagnating, the job itself is cruel and unforgiving. Long hours, weekends, deadlines, and "don't tell me your problems" attitudes are standard. the work is complex to the Nth degree,competition is fierce, an advanced degree is a must, and you need stamina- mental, emotional and physical. Long hours at the computer gives you carpel tunnel, aching muscles,headaches, claustrophobia(no privacy) and colds.
of course, compared to firefighters, cops, teachers, construction workers, pilots, traffic controllers, its a walk in the park.

did you see the people leaving the building with their stuff when Lehman collapsed? not low stress!

[Protocolor]

12:16 PM on 05/20/2011

It depends upon the industry. If you're programming a game it isn't so bad, though deadlines and the need for quick responses to bugs (every program of any respectable size has some) and vulnerabilities can turn up the pressure.

Programmers whose work controls car braking systems, airbags etc, or any of the multiple glass cockpit systems on aircraft and the like face a great deal more pressure. Likewise for programmers upon whose code businesses depend. The knowledge that a minor error in the code could cost a business more money than you can imagine, or leave the business open to lawsuits, weighs heavily as well.

[Jason Benjamin M]

02:37 PM on 05/18/2011

I think the nature of this list is ENTIRELY silly... The actual occupation you hold only tells 25% of the story! SO many other factors are present... Co-workers, commute, the company you work for, the fairness of your income, the fairness of your boss... It just doesn't make sense!

Oh, and for the record, I think my comment holds a little more weight than the average person... Why? Because I WISH this list were true! I'm finishing up my education, and will be a DIETITIAN in 12 months! (#2 on the list)...

[Haastnooit]

02:32 PM on 05/26/2011

you comment should hold more weight? Ok you can have mine too... but could you do some of your dietitian magic on it?

[flyonfriday]

03:13 PM on 06/09/2011

As usual, your comment, and many of those here, are missing the point. The list (and the data behind it) do not claim that *every* individual employed in these jobs enjoy low stress. The results are "on average and in general".

I'm sure we can all offer personal anecdotes for people we know who have these careers but have a lot of stress in the workplace. So what? That doesn't invalidate the results one bit.

[Jason Benjamin M]

02:33 AM on 06/10/2011

First of all, thanks for the beyond unnecessarily snooty response, complete with airs of pretense and impudence.

So you take everything you read in the media at face value... The results of a survey come out in a news story, so its validity CANNOT possibly be brought into question. Wow... just... wow...

Hey, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you...

Anyone with sixth-grade-level scientific knowledge knows that survey data is OFTEN unreliable due to a litany of factors... Most importantly: How exactly does one QUANTIFY sentiment? You can try, but it's basically impossible to create a system that holds any measure of reliability. How were the factors statistically weighted? What possible non-work stressors could confound the results? Are there other workplace factors that were not measured at all?

Bringing into question the validity of a survey is PRECISELY on point, whether you like it or not. ALL scientific studies, from a kid growing bean plants in elementary school, to the most sophisticated genetic research, are used to develop THEORIES, not create facts. And as is true for all of human history, theories are ALWAYS subject to debate.

[Fred Williams]

02:27 PM on 05/18/2011

Maybe writing computer code is low stress, but de-bugging it and making it work is at the top of my high stress list.

[Arthur L]

05:20 PM on 05/16/2011

audiologist #1? what? what?

[tomtopspin]

08:55 AM on 05/24/2011

Can you hear me now?

[french queen13]

07:01 AM on 05/16/2011

It's not necessarily the job description that tells, it's often enough the organisation you work with. My job is very low-stress indeed, for the most part. BUT if I worked in our head office, doing the same job, it'd be extremely stressful. Everyone there is stressed regardless of their actual jobs - it's "top down" stress there, if you get what I mean.

[revokin]

05:35 PM on 05/18/2011

excellent point- shows how superficial a mere job title is.

[runswithscissors]

05:47 PM on 05/13/2011

A friend of mine had the least stressful job I've ever known of. He worked at a 24 hour gym that had less than a dozen members that actually showed up late. He literally slept on a couch for at least 6 hours of his 8 hour shift. A bad day was having to wake up and spend 15 minutes signing up a new member.

[revokin]

05:39 PM on 05/18/2011

a setup for the roof collapsing on his head. when the rude awakening comes, watch him(her) fall into the abyss. only losers would call this a job.

[Alicia Westberry]

01:08 PM on 05/13/2011

I don't know about "stressful", but I do know I would be miserable in a majority of these jobs.

[flyonfriday]

03:19 PM on 06/09/2011

Fair enough! Personally, my favorite job was as a "college student", sure I didn't make any money, and I personally found it very stressful, but I sure did love it :) Never really tried blogging though.

[Patricia Cheney]

09:35 PM on 05/11/2011

I have been an occupational therapist for 30 years and I would love to know how this was decided and which occupational therapists were interviewed. I work with older adults and between productivity requirements, documentation requirements, families, sick patients and the dwindling Medicare reimbursement coupled with increasing regulation, this is NOT a low stress job. I did my own quick survey around the clinic and everyone laughed at this.

[french queen13]

07:02 AM on 05/16/2011

I can't really imagine anything in the health field being low-stress - and that's in Australia, which I think is in a less awful state (still crap, but less so) than the States, as far as our health system goes.

[endunagazi]

02:02 PM on 05/18/2011

Agreed. My aunt is a Speech Pathologist and her job seems plenty stressful to me!

[Patricia Cheney]

09:21 PM on 05/18/2011

That;s because there are not enough SLP's. In fact there is a huge shortage, at least in PA and NJ where I work. That may sound like a good thing for job security, but the reality is high caseloads and a lot of pressure to see patients.

[eliteandproud]

07:38 PM on 05/11/2011

If you were my mother's audiologist, you'd be tearing your hair out!

[eliteandproud]

07:32 PM on 05/11/2011

My best friend is a very successful computer programmer who once wrote a program containing 40,000 lines of code - on a deadline. Now, you get one line wrong, and you've potentially screwed up the other 39,999. Seemed extremely stressful to me.

[flyonfriday]

03:23 PM on 06/09/2011

I can trump that!

While working for the defense department in the 1990s, I once had to board a military transport plane in New Mexico and write a piece of code while in transit (can't say to where, but the flight lasted 10 hours). This particular piece of code had definite life/death consequences. I had nightmares for about two years after that: what if there was a bug that resulted in someone getting killed?

Unable to handle the pressure, I left computer programming and now work in the relatively stress-free environment of a Wall Street trading floor.