Work Context Index
Jobs with the least competitive pressure
O*NET asks people in every occupation "To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures?" and publishes the mean answer on a 1-to-5 scale. This page lists the 25 occupations whose mean sits lowest, with the BLS wage, education and outlook for each.
Which jobs involve the least competition?
Across the 894 occupations O*NET 30.3 rates, the 25 lowest for Level of Competition average between 1.26 and 1.92 on O*NET's 1-to-5 scale, where 1 means "Not at all competitive" and 5 means "Extremely competitive"; the median across all occupations is 3.05. Lowest are Crossing Guards and Flaggers (1.26), Amusement and Recreation Attendants (1.3), Directors, Religious Activities and Education (1.3). Their median BLS wage is $47,880 (2025, 23 of 25 with a BLS line item), and 19 of the 23 with BLS education data typically need less than a bachelor's degree.
- Occupations compared
- 894 O*NET 30.3 occupations with published Work Context ratings
- What O*NET asks incumbents
- Level of Competition: "To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures?"
- Scale
- 1 = Not at all competitive; 3 = Moderately competitive; 5 = Extremely competitive. Values are mean incumbent ratings.
- Wage and outlook source
- BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, Table 1.2 Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics, 2025 (Employment in thousands). 3 of the 25 occupations listed have a dedicated RoleSprint page.
Source and method
O*NET 30.3 Database (Work Context), U.S. Department of Labor, and BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2. Verified 2026-09-05. Ratings are reproduced from O*NET as published mean incumbent responses on each question's own 1-to-5 scale. Percentile ranks, composite averages and the resulting order are RoleSprint's computation and are described on the methodology page. Wage, education and outlook fields are reproduced from BLS for the matching SOC code and left blank where BLS publishes no line item.
The 25 occupations
Ordered by mean rating for Level of Competition, lowest first. Scale: 1 = Not at all competitive; 5 = Extremely competitive.
| # | Occupation | O*NET value | Rank | BLS wage and education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crossing Guards and Flaggers O*NET-SOC 33-9091.00 | 1.26 of 5 between "Not at all competitive" and "Slightly competitive" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $38,100 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +3.5% 2025-35 |
| 2 | Amusement and Recreation Attendants O*NET-SOC 39-3091.00 | 1.30 of 5 between "Not at all competitive" and "Slightly competitive" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $32,150 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +3.7% 2025-35 |
| 3 | Directors, Religious Activities and Education O*NET-SOC 21-2021.00 | 1.30 of 5 between "Not at all competitive" and "Slightly competitive" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $52,100 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +3.3% 2025-35 |
| 4 | Funeral Attendants O*NET-SOC 39-4021.00 | 1.47 of 5 between "Not at all competitive" and "Slightly competitive" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $35,680 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +2.6% 2025-35 |
| 5 | Receptionists and Information Clerks O*NET-SOC 43-4171.00 | 1.51 of 5 between "Not at all competitive" and "Slightly competitive" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $38,010 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -1.7% 2025-35 |
| 6 | Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education O*NET-SOC 25-9042.00 | 1.54 of 5 between "Not at all competitive" and "Slightly competitive" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | No BLS line item for this occupation |
| 7 | Locker Room, Coatroom, and Dressing Room Attendants O*NET-SOC 39-3093.00 | 1.56 of 5 between "Not at all competitive" and "Slightly competitive" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $36,300 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +6.4% 2025-35 |
| 8 | Bus Drivers, School O*NET-SOC 53-3051.00 | 1.61 of 5 between "Not at all competitive" and "Slightly competitive" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $47,920 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +0.7% 2025-35 |
| 9 | Models O*NET-SOC 41-9012.00 | 1.65 of 5 between "Not at all competitive" and "Slightly competitive" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $48,470 median (2025) No formal educational credential · -2.1% 2025-35 |
| 10 | Special Education Teachers, Middle School O*NET-SOC 25-2057.00 | 1.75 of 5 between "Not at all competitive" and "Slightly competitive" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $66,810 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · -0.4% 2025-35 |
