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Low-stress jobs that pay well are more common than you think. We actually found 12 high-paying careers offering salaries over $70,000 that don't require you to be “on” 24/7, and not all of them require a 4-year college degree. 

According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data and stress tolerance ratings from the U.S. Department of Labor’s sponsored site, O*NET, positions like water resource specialists ($161,180 median salary), quality assurance testers ($131,450), and actuaries ($125,770) combine high pay with a strong work-life balance, which are the 2 main factors we included when ranking these jobs. 

Your job has a huge effect on your mental health. When your work is always stressing you out, it’s hard to think clearly and take care of yourself. According to a 2024-2025 report from Mercer, an HR consulting firm, 82% of employees are at risk of burnout, with some even citing stress-related illnesses. That’s a huge number. 

A high salary with high stress versus a well-paid job with minimal stress? I’ll take the latter. But for someone else who wants a certain high-stress job because they love it, the pay and perks may be worth it to them. It’s all about what your priorities and interests are, and what is particularly stressful for you.

In this article, we'll dive into the top 12 low-stress high-paying jobs, what they do, specific salary ranges, why they're low stress, and how you can find one of your own.

What are low-stress jobs?

Low-stress jobs are jobs that don’t come with a lot of pressure. The workload and stress are manageable, there’s a clear work-life balance, and your mental energy isn’t left depleted every day.

They often require specialized skillsets and expertise rather than being productivity based, meaning you aren’t constantly hounded for performance metrics or racing against aggressive deadlines. This also rules out roles with urgent duties like on-call shifts and “jack of all trades” responsibilities. 

Having said that, what’s considered stressful is personal. What you consider to be less stressful may actually be more stressful for someone else. We all have different interests, work styles, lifestyles, and social skills. 

Plus, our brains aren’t all the same. Keep this in mind as you research the different jobs from this list. Also be sure to look for jobs at companies that provide supportive benefits like affordable healthcare coverage (mental health included), flexible or remote work, ample time off, and family and caregiver support.

How We Ranked These Low-Stress High-Paying Jobs

Main factors we looked at when identifying high-paying jobs with the least amount of stress:

• Salary: Roles were identified using data we’ve collected in our public Salary Database, first-hand experience from our interviews, and job data from the BLS. High salaries provide more financial stability and also reduces any money-related stress.
• Stress tolerance data from O*NET: Jobs with stress rankings below 75, except for a few jobs that we explain their tradeoffs. 
• Manageable workload: The workload is realistically for 1 person and manageable without feeling scattered or having to work late or on weekends.
• Work-life balance: They don’t eat up all of your free time and don’t involve emergency work or a lot of overtime.
• Flexibility or remote work options: There’s a flexible work culture or remote work options available. We included 9 jobs that can be done remotely.
• Autonomy: There’s some freedom and control over how you do your work without heavy supervision or micromanagement.
• Social involvement: Job options with limited social interaction, with also a few that do for those who are more social.
• Job satisfaction and security: High-satisfaction jobs with faster than average job growth over the next 10 years.

12 Low-Stress Jobs That Pay Well & Keep You Sane in 2025

These roles span healthcare, technology, finance, and environmental sectors with options for different work styles and personalities. To find more salary and job data, search for any of the below positions in our Salary Database or Salary Transparent Job Board. Don’t forget to join and add your salary too!

1. Water Resource Specialist or Engineer

Median salary: $161,180 per year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $125,000 per year

Job outlook (2024-2034): 4%

As the highest-paying role on this list with one of the lowest stress rankings (59), water resource specialists have a structured job where they manage water systems like municipal water supply systems so their communities have access to clean water. It’s low stress because of the predictable work schedule with standard business hours, especially if they work for a government agency, and over half of the work is spent working independently.  

What’s required: Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, hydrology, or similar area is typically required.

Learn the skills for this job: Sustainable Urban Water Systems

2. Quality Assurance (QA) Tester or Engineer

Median salary: $131,450 per year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $170,000 per year

Job outlook (2024-2034): 15%

QA testers run different software tests to find existing bugs and what’s causing them, while QA engineers are the ones who develop the automated tests they run. However, both duties may be combined into one role. It depends on the company and how their teams are structured.

