Work Context Index
The most physically active jobs that pay above the U.S. median
The most physically active jobs, 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 the most physically active, by measured standing, walking, hands-on work and time not spent sitting 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 walking or running, standing, using your hands, sitting, 25 are listed: 10 also appear in the unrestricted ranking and 15 enter only under this restriction, led by Plasterers and Stucco Masons (91st percentile), Sheet Metal Workers (91st percentile), Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists (91st percentile). The strongest overall 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 $58,970 (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
- 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
- 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). 10 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 | 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 |
| 5 | 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 |
| 6 | 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 |
| 7 | 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 |
| 8 | 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 |
| 9 | 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 |
| 10 | 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 |
| 11 | Plasterers and Stucco Masons O*NET-SOC 47-2161.00 |
| 91st percentile mean of 4 measures | $57,660 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +2.8% 2025-35 |
| 12 | Sheet Metal Workers O*NET-SOC 47-2211.00 |
| 91st percentile mean of 4 measures | $61,800 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +2.5% 2025-35 |
| 13 | Bus and Truck Mechanics and Diesel Engine Specialists O*NET-SOC 49-3031.00 |
| 91st percentile mean of 4 measures | $61,770 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +3.6% 2025-35 |
| 14 | Milling and Planing Machine Setters, Operators, and Tenders, Metal and Plastic O*NET-SOC 51-4035.00 |
| 91st percentile mean of 4 measures | $52,800 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -13.2% 2025-35 |
| 15 | Reinforcing Iron and Rebar Workers O*NET-SOC 47-2171.00 |
| 90th percentile mean of 4 measures | $58,970 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -5.3% 2025-35 |
| 16 | Brickmasons and Blockmasons O*NET-SOC 47-2021.00 |
| 90th percentile mean of 4 measures | $62,120 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +1.1% 2025-35 |
| 17 | Refractory Materials Repairers, Except Brickmasons O*NET-SOC 49-9045.00 |
| 89th percentile mean of 4 measures | $61,290 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -13.7% 2025-35 |
| 18 | Automotive Body and Related Repairers O*NET-SOC 49-3021.00 |
| 89th percentile mean of 4 measures | $54,890 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +3.7% 2025-35 |
| 19 | Stonemasons O*NET-SOC 47-2022.00 |
| 89th percentile mean of 4 measures | $57,390 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -5.4% 2025-35 |
| 20 | Insulation Workers, Mechanical O*NET-SOC 47-2132.00 |
| 89th percentile mean of 4 measures | $58,340 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +5.1% 2025-35 |
| 21 | Terrazzo Workers and Finishers O*NET-SOC 47-2053.00 |
| 89th percentile mean of 4 measures | $76,170 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · -13% 2025-35 |
| 22 | Derrick Operators, Oil and Gas O*NET-SOC 47-5011.00 |
| 88th percentile mean of 4 measures | $58,620 median (2025) No formal educational credential · +1.6% 2025-35 |
| 23 | Chefs and Head Cooks O*NET-SOC 35-1011.00 |
| 88th percentile mean of 4 measures | $62,470 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +6.6% 2025-35 |
| 24 | Farm Equipment Mechanics and Service Technicians O*NET-SOC 49-3041.00 |
| 87th percentile mean of 4 measures | $56,550 median (2025) High school diploma or equivalent · +10.7% 2025-35 |
| 25 | Postal Service Mail Sorters, Processors, and Processing Machine Operators O*NET-SOC 43-5053.00 |
| 87th percentile mean of 4 measures | $58,470 median (2025) No formal educational credential · -5.3% 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.
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 The most physically active jobs.
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.