11 High-Paying Jobs for People Who Don’t Like Stress

If you think “stress-free” cannot come with “job”, let alone “high salaries”, this list of 11 high-paying jobs for people who don’t like stress will prove you wrong. There are, in fact, jobs that come with awesome paychecks that are, while not exactly devoid of stress, are definitely way less stressful than most occupations.

This list is based on the survey done by Dr. Laurence Shatkin, Ph.D., a Career Information Expert. In his observation, he compared the salaries and stress levels of 767 jobs identified by the United States Labor Department. Shatkin used stress tolerance levels from data gathered by the US Bureau of Labor Statistics as well as the US Occupational Informational Network, where stress is rated from 0 to 100 with lower ratings indicating lower stress levels. The jobs identified in the list earned over $70,000 per annum.

The items on this list are ranked according to the stress tolerance levels registered for each occupation.

Sounds like a dream job? Not really. Ironically, these high-paying jobs for people who don’t like stress require quite the education – and you’ll know why as soon as you start reading the list. Unsurprisingly, too, these jobs are not on the list of the 11 Highest paid jobs you can work from home or anywhere in the world.

We’re not sure if these jobs would make you feel jealous and unhappy with what you currently have, but we’re sure it’s worth checking out. Take a look.

11. College Economics Professor

Stress Tolerance Score: 61.8

The job description includes both Economics teachers and those who combine teaching Economics courses with Economics-related researches. In 2014, the average annual salary of an Economics professor in college was listed at over $100,000. But this neat job does not come easily as it usually requires, at least, a Master’s level of education.

9. Physicists

Stress Tolerance Score: 61.3

If you are into physics, love researching about phenomena related to physics, enjoy creating theories about why things happen the way they do, and have a fondness for endless researching and experimenting on top of a Ph.D. level of education in physics, then this un-stressful job can earn you over $117,000 annually (2014 figures).

9. Biomedical Engineers

Stress Tolerance Score: 61.3

It’s pretty surprising how a job involved with improving healthcare and patient care – not to mention a whole lot of science, mathematics, engineering, and hours upon hours in the laboratory – can be anything but stressful. But it actually is – and it pays well enough with a recorded average annual salary of over $90,000 in 2014.

8. Materials Engineers

Stress Tolerance Score: 61.0

What exactly is material engineering? How did it end up on this list of high-paying jobs for people who don’t like stress? It’s a job that is focused on developing and analyzing materials and/or machinery for processing and manufacturing special products. How and why exactly it’s not stressful is mystifying, considering all the hours that go into the job not to mention all the analysis, research, observations, and series of trials and errors one after another that the job entails. But with an average annual paycheck that goes well over $90,000 (2014), there’s little room for stressing out.

6. Political Scientist

Stress Tolerance Score: 60.8

It may sound impossible but based on the stress tolerance data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Occupational Information Network, political scientists earn fat paychecks without having to deal with so much stress. And by fat paycheck, we mean the $104,000 (2014) average annual kind of fat paycheck.

6. Agricultural Engineers

Stress Tolerance Score: 60.8

All this high-paying job requires is a green thumb, a great sense of love for the Earth, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Agricultural or Biological Engineering. An annual salary that could go well way over $70,000 awaits successful employees. This interesting and all-important job involves creating solutions to common agricultural problems as well as developing technologies related to the various areas of agriculture.

5. Statisticians

Stress Tolerance Score: 59.0

Statistician jobs are not only high-paying and low on stress; there is also a demand for them in practically every industry. In 2014, a statistician in the United States with at least a Master’s Degree level of education earned $84,000 on an annual average.

4. Economists

Stress Tolerance Score: 58.7

The finance sector may be one of the most stressful industries in existence, but economists apparently have it much easier than most everyone else. With a midrange level of stress, economists earn quite a lot having averaged $105,000 on salary for 2014. The best part is this occupation and salary level is achievable even with just a Bachelor’s Degree.

3. Geographers

Stress Tolerance Score: 58.0

Whether you work as a geographer for a mining company (or some other related privately-owned industry for that matter), for an NGO, teach at a university or work for the government, you can expect a high salary and less stressful workdays as a geographer. Even those who are fresh out of the University with just their Bachelor’s Degrees can easily make a decent sum in salary as this job can average over $70,000 annually.

2. Mathematicians

Stress Tolerance Score: 57.2

While math has stressed out about 80% of student populations around the world, those who seek a profession of mathematician are having a ball of a time. All that mathematics education and expertise could yield over $100,000 annual salary. The requirement? At least a Master’s Degree and a ton of math skills.

1. Material Scientists

Stress Tolerance Score: 53.0

And the least stressful job in this list of high-paying jobs for people who don’t like stress is…Material Scientists! Material scientists go deep into the molecular and atomic levels of substances with the aim of developing new materials. Because it’s mostly lab work, the job requires higher levels of education but there are related positions available to Bachelor’s Degree holders of related fields. The annual average take home pay? At least $90,000.

Ironically, these un-stressful jobs require rather stressful and tedious studying in notoriously difficult courses. Which profession do you think you could pull off?