This role has much lower stress levels than other high-paying tech jobs. They have a standard work schedule with a lot of flexibility and remote work opportunities, and no on-call rotations like tech support roles have.

On an interesting side note: We interviewed a government contractor who also works part-time as QA engineer. They stated that the additional role helps them keep their sanity in an unstable job market.

What’s required: Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in computer science or similar area, or QA bootcamps and certifications. We also interviewed a former professional baseball player who was able to pivot their career to software QA testing through a QA Bootcamp!

Learn the skills for this job: Software Quality Assurance and Testing 

3. Actuary

Median salary: $125,770 per year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $220,000 per year

Job outlook (2024-2034): 22%

Actuaries are like data analysts, but they’re solely focused on analyzing financial risk for things like insurance and financial planning (such as pensions and a company’s 401(k) offering). With a stress rating of only 57, this role is seen as pretty low stress due to factors such as a collaborative work environment and the job security from a growing demand for their skill set (set to grow by 22% by 2034).

What’s required: Bachelor’s degree in actuarial science, mathematics, or statistics is preferred.

Learn the skills for this job: Business and Financial Modeling

4. Environmental Economist

Median salary: $115,440 per year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $850,000 per year

Job outlook (2024-2034): 1%

Environmental economists are economists that use statistical techniques to analyze how we use the natural environment, like water and land, and protect it. It’s perfect for those looking for a job where they can contribute to the cause of protecting our beautiful earth. This role has the lowest stress ranking of 52 from O*NET. It’s also seen as low stress because of the job satisfaction it provides and a flexible environment where they can work independently.

What’s required: Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in environmental economics is typically required.

Learn the skills for this job: Environmental Economics

5. Data Scientist or Analyst

Median salary: $112,590 per year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $260,000 per year

Job outlook (2024-2034): 34%

A data scientist looks at large datasets, often across several systems, to find similarities and relationships to build machine learning models and AI agents. Without their work, we wouldn’t have AI. The demand for their expertise is growing faster than any other role on this list (34%), making it one of the best-paying future jobs to watch. 

The role has a lot of autonomy with flexible and remote work options, but stress definitely depends on the company they work for. Government and research roles tend to be lower stress than startups, finance, or roles with direct revenue impact.

What’s required: Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in computer science or data science is preferred, but there are ways to break in via bootcamps and putting together a portfolio (from bootcamp learning, personal projects, or freelancing).

Learn the skills for this job: Python for Data Science, AI & Development

6. Statistician 

Median salary: $104,350 per year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $175,000 per year

Job outlook (2024-2034): 8%

Similar to data scientists, statisticians also analyze data to find relationships and make decisions, but not for the point of programming or machine learning. Their work uses statistical methodology and mathematical theory, mainly used in research. It’s low stress because their work is project-based with a lot of independence and they work in settings with less pressure, such as academics and research.

What’s required: Bachelor’s degree in statistics or mathematics is preferred.

Learn the skills for this job: Introduction to Statistics

7. Dental Hygienist 

Median salary: $94,260 per year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $150,000 per year

Job outlook (2024-2034): 7%

Dental hygienists work with many patients a day to improve their oral hygiene and prevent disease through routine dental cleaning, taking x-rays of teeth to assess their health, and supporting dentists in their work (like procedures, etc).

Even though dental hygienists’ stress is rated a little higher than the others on this list (86) due to physical demands and difficult patients, their job has lower levels of stress when compared to other top-paying healthcare jobs. They have a consistent daily routine, regular hours where they don’t take their work home, and a stable job with low unemployment rates.

What’s required: Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene.

Learn the skills for this job: Dentistry 101

8. Technical Writer

Median salary: $91,670 per year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $125,000 per year

Job outlook (2024-2034): 1% 

Technical writers create technical content, but the audience they write for depends on the specific technical writing job they have. Technical writers may write for developers, document internal development changes and release notes, document entire systems and APIs, create product and how-to documentation, and write technical blogs.

There’s a lot of freedom and independence in this area (with some collaboration) and many roles can be done remotely. There’s also no on-call or emergency support work required, making this a lower-stress job than other roles in tech. As a technical writer myself, I can vouch for this 😄.

What’s required: Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in computer science or information systems is preferred, but many companies accept courses, certifications, and a portfolio of personal or freelance projects as alternatives.

