Top 10 Most Stressful and Least Stressful Jobs

Jan. 3, 2013 — -- intro:Looking for a low-stress job? Being a full-time university professor is the least stressful career for 2013, according to jobs site CareerCast.com.

It's the first time that career has won the title of least stressful in the site's 20-year history of assessing jobs.

"Professors are kings of their kingdoms," said Tony Lee, publisher of CareerCast.com and JobsRated.com. "They tell students what they must do."

Lee said the list does not distinguish whether a professor is tenured, though that may be a factor in stress-level.

Read more: Professors' Group Say U.S. Faculty Salaries Not Driving Tuition Hikes

University professors, with a median salary of $62,050, topped last year's winning career, which was medical records technician. That career, with a median salary of $32,350, came in third this year.

In assessing 200 careers, CareerCast.com's criteria included 11 stress factors like travel, job outlook, deadlines, working in the public eye, competitiveness, physical demands, environmental conditions, hazards encountered, own life at risk, life of another at risk, and meeting the public.

CareerCast works with math and statistics researchers at the University of Wisconsin to compile the list, using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, trade reports and other sources.

Lee said the least stressful careers tend to entail positive feedback from people on a regular basis. In those cases, people are working are generally pleased, he said.

"The most stressful list tends to be opposite," he said.

The silver lining is that the more stressful a job is, the higher the likelihood you'll get paid more, said Lee. The logic follows somewhat that military enlisted personnel and military generals are the first and second most stressful careers, with median salaries of $45,528 and $196,000. Being a firefighter, which was the second most stressful job last year, was ranked as the third most stressful career in the current survey.

Lee concedes that what may is stressful for one person may not affect another person.

"You can argue a firefighter is not stressed if they relish adrenaline and rushing into a burning building," he said. "But using analytical data, most people would say rushing into a burning building is stressful."

Read more: Harvard, Stanford Researchers Find Leaders Less Stressed Due to Sense of Control

The following are the least stressful jobs for 2013, followed by the most stressful jobs:

quicklist: category: 1.title: University Professortext: Median salary: $62,050

quicklist:category: 2.title: Seamstress/Tailor text: Median salary: $25,850

quicklist:category: 3. title: Medical Records Technician text: Median salary: $32,350

quicklist:category: 4. title: Jeweler text: Median salary: $35,170

quicklist:category: 5. title: Medical Laboratory Technician text: Median salary: $46,680

quicklist:category: 6. title: Audiologist text: Median salary: $66,660

quicklist:category: 7.title: Dietitian text: Median salary: $53,250

quicklist:category: 8. title: Hair Stylisttext: Median salary: $22,500

quicklist:category: 9. title: Librariantext: Median salary: $54,500

quicklist:category: 10. title: Drill Press Operator text: Median salary: $31,910

MOST STRESSFUL JOBS:

quicklist: category: 1.title: Enlisted Military Personneltext: Median salary: $45,528 (W-1, 8 years experience)

quicklist:category: 2.title: Military General text: Median salary: $196,300

quicklist:category: 3. title: Firefighter text: Median salary: $42,250

quicklist:category: 4. title: Commercial Airline Pilot text: Median salary: $92,060

quicklist:category: 5. title: Public Relations Executive text: Median salary: $57,550

quicklist:category: 6. title: Senior Corporate Executive text: Median salary: $101,250

quicklist:category: 7.title: Photojournalist text: Median salary: $29,130

quicklist:category: 8. title: Newspaper Reporter text: Median salary: $36,000

quicklist:category: 9. title: Taxi Driver text: Median salary: $22,440

quicklist:category: 10. title: Police Officer text: Median salary: $55,010