Business Insider Edition
Intense, high-stress jobs where you might face a lot of pressure aren't right for everyone.
Fortunately, for those who would like to work under more relaxing conditions, there are plenty of high-paying jobs that also tend to offer low-stress work environments.
The Department of Labor's O*NET Online occupational database includes survey-based measurements of how important various skills, activities, and personal traits are for a particular job. One of the characteristics measured is stress tolerance , which O*NET describes as jobs requiring "accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations."
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O*NET scores job characteristics like stress tolerance on a scale from 0 to 100, where a 0 means stress tolerance is not at all necessary for an occupation, and 100 suggests a job with a very high-stress environment.
We ranked occupational groups from most to least stressful using O*NET's stress tolerance score, with lower scores indicating less stressful jobs. Since we are interested in high-paying jobs, we looked at occupations with average annual salaries of at least $75,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment Statistics data for May 2017, the most recently available release.
Several of the jobs fell in academia, with postsecondary teachers in various fields and researchers in economics, statistics, mathematics, and materials science dominating the top of the list.
Here are 33 high-paying low-stress jobs, ranked from most to least stressful, and by average annual wages in the event of a tied stress tolerance score:
Gary Kazanjian/AP
Importance of stress tolerance: 69
Average annual salary: $76,220
What they do, according to O*NET : Conduct research or perform investigations for the purpose of identifying, abating, or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or the health of the population.
Thomas Lohnes/Getty
Importance of stress tolerance: 69
Average annual salary: $82,900
What they do, according to O*NET : Teach courses in human history and historiography.
University of the Fraser Valley/flickr
Importance of stress tolerance: 69
Average annual salary: $84,710
What they do, according to O*NET : Teach courses pertaining to mathematical concepts, statistics, and actuarial science and to the application of original and standardized mathematical techniques in solving specific problems and situations.
LouisvilleUSACE
Importance of stress tolerance: 69
Average annual salary: $91,180
What they do, according to O*NET : Research, design, plan, or perform engineering duties in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental hazards using various engineering disciplines.
Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Importance of stress tolerance: 69
Average annual salary: $103,510
What they do, according to O*NET : Formulate design concepts and presentation approaches for visual communications media, such as print, broadcasting, and advertising.
Joe Mabel/Wikimedia Commons/Share Alike
Importance of stress tolerance: 68
Average annual salary: $77,970
What they do, according to O*NET : Supervise and coordinate activities of crew engaged in operating and maintaining engines, boilers, deck machinery, and electrical, sanitary, and refrigeration equipment aboard ships.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Importance of stress tolerance: 68
Average annual salary: $91,590
What they do, according to O*NET : Teach courses in computer science.
Square Roots
Importance of stress tolerance: 67
Average annual salary: $77,970
What they do, according to O*NET : Apply knowledge of engineering technology and biological science to agricultural problems.
Mr. Gray/Flickr
Importance of stress tolerance: 67
Average annual salary: $87,810
What they do, according to O*NET : Teach courses in geography.
US Embassy Canada/Flickr
Importance of stress tolerance: 67
Average annual salary: $98,620
What they do, according to O*NET : Teach courses in political science, international affairs, and international relations.
MilitaryHealth/Flickr
Importance of stress tolerance: 67
Average annual salary: $105,410
What they do, according to O*NET : Study the chemical composition or physical principles of living cells and organisms.
Associated Press
Importance of stress tolerance: 67
Average annual salary: $119,650
What they do, according to O*NET : Research, design, develop, or test computer or computer-related equipment.
Master Video/Shutterstock
Importance of stress tolerance: 67
Average annual salary: $229,380
What they do, according to O*NET : Examine, diagnose, and treat dental malocclusions and oral cavity anomalies.
CAASTRO on YouTube
Importance of stress tolerance: 66
Average annual salary: $98,560
What they do, according to O*NET : Teach courses in the physical sciences, except chemistry and physics.
Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images
Importance of stress tolerance: 65
Average annual salary: $83,330
What they do, according to O*NET : Teach courses pertaining to the culture and development of an area, an ethnic group, or any other group.
Reuters/Maria Armas
Importance of stress tolerance: 64
Average annual salary: $76,230
What they do, according to O*NET : Investigate and describe the determinants and distribution of disease, disability, or health outcomes.
UC Davis College of Engineering/flickr
Importance of stress tolerance: 63
Average annual salary: $92,970
What they do, according to O*NET : Apply knowledge of engineering, biology, and biomechanical principles to the design, development, and evaluation of biological and health systems and products.
NASA on The Commons/Flickr
Importance of stress tolerance: 63
Average annual salary: $105,830
What they do, according to O*NET : Study the composition, structure, and other physical aspects of the Earth.
Douglas McFadd/Getty Images
Importance of stress tolerance: 63
Average annual salary: $129,840
What they do, according to O*NET : Teach courses in law.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Northeast Region/FLICKR
Importance of stress tolerance: 62
Average annual salary: $84,290
What they do, according to O*NET : Research the distribution, circulation, and physical properties of underground and surface waters.
University of Hawaii at Mnoa (via YouTube)
Importance of stress tolerance: 62
Average annual salary: $109,560
What they do, according to O*NET : Observe, research, and interpret astronomical phenomena to increase basic knowledge or apply such information to practical problems.
Business Insider
Importance of stress tolerance: 62
Average annual salary: $114,820
What they do, according to O*NET : Teach courses in economics.
Maxime Guilbot/Flickr
Importance of stress tolerance: 61
Average annual salary: $86,510
What they do, according to O*NET : Formulate and apply mathematical modeling and other optimizing methods to develop and interpret information that assists management with decision making, policy formulation, or other managerial functions.
UC Davis College of Engineering
Importance of stress tolerance: 61
Average annual salary: $98,610
What they do, according to O*NET : Evaluate materials and develop machinery and processes to manufacture materials for use in products that must meet specialized design and performance specifications.
Maskot/Getty
Importance of stress tolerance: 61
Average annual salary: $106,710
What they do, according to O*NET : Develop, create, and modify general computer applications software or specialized utility programs.
REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
Importance of stress tolerance: 61
Average annual salary: $112,030
What they do, according to O*NET : Study the origin, development, and operation of political systems.
Dmitry Kalinovsky/Shutterstock
Importance of stress tolerance: 61
Average annual salary: $112,430
What they do, according to O*NET : Design chemical plant equipment and devise processes for manufacturing chemicals and products.
CERN
Importance of stress tolerance: 61
Average annual salary: $123,080
What they do, according to O*NET : Conduct research into physical phenomena, develop theories on the basis of observation and experiments, and devise methods to apply physical laws and theories.
Simon Fraser University - University Communications/Flickr/Attribution
Importance of stress tolerance: 59
Average annual salary: $76,790
What they do, according to O*NET : Study the nature and use of areas of the Earth's surface, relating and interpreting interactions of physical and cultural phenomena.
Beau Maes/Flickr
Importance of stress tolerance: 59
Average annual salary: $88,980
What they do, according to O*NET : Develop or apply mathematical or statistical theory and methods to collect, organize, interpret, and summarize numerical data to provide usable information.
SmartPhotoLab/Shutterstock
Importance of stress tolerance: 59
Average annual salary: $112,650
What they do, according to O*NET : Conduct research, prepare reports, or formulate plans to address economic problems related to the production and distribution of goods and services or monetary and fiscal policy.
Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock
Importance of stress tolerance: 57
Average annual salary: $104,700
What they do, according to O*NET : Conduct research in fundamental mathematics or in application of mathematical techniques to science, management, and other fields.
US Army RDECOM/Flickr
Importance of stress tolerance: 53
Average annual salary: $101,910
What they do, according to O*NET : Research and study the structures and chemical properties of various natural and synthetic or composite materials.
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