Is Your Job On The List Of Most Stressful Careers?

LOS ANGELES, CA — No job is completely stress-free, but if you're a diagnostic medical sonographer, you have it better than everyone else in the workplace. If you're enlisted in the military, not so much, according to CareerCast.com's survey of the most and least stressful jobs of 2018.

Medical sonographers have the least job stress, according to the CareerCast annual survey released Thursday, followed by hair stylist, audiologist, university professor and medical records technician. Numbers six through 10 are compliance officer, jeweler, pharmacy technician, operations research analyst and medical laboratory technician.

Not surprisingly, enlisted military personnel have the most stressful professions, according to Carlsbad-based CareerCast, followed by firefighters, airline pilots, police officers and event coordinators.

Rounding out the top 10 most stressful jobs are newspaper reporter, broadcaster, public relations executive, senior corporate executive and taxi driver.

But even the sonographers who top the low stress list don't have a daily walk in the park, according to CareerCast online content editor Kyle Kensing.

"The least stressful job -- diagnostic medical sonographer -- isn't merely conducting pregnancy ultrasounds," Kensing said. "Their days may include the task of cancer screenings, which can add stress to the job."

When searching for a profession with low stress, it's important to keep in mind the job's growth outlook, according to CareerCast. While jeweler -- at number 7 -- is a low-stress profession, it has a negative growth outlook of minus-3 percent. Conversely, operations research analyst, which comes in as the ninth least stressful job, has a plus-27 percent growth outlook.

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The most stressful jobs -- military personnel, firefighters, airline pilots and police officers -- commonly face risk of death or injury, physical demands and other hazards.

Reasons the other professions made the top 10 include high public visibility and strict and regular deadlines.

"While the nature of fears and stressors for the 10 most stressful jobs are different, they are common fears just the same," Kensing said. "For those who thrive on stress, one of our most stressful professions may be a good fit for you."

CareerCast includes an annual median salary, growth outlook and stress score for each profession in its least stressful and most stressful lists, which follow:

Least Stressful Jobs of 2018

1) Diagnostic Medical Sonographer, $64,280, 17%, 5.11

2) Hair Stylist, $24,300, 10%, 6.61

3) Audiologist, $75,980, 20%, 7.22

4) University Professor, $75,430, 15%, 8.16

5) Medical Records Technician, $38,040, 13, , 8.54

6) Compliance Officer, $66,540, 5%, 8.78

7) Jeweler, $38,200, -3%, 9.05

8) Pharmacy Technician, $30,920, 12%, 9.14

9) Operations Research Analyst, $79,200, 27%, 9.17

10) Medical Laboratory Technician, $50,930, 12%, 10.00

Most Stressful Jobs of 2018

1) Enlisted Military Personnel, $26,054, N/A, 72.47

2) Firefighter, $48,030, 7%, 72.43

3) Airline Pilot, $105,270, 4%, 61.07

4) Police Officer, $61,600, 7%, 51.97

5) Event Coordinator, $47,350, 10%, 51.15

6) Newspaper Reporter, $37,820, -11%, 49.90

7) Broadcaster, $56,680, -1%, 49.83

8) Public Relations Executive, $107,320, 10%, 49.44

9) Senior Corporate Executive, $181,210, 8%, 48.71

10) Taxi Driver, $24,300, 5%, 48.11

City News Service; Photo: Shutterstock