| 11 | Outdoor Power Equipment and Other Small Engine Mechanics O*NET-SOC 49-3053.00 | 1.75 of 5 between "Not at all competitive" and "Slightly competitive" | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $47,880 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +2.3% 2025-35 |
| 12 | Procurement Clerks O*NET-SOC 43-3061.00 | 1.76 of 5 Slightly competitive | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $50,580 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -8.1% 2025-35 |
| 13 | Gem and Diamond Workers O*NET-SOC 51-9071.06 | 1.78 of 5 Slightly competitive | Lower than 99% of 894 occupations | $52,540 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -3.2% 2025-35 |
| 14 | Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers O*NET-SOC 39-3031.00 | 1.80 of 5 Slightly competitive | Lower than 98% of 894 occupations | $32,910 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +0.9% 2025-35 |
| 15 | Rail Yard Engineers, Dinkey Operators, and Hostlers O*NET-SOC 53-4013.00 | 1.80 of 5 Slightly competitive | Lower than 98% of 894 occupations | $60,600 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +0.8% 2025-35 |
| 16 | Teaching Assistants, Special Education O*NET-SOC 25-9043.00 | 1.81 of 5 Slightly competitive | Lower than 98% of 894 occupations | No BLS line item for this occupation |
| 17 | Camera and Photographic Equipment Repairers O*NET-SOC 49-9061.00 | 1.83 of 5 Slightly competitive | Lower than 98% of 894 occupations | $52,720 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -15.5% 2025-35 |
| 18 | Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners O*NET-SOC 37-2011.00 | 1.85 of 5 Slightly competitive | Lower than 98% of 894 occupations | $36,840 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +2.2% 2025-35 |
| 19 | Cutters and Trimmers, Hand O*NET-SOC 51-9031.00 | 1.86 of 5 Slightly competitive | Lower than 98% of 894 occupations | $38,020 median (2025) No formal educational credential · -18.9% 2025-35 |
| 20 | Baristas O*NET-SOC 35-3023.01 | 1.88 of 5 Slightly competitive | Lower than 98% of 894 occupations | $31,200 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +5.8% 2025-35 |
| 21 | File Clerks O*NET-SOC 43-4071.00 | 1.90 of 5 Slightly competitive | Lower than 98% of 894 occupations | $43,600 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -15.8% 2025-35 |
| 22 | Museum Technicians and Conservators O*NET-SOC 25-4013.00 | 1.90 of 5 Slightly competitive | Lower than 98% of 894 occupations | $51,440 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +3.6% 2025-35 |
| 23 | Special Education Teachers, Secondary School O*NET-SOC 25-2058.00 | 1.91 of 5 Slightly competitive | Lower than 97% of 894 occupations | $74,260 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · -0.2% 2025-35 |
| 24 | Psychiatric Aides O*NET-SOC 31-1133.00 | 1.91 of 5 Slightly competitive | Lower than 97% of 894 occupations | $44,910 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +1.9% 2025-35 |
| 25 | Legal Secretaries and Administrative Assistants O*NET-SOC 43-6012.00 | 1.92 of 5 Slightly competitive | Lower than 97% of 894 occupations | $55,570 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -5.2% 2025-35 |
Values are mean ratings from O*NET 30.3; most come from surveys of people in the occupation, some from occupational experts, and some for newer occupations from O*NET analysts. Wage, education and outlook are from BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2 for the matching SOC code and are blank where BLS publishes no line item.
How this was measured
Level of Competition (O*NET element 4.C.3.c.1). The question put to incumbents: “To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures?”
- 1
Not at all competitive
- 2
Slightly competitive
- 3
Moderately competitive
- 4
Highly competitive
- 5
Extremely competitive
894 of 894 occupations have a published, unsuppressed value for this element. The percentile beside each occupation is its position among them.
The full method, including how ties are broken and what the data cannot tell you, is on the methodology page.
Narrow the list with BLS data
Each variant keeps the same measure and restricts the occupations by a published BLS threshold. A variant exists only where the restriction actually changes the list rather than the heading; the combinations that left the answer much as it was were not published.
Combine this with other conditions
The explorer ranks all occupations on any set of measures you choose, with the same values and the same arithmetic as this page.
Open the explorer with this selectionThis page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. RoleSprint has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. Wage, education and outlook figures are reproduced from BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
What to do next
These rankings describe occupations in general. The next question is whether a specific opening in one of them actually matches what you can show, and that is answered by comparing the posting with your resume.