Work Context Index

Jobs with the lowest measured work pressure that pay above the U.S. median

Jobs with the lowest measured work pressure, restricted to occupations with a BLS median annual wage above $50,980, the 2025 median for all U.S. occupations. Every value is O*NET's own mean rating; the percentile is where that value sits among all 894 occupations, not among the restricted set.

Which jobs are lowest in measured pressure: deadlines, conflict, angry people, the stakes of a mistake and competition that pay above the U.S. median wage?

Only 594 of the 894 occupations O*NET 30.3 rates have a BLS median annual wage above $50,980, the 2025 median for all U.S. occupations. Ranked by the mean percentile across time pressure, conflict situations, angry or unpleasant people, consequence of error, competition, 25 are listed: 9 also appear in the unrestricted ranking and 16 enter only under this restriction, led by Watch and Clock Repairers (81st percentile), Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists (81st percentile), Physicists (80th percentile). The strongest overall are Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters (93rd percentile), Directors, Religious Activities and Education (92nd percentile), Social Science Research Assistants (92nd percentile). Their median BLS wage is $73,010 (2025, 25 of 25 with a BLS line item), and 5 of the 25 with BLS education data typically need less than a bachelor's degree.

Occupations compared: 594 of 894 O*NET occupations qualify (a BLS median annual wage above $50,980, the 2025 median for all U.S. occupations); percentiles are still taken over all 894
Measures combined: Time Pressure (lower is preferred); Conflict Situations (lower is preferred); Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People (lower is preferred); Consequence of Error (lower is preferred); Level of Competition (lower is preferred)
How they are combined: Each measure becomes a percentile rank among all occupations, flipped where lower is preferred, then the percentiles are averaged with equal weight. The figure is a rank average, not a suitability score.
Wage and outlook source: BLS Employment Projections, Table 1.2, Table 1.2 Occupational projections, 2025–35, and worker characteristics, 2025 (Employment in thousands). 4 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.

What this page does and does not claim

People search this as “low stress jobs”. O*NET does not measure stress, so this ranking is built from what it does measure: 5 Work Context questions — Time Pressure, Conflict Situations, Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People, Consequence of Error, Level of Competition — each rated on a fixed 1-to-5 scale by people who do each job. That compares the work; it does not predict how a job will feel to you.

It does not say which jobs suit a personality, a temperament or a health condition. It reports a measured condition of the work and lets you decide whether that condition is the one you meant.

The 25 occupations

Ordered by mean percentile across time pressure, conflict situations, angry or unpleasant people, consequence of error, competition.

