Work Context Index
The most physically active jobs
This list combines 4 O*NET Work Context measures. Each occupation's mean rating on each measure becomes a percentile rank among all 894 occupations, flipped where lower is preferred, and the percentiles are averaged. The 25 with the highest average are listed, with the components shown so the average can be checked.
Which jobs are the most physically active, by measured standing, walking, hands-on work and time not spent sitting?
Across the 894 occupations O*NET 30.3 rates, each occupation is placed on 4 O*NET measures at once, Walking or running (higher); Standing (higher); Using your hands (higher); Sitting (lower), each converted to a percentile among all occupations in the preferred direction and averaged. The 25 listed here all sit at the 92nd percentile or better on that average. Strongest are Roof Bolters, Mining (99th percentile), Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers (98th percentile), Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers (97th percentile). Their median BLS wage is $48,580 (2025, 25 of 25 with a BLS line item), and 25 of the 25 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
- Measures combined
- Spend Time Walking or Running (higher is preferred); Spend Time Standing (higher is preferred); Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls (higher is preferred); Spend Time Sitting (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). 7 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 “active jobs”. This page answers that with the measurement behind it: 4 Work Context questions — Spend Time Walking or Running, Spend Time Standing, Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls, Spend Time Sitting — each rated on a fixed 1-to-5 scale by people who do each job.
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 walking or running, standing, using your hands, sitting.
| # | Occupation | Component values | Rank | BLS wage and education |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Roof Bolters, Mining O*NET-SOC 47-5043.00 |
| 99th percentile mean of 4 measures | $78,540 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -18.9% 2025-35 |
| 2 | Cement Masons and Concrete Finishers O*NET-SOC 47-2051.00 |
| 98th percentile mean of 4 measures | $57,020 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +1.6% 2025-35 |
| 3 | Drywall and Ceiling Tile Installers O*NET-SOC 47-2081.00 |
| 97th percentile mean of 4 measures | $58,930 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +2.5% 2025-35 |
| 4 | Motorcycle Mechanics O*NET-SOC 49-3052.00 |
| 96th percentile mean of 4 measures | $48,580 median (2025) Postsecondary nondegree award · +2.1% 2025-35 |
| 5 | Painters, Construction and Maintenance O*NET-SOC 47-2141.00 |
| 96th percentile mean of 4 measures | $49,400 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +3% 2025-35 |
| 6 | Tire Repairers and Changers O*NET-SOC 49-3093.00 |
| 96th percentile mean of 4 measures | $37,710 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +3.4% 2025-35 |
| 7 | Tapers O*NET-SOC 47-2082.00 |
| 96th percentile mean of 4 measures | $68,270 median (2025) No formal educational credential · -1.6% 2025-35 |
| 8 | Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers O*NET-SOC 35-9011.00 |
| 96th percentile mean of 4 measures | $33,980 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +5.3% 2025-35 |
| 9 | Plumbers, Pipefitters, and Steamfitters O*NET-SOC 47-2152.00 |
| 96th percentile mean of 4 measures | $63,800 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +6.8% 2025-35 |
| 10 | Textile Winding, Twisting, and Drawing Out Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders O*NET-SOC 51-6064.00 |
| 95th percentile mean of 4 measures | $38,670 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -10.3% 2025-35 |
| 11 | Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic O*NET-SOC 51-9195.00 |
| 95th percentile mean of 4 measures | $46,170 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +5.8% 2025-35 |
| 12 | Helpers--Electricians O*NET-SOC 47-3013.00 |
| 94th percentile mean of 4 measures | $42,670 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +0.6% 2025-35 |
| 13 | Electricians O*NET-SOC 47-2111.00 |
| 94th percentile mean of 4 measures | $63,190 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +9.2% 2025-35 |
| 14 | Furniture Finishers O*NET-SOC 51-7021.00 |
| 94th percentile mean of 4 measures | $44,540 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -3.5% 2025-35 |
| 15 | Structural Iron and Steel Workers O*NET-SOC 47-2221.00 |
| 93rd percentile mean of 4 measures | $62,780 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +3.1% 2025-35 |
| 16 | Rail Car Repairers O*NET-SOC 49-3043.00 |
| 93rd percentile mean of 4 measures | $67,530 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +2.6% 2025-35 |
| 17 | Coating, Painting, and Spraying Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders O*NET-SOC 51-9124.00 |
| 93rd percentile mean of 4 measures | $48,250 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +2.5% 2025-35 |
| 18 | Adhesive Bonding Machine Operators and Tenders O*NET-SOC 51-9191.00 |
| 93rd percentile mean of 4 measures | $46,460 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +1.3% 2025-35 |
| 19 | Woodworking Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Except Sawing O*NET-SOC 51-7042.00 |
| 93rd percentile mean of 4 measures | $43,380 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -2.5% 2025-35 |
| 20 | Tool Grinders, Filers, and Sharpeners O*NET-SOC 51-4194.00 |
| 93rd percentile mean of 4 measures | $50,060 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -6.8% 2025-35 |
| 21 | Tire Builders O*NET-SOC 51-9197.00 |
| 92nd percentile mean of 4 measures | $57,390 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +0.8% 2025-35 |
| 22 | Cooks, Restaurant O*NET-SOC 35-2014.00 |
| 92nd percentile mean of 4 measures | $37,390 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +12.1% 2025-35 |
| 23 | Upholsterers O*NET-SOC 51-6093.00 |
| 92nd percentile mean of 4 measures | $46,340 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -2.3% 2025-35 |
| 24 | Fallers O*NET-SOC 45-4021.00 |
| 92nd percentile mean of 4 measures | $52,100 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -9.9% 2025-35 |
| 25 | Printing Press Operators O*NET-SOC 51-5112.00 |
| 92nd percentile mean of 4 measures | $45,780 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -8.7% 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
Spend Time Walking or Running (higher is preferred)
“How much does this job require walking or running?” Scale 1 = Never; 5 = Continually or almost continually.
Spend Time Standing (higher is preferred)
“How much does this job require standing?” Scale 1 = Never; 5 = Continually or almost continually.
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls (higher is preferred)
“How much does this job require using your hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools or controls?” Scale 1 = Never; 5 = Continually or almost continually.
Spend Time Sitting (lower is preferred)
“How much does this job require sitting?” Scale 1 = Never; 5 = Continually or almost continually.
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.