Learn the skills for this job: Introduction to Technical Writing

9. Financial Examiner

Median salary: $90,400 per year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $90,000 per year

Job outlook (2024-2034): 19%

Financial examiners help banks and financial companies make sure they’re following the rules. They’re like the auditors of the financial world. They check the books, review records, and compare processes against government regulations and guidelines.  

It sounds high-stakes, which it definitely is, but it’s mostly quiet desk work that is methodical. The hours are normal business hours and deadlines are planned and reasonable. 

What’s required: Bachelor’s degree in accounting or finance is required.

Learn the skills for this job: Financial Accounting: Master Core Concepts & Analysis

10. Sonographer

Median salary: $89,340 per year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $230,000 per year

Job outlook (2024-2034): 13%

Working as a sonographer is a great trade job that pays well and is moderate to low stress. Their job consists of operating ultrasound devices and producing images for doctors to use for diagnoses and monitoring.

Even though there is a pressure to be accurate in every task and they mainly work with the public, which could be seen as high-stress, they also have set hours, predictable pre-set schedules, and stable job security.

What’s required: Associate’s degree in Diagnostic Medical Sonography (DMS) is required.

Learn the skills for this job:  Visualizing the Living Body: Diagnostic Imaging

11. Compliance Officer

Median salary: $78,420 per year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $215,000 per year

Job outlook (2024-2034): 3%

Similar to financial examiners, compliance officers make sure their organization is following laws and regulations, while also hitting all the boxes with internal policies. But their work isn’t siloed to the financial industry. The stress level of this job depends on the industry they work in. Lower-stress roles exist in smaller companies and advisory roles, while higher-stress are in healthcare and tech. 

What’s required: Bachelor’s degree in business administration, law, or similar is required. 

Learn the skills for this job: Regulatory Compliance

12. User Experience (UX) Researcher

Median salary: $76,950 per year

Highest salary recorded in our Salary Database: $178,000 per year

Job outlook (2024-2034): 7%

UX researchers design projects to study how the general public interacts with different things, like products and websites. They’ll conduct research studies and observe behavior to advocate for consumers and make sure they get the products they actually want to use. 

The job is on the calmer side because there’s no emergency work involved, they have a high rate of job satisfaction, and the hours are standard with many role being remote. It’s an interesting job with the ability to work independently and be creative. 

What’s required: Bachelor’s degree preferred in areas like information science and sociology, but courses and creating your own projects for a portfolio may fill requirements for some companies.

Learn the skills for this job: User Experience Research and Design

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the least stressful job with high pay?

The least stressful job with the highest pay is an environmental economist. They have the lowest stress ranking of 52 out of all of the six-figure jobs listed on O*NET’s stress tolerance rankings.

What is the best-paying lazy job?

What one considers as lazy is subjective, but they’re often jobs that can be done remotely and are low-pressure. Best-paying lazy jobs include participating in online research studies, pet sitting and house sitting, and working as a virtual assistant. Data entry jobs are still great lazy jobs but aren’t as common because of automation.

What are low-stress jobs for introverts?

Introverts excel when they have autonomy and can work independently, so any job that pays well and fits those requirements is golden. Low-stress jobs for introverts include QA testing, accounting, technical writing, ghostwriting, virtual assisting, data analysis, and jobs in research and development.

How to Find Jobs That Won’t Stress You Out

To find open low-stress jobs with great pay, start with our Transparent Job Board that has salaries listed for every role. Pair this with the tool, My Next Move, a part of O*NET that’s sponsored by the Department of Labor, which has more information about each job and where to find training. 

We also recommend these job search tools from our partners:

Remember that every job has some degree of stress. It’s important that you know what your thresholds are when picking a job that’s both good for your mental health and your wallet. 💸

Author note: I’m Daniella Flores, a former software engineer who writes about tech, money, and careers, a current member of the CNET Money Expert Review Board, and career researcher that’s appeared in TIME, CNBC, and Investopedia (among many others). I’m extremely passionate about workers' rights and financial freedom, so it’s a pleasure to be able to bring you this type of content through the Salary Transparent Street blog (thank you for the opportunity, Hannah!) You can also follow me on Linkedin. Chat soon!

If this guide helps you land your dream job, let us know! Send us an email ➡️ hello@salarytransparentstreet.com

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