#	Occupation	Component values	Rank	BLS wage and education
1	Timing Device Assemblers and Adjusters O*NET-SOC 51-2061.00	Time pressure 2.91 · lower than 96% Conflict situations 1.88 · lower than 98% Angry or unpleasant people 2.39 · lower than 76% Consequence of error 1.75 · lower than 97% Competition 2.06 · lower than 96%	93rd percentile mean of 5 measures	$62,620 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -6.1% 2025-35
2	Directors, Religious Activities and Education O*NET-SOC 21-2021.00	Time pressure 2.61 · lower than 98% Conflict situations 2.51 · lower than 73% Angry or unpleasant people 2.10 · lower than 91% Consequence of error 1.44 · lower than 99% Competition 1.30 · lower than 99%	92nd percentile mean of 5 measures	$52,100 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +3.3% 2025-35
3	Social Science Research Assistants O*NET-SOC 19-4061.00	Time pressure 2.85 · lower than 97% Conflict situations 1.82 · lower than 98% Angry or unpleasant people 1.93 · lower than 96% Consequence of error 1.92 · lower than 94% Competition 2.66 · lower than 73%	92nd percentile mean of 5 measures	$61,990 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +5% 2025-35
4	Floor Layers, Except Carpet, Wood, and Hard Tiles O*NET-SOC 47-2042.00	Time pressure 3.32 · lower than 86% Conflict situations 1.84 · lower than 98% Angry or unpleasant people 2.25 · lower than 84% Consequence of error 2.00 · lower than 92% Competition 2.20 · lower than 93%	91st percentile mean of 5 measures	$56,460 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +9% 2025-35
5	Fine Artists, Including Painters, Sculptors, and Illustrators O*NET-SOC 27-1013.00	Time pressure 3.34 · lower than 85% Conflict situations 1.95 · lower than 97% Angry or unpleasant people 1.42 · lower than 99% Consequence of error 2.27 · lower than 83% Competition 2.62 · lower than 75%	88th percentile mean of 5 measures	$55,490 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · -2.9% 2025-35
6	Geodetic Surveyors O*NET-SOC 17-1022.01	Time pressure 3.23 · lower than 90% Conflict situations 2.19 · lower than 91% Angry or unpleasant people 2.28 · lower than 83% Consequence of error 2.25 · lower than 85% Competition 2.44 · lower than 84%	87th percentile mean of 5 measures	$75,440 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +5.8% 2025-35
7	Electronics Engineers, Except Computer O*NET-SOC 17-2072.00	Time pressure 3.06 · lower than 93% Conflict situations 2.02 · lower than 95% Angry or unpleasant people 1.66 · lower than 99% Consequence of error 2.67 · lower than 65% Competition 2.53 · lower than 80%	86th percentile mean of 5 measures	$130,220 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +3.7% 2025-35
8	Conservation Scientists O*NET-SOC 19-1031.00 Am I qualified to be a conservation scientist?	Time pressure 3.30 · lower than 87% Conflict situations 2.13 · lower than 92% Angry or unpleasant people 2.30 · lower than 82% Consequence of error 2.48 · lower than 74% Competition 2.65 · lower than 73%	82nd percentile mean of 5 measures	$73,010 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +5.3% 2025-35
9	Museum Technicians and Conservators O*NET-SOC 25-4013.00	Time pressure 3.45 · lower than 80% Conflict situations 2.30 · lower than 86% Angry or unpleasant people 2.05 · lower than 93% Consequence of error 2.97 · lower than 50% Competition 1.90 · lower than 98%	81st percentile mean of 5 measures	$51,440 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +3.6% 2025-35
10	Watch and Clock Repairers O*NET-SOC 49-9064.00	Time pressure 3.81 · lower than 55% Conflict situations 1.86 · lower than 98% Angry or unpleasant people 2.35 · lower than 79% Consequence of error 2.33 · lower than 81% Competition 2.25 · lower than 92%	81st percentile mean of 5 measures	$67,230 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -0.3% 2025-35
11	Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists O*NET-SOC 29-1122.01	Time pressure 2.96 · lower than 95% Conflict situations 2.09 · lower than 93% Angry or unpleasant people 2.41 · lower than 74% Consequence of error 3.04 · lower than 45% Competition 2.09 · lower than 95%	81st percentile mean of 5 measures	$100,330 median (2025) Master's degree · +14.8% 2025-35
12	Physicists O*NET-SOC 19-2012.00 Am I qualified to be a physicist?	Time pressure 3.05 · lower than 93% Conflict situations 2.13 · lower than 92% Angry or unpleasant people 2.04 · lower than 94% Consequence of error 2.13 · lower than 88% Competition 3.31 · lower than 33%	80th percentile mean of 5 measures	$172,250 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +7.2% 2025-35
13	Gem and Diamond Workers O*NET-SOC 51-9071.06	Time pressure 3.70 · lower than 65% Conflict situations 2.92 · lower than 45% Angry or unpleasant people 2.10 · lower than 91% Consequence of error 1.49 · lower than 99% Competition 1.78 · lower than 99%	80th percentile mean of 5 measures	$52,540 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -3.2% 2025-35
14	Business Continuity Planners O*NET-SOC 13-1199.04	Time pressure 3.26 · lower than 89% Conflict situations 2.57 · lower than 70% Angry or unpleasant people 2.10 · lower than 91% Consequence of error 2.36 · lower than 79% Competition 2.73 · lower than 69%	80th percentile mean of 5 measures	$83,050 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +3.9% 2025-35
