Most jobs are stressful at times. Some jobs are stressful most of the time — like a trauma surgeon’s. Working retail is also often stressful, although in a very different way.
It would be nice if we all got paid extra to deal with stressful situations. Life generally doesn’t work that way — but how about a job where you can average six figures without being too stressed?
Such jobs definitely exist. We found them by combing through data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the O*NET occupational database, focusing on jobs that pay at least $100,000 per year on average and that have an O*NET stress tolerance score of 65 or less.
Following are several jobs with high pay and relatively low stress.
Environmental engineers
Stress score: 65 out of 100
Average pay: $101,670 per year
Median pay: $96,530 per year
Environmental engineers solve problems that would otherwise cause health and safety issues. They do things like building systems for dealing with air pollution and ensuring clean drinking water, and they usually have a bachelor’s degree.
Statisticians
Stress score: 64 out of 100
Average pay: $105,510 per year
Median pay: $98,920 per year
A statistician uses data to identify trends and explain the meaning behind numbers and surveys. Their work can help inform decisions made in business, education, health care and government. A master’s degree is usually required in this line of work.
Economists
Stress score: 64 out of 100
Average pay: $128,180 per year
Median pay: $113,940 per year
Economists analyze financial policy and spending and sometimes use their research to make forecasts about what might happen in new conditions. This can be particularly useful in business and government. Entry-level work in this field tends to require a master’s degree.
Economics teachers (postsecondary)
Stress score: 63 out of 100
Average pay: $122,750 per year
Median pay: $103,930 per year
Economics teachers at the postsecondary level offer college and university students courses in understanding financial policy and spending trends. Depending on where they teach, a master’s degree or doctorate is usually necessary.
Bioengineers and biomedical engineers
Stress score: 63 out of 100
Average pay: $108,060 per year
Median pay: $99,550 per year
A bachelor’s degree is the gateway into this field, where workers may develop new medical equipment, train others to use it, or conduct technical research related to things like the effectiveness of drugs or medical treatments. Higher education is needed for certain roles.
Physicists
Stress score: 62 out of 100
Average pay: $150,130 per year
Median pay: $142,850 per year
Physicists work with the principles of matter and energy, sometimes to study the way things work and other times to solve specific problems that make our technology function, like how to send communications over long distances or keep food cold. You usually need at least a bachelor’s degree, and research jobs typically require an advanced education.
Materials scientists
Stress score: 62 out of 100
Average pay: $110,690 per year
Median pay: $104,380 per year
In applied research, materials scientists figure out things like squeezing more power into a smaller battery or making materials withstand heat better. Others study what things are made out of. You’ll likely need at least a bachelor’s degree for these positions, if not more education.
Chemical engineers
Stress score: 61 out of 100
Average pay: $117,820 per year
Median pay: $106,260 per year
This type of engineer might work on ways to handle dangerous chemicals safely in the process of manufacturing electronics or clothes or gasoline. A bachelor’s degree along with some practical experience are usually necessary to land a job.
Computer systems analysts
Stress score: 60 out of 100
Average pay: $107,530 per year
Median pay: $102,240 per year
Another name for this job is “system architect.” They study how computer systems work and how to make them work better. Analysts often have a bachelor’s degree in computer science or information systems, though sometimes in other fields as well.
Actuaries
Stress score: 57 out of 100
Average pay: $127,580 per year
Median pay: $113,990 per year
Actuaries use math and statistics to study what might happen under certain conditions or how likely those conditions are to exist. Most of them work in the insurance industry and have a bachelor’s degree in math or another analytical field.
Mathematicians
Stress score: 56 out of 100
Average pay: $113,860 per year
Median pay: $112,110 per year
Mathematicians analyze data, sometimes inventing computational models to do so. The work may stay that abstract, but sometimes it involves working with other specialists like chemists and engineers who need mathematical help studying or solving a specific problem. Assume you’ll need a master’s degree for this line of work.
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