The 10 Most Stressful Jobs In 2012: CareerCast.com

Even with many returning to work from the holiday season feeling refreshed, the stress of the job is bound to return -- especially for certain types of workers.

Some anxiety-inducing professions such as military-related jobs and law enforcement officers have gotten increased recognition this year in CareerCast.com's annual list of the most stressful jobs. The site compiled the list by ranking jobs based on 11 factors that can affect the amount of stress employees feel at work: 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.

Jobs held by military personnel and law enforcement officials were largely ignored in last year's list, but they now account for three of the top five most stressful jobs. One of the reasons those professionals may rank so high on the stress list? Workers in both fields constantly risk injury and even death on a daily basis. What's more, military generals, who ranked fourth on the list, are also often anxious about how their decisions affect the safety of their troops, CNBC reports.

But stress can be a serious issue in all workplaces. A recent study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that work-related stress can increase the chance of stroke by 1.4 times among middle- and high-class men.

Here are the 10 most stressful jobs, according to CareerCast.com:

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• 10. Taxi Driver

  <strong>Stress Score:</strong> 46.25 <strong>Average Income:</strong> $22,440

• 9. Photojournalist

  <strong>Stress Score:</strong> 47.09 <strong>Average Income:</strong> $40,000

• 8. Corporate Executive (Senior)

  <strong>Stress Score:</strong> 47.41 <strong>Average Income:</strong> $165,830

• 7. Public Relations Executive

  <strong>Stress Score:</strong> 47.56 <strong>Average Income:</strong> $91,810

• 6. Event Coordinator

  <strong>Stress Score:</strong> 49.85 <strong>Average Income:</strong> $45,260

• 5. Police Officer

  <strong>Stress Score:</strong> 53.63 <strong>Average Income:</strong> $53,540

• 4. Military General

  <strong>Stress Score:</strong> 55.17 <strong>Average Income:</strong> $196,300

• 3. Airline Pilot

  <strong>Stress Score:</strong> 59.58 <strong>Average Income:</strong> $103,210

• 2. Firefighter

  <strong>Stress Score:</strong> 60.26 <strong>Average Income:</strong> $45,250

• 1. Enlisted Soldier

  <strong>Stress Score:</strong> 84.61 <strong>Average Income:</strong> $35,580

 

Comments

[fordsrule150]

11:18 AM on 05/17/2012

How about WH Press Secretary?

[Imissgeorgew]

09:18 PM on 05/14/2012

I would have guessed Huff Post moderator would be #1.

[nam medic]

06:15 AM on 04/27/2012

Finally, somebody got the list of stressful jobs correct. A night carrier landing, a submarine diving in the ocean, a demolition Soldier defusing a bomb, or a GI walking point on a patrol or flying a chopper in Afghanistan are all tougher than any civilian gig.
But, the worst job in the world is Jay Carney explaining the Potus's failures daily.

[Julay Alay]

02:18 AM on 04/26/2012

how about the programmer? aren't stressful job?

[surferjay]

02:34 PM on 04/08/2012

What about nurses or ER personnel.

[Imissgeorgew]

04:45 PM on 04/06/2012

How about HP Moderator?

[Richard Gates]

03:03 PM on 04/04/2012

What, there isn't enough Occupy news to fill the page?!?

Maybe we can ask a Hollywood celebrity what they think the Spring will bring in the occupy movement, or maybe a piece on how Easter is just a metaphor for the Occupy Movement, or maybe ask the Occupy SF leadership (oxymoron alert) which abandoned building they will overtake for the cause -- until they are run out of it within 24 hours, or maybe, or maybe ...

Someone help me out here... I'm running out of ideas...

[Belinda Stas]

04:00 PM on 03/05/2012

minus the word "photo" from "journalist" and you have a fact right there.

[nypoet22]

09:47 PM on 03/30/2012

journalist? what's that? i didn't think those existed anymore...

[HouseofMayhem]

05:39 PM on 02/10/2012

911 DISPATCHER?

[Jo Kurrent]

03:36 PM on 02/01/2012

Very, very shocked that Nursing and Primary Care Doctor aren't on the list.

And Senior Corporate Executive? Sorry, I don't consider having to decide which Mercedes to drive to the office each day to be a stressful decision.

[Andrea in the City]

03:52 PM on 03/30/2012

Really? Thats all you think Corp Executives do?

[fredrdr]

12:45 PM on 05/23/2012

where to have lunch.

[whitey0811]

09:40 PM on 01/26/2012

I do have to disagree ... military general come on your making 200k a yr. they don't care about individual lives, maybe mass numbers... this is why they are cutting the number of enlisted you could have 7-8 troops for what you pay 1 general and thats with out their basic housing allowance(BAH). RIDICULOUS !!!

[fredrdr]

01:08 PM on 05/23/2012

The fact that there are too many flag officers is evident. As an example the USN has 1.16 Admirls per ship. I would think that the other services are also top heavy. Remember that for each flag officer there is a staff, sometimes numbering in the hundreds. This would be a good place to save money.

[sjmats10]

04:18 PM on 01/17/2012

What about an Oncologist? ER personnel? Seems they have more stress than a photo journalist... Just sayin

[fredrdr]

01:10 PM on 05/23/2012

Phot journalist means covering the action up close and personal. Riots, revolutions and combat happen to be their bread and butter. While covering these events it is at great personal risk.

[warrenagv]

06:32 PM on 01/11/2012

Tax the rich,do you ever think the politicians will pass that law that Obama wants That's more
then funny And says a lot our politicians BS.

[Alexxr1214]

11:24 AM on 01/09/2012

Or, how about being roadie for a high profile band and working on loading in all of their equipment, making equipment and props for their show, staying up all day and all night barely getting any sleep, dealing with rowdy, drunk, backstage fans, traveling coast to coast and all around the world. Trust me, my boyfriend did this, and its not as glamorous as it may seem. You barely even get to see the the different places you go to, and if you have time off in different countries you are just too exhausted anyways. And the pay was not great. I know there are worse things but this should be on the list.

[fredrdr]

12:46 PM on 05/23/2012

Maybe true, but what are his chances of death or injury. How many life or death decisions did he have to make. And remember, he could quit any time.

[Ganji]

09:55 AM on 01/08/2012

I wouldn't exactly call anyone in the military a job. Murderers yes..also they got it easier than soldiers in WWII when it was a somewhat even battlefield. The US Chair Force to the rescue

[Andrea in the City]

03:53 PM on 03/30/2012

Wow. You refer to members of the US armed forcers as murders.

[fredrdr]

12:48 PM on 05/23/2012

Thank you its been a long time since I have been called that. Also baby killer has a nice ring to it. Just remember you can sleep safely at night because courageous men and women are on patrol around the world.