15	Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors O*NET-SOC 25-3011.00	Time pressure 3.21 · lower than 90% Conflict situations 2.60 · lower than 68% Angry or unpleasant people 2.29 · lower than 83% Consequence of error 1.97 · lower than 92% Competition 2.82 · lower than 65%	80th percentile mean of 5 measures	$61,540 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · -13.9% 2025-35
16	Pourers and Casters, Metal O*NET-SOC 51-4052.00	Time pressure 3.48 · lower than 78% Conflict situations 2.22 · lower than 90% Angry or unpleasant people 2.09 · lower than 92% Consequence of error 3.07 · lower than 45% Competition 2.29 · lower than 90%	79th percentile mean of 5 measures	$51,810 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -5% 2025-35
17	Climate Change Policy Analysts O*NET-SOC 19-2041.01	Time pressure 3.26 · lower than 89% Conflict situations 2.22 · lower than 90% Angry or unpleasant people 1.96 · lower than 95% Consequence of error 2.00 · lower than 92% Competition 3.39 · lower than 28%	79th percentile mean of 5 measures	$82,220 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +6.1% 2025-35
18	Environmental Economists O*NET-SOC 19-3011.01	Time pressure 2.77 · lower than 97% Conflict situations 2.04 · lower than 94% Angry or unpleasant people 1.74 · lower than 98% Consequence of error 1.93 · lower than 93% Competition 3.85 · lower than 8%	78th percentile mean of 5 measures	$124,720 median (2025) Master's degree · +4.7% 2025-35
19	Geographic Information Systems Technologists and Technicians O*NET-SOC 15-1299.02	Time pressure 3.46 · lower than 79% Conflict situations 1.99 · lower than 96% Angry or unpleasant people 1.92 · lower than 96% Consequence of error 2.50 · lower than 73% Competition 3.10 · lower than 47%	78th percentile mean of 5 measures	$116,580 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +5.1% 2025-35
20	Biological Technicians O*NET-SOC 19-4021.00 Am I qualified to be a biological technician? Career Escape Map for biological technicians	Time pressure 3.33 · lower than 86% Conflict situations 1.92 · lower than 97% Angry or unpleasant people 1.58 · lower than 99% Consequence of error 2.72 · lower than 63% Competition 3.13 · lower than 45%	78th percentile mean of 5 measures	$57,510 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +7.4% 2025-35
21	Software Developers O*NET-SOC 15-1252.00 Am I qualified to be a software engineer? Career Escape Map for software engineers	Time pressure 3.50 · lower than 77% Conflict situations 1.72 · lower than 99% Angry or unpleasant people 1.46 · lower than 99% Consequence of error 2.76 · lower than 60% Competition 3.05 · lower than 50%	77th percentile mean of 5 measures	$135,980 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +10.2% 2025-35
22	Data Warehousing Specialists O*NET-SOC 15-1243.01	Time pressure 3.30 · lower than 87% Conflict situations 2.61 · lower than 67% Angry or unpleasant people 2.04 · lower than 94% Consequence of error 2.22 · lower than 85% Competition 3.00 · lower than 53%	77th percentile mean of 5 measures	$139,500 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +9.4% 2025-35
23	Poets, Lyricists and Creative Writers O*NET-SOC 27-3043.05	Time pressure 3.18 · lower than 91% Conflict situations 1.95 · lower than 97% Angry or unpleasant people 1.90 · lower than 97% Consequence of error 1.57 · lower than 99% Competition 4.32 · lower than 2%	77th percentile mean of 5 measures	$76,910 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · -0.3% 2025-35
24	Park Naturalists O*NET-SOC 19-1031.03	Time pressure 2.90 · lower than 96% Conflict situations 2.61 · lower than 67% Angry or unpleasant people 2.67 · lower than 58% Consequence of error 1.91 · lower than 94% Competition 2.71 · lower than 70%	77th percentile mean of 5 measures	$73,010 median (2025) Bachelor's degree · +5.3% 2025-35
25	Astronomers O*NET-SOC 19-2011.00	Time pressure 2.91 · lower than 96% Conflict situations 2.04 · lower than 94% Angry or unpleasant people 1.74 · lower than 98% Consequence of error 2.04 · lower than 91% Competition 4.13 · lower than 3%	77th percentile mean of 5 measures	$128,820 median (2025) Doctoral or professional degree · +7.8% 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

Time Pressure (lower is preferred)
“How often does this job require the worker to meet strict deadlines?” Scale 1 = Never; 5 = Every day.
Conflict Situations (lower is preferred)
“How frequently are there conflict situations the employee has to face in this job?” Scale 1 = Never; 5 = Every day.
Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People (lower is preferred)
“How frequently does the worker have to deal with unpleasant, angry, or discourteous individuals as part of the job requirements?” Scale 1 = Never; 5 = Every day.
Consequence of Error (lower is preferred)
“How serious would the result usually be if the worker made a mistake that was not easily correctable?” Scale 1 = Not serious at all; 5 = Extremely serious.
Level of Competition (lower is preferred)
“To what extent does this job require the worker to compete or to be aware of competitive pressures?” Scale 1 = Not at all competitive; 5 = Extremely competitive.

The full method, including how ties are broken and what the data cannot tell you, is on the methodology page.

The restriction applied

Only occupations with a BLS median annual wage above $50,980, the 2025 median for all U.S. occupations are listed: 594 of 894 qualify.

The unrestricted ranking is at Jobs with the lowest measured work pressure.

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 selection

This 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.