Ranking the most stressful industries in the U.S. by Welltory
A closer look at stress across the American workforce
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From leisure & hospitality to construction: who tops the list?
According to the ranking, the leisure & hospitality industry tops the list with the highest stress among workers. Irregular hours, customer-facing work, and low pay are some of the key factors that make jobs within this industry really stressful.
The list continues with professional & business services and transportation & warehousing while wholesale trade stands out as the least stressful industry.
Complete ranking list
| Industry | Number of employees | Final stress score | Average weekly hours | Job openings rate | Workplace injury and illness rate | Average weekly earnings | Layoffs and discharge rates | Employee quit rates | Worker burnout rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leisure and hospitality | 17.0M | 66 | 25.5 | 6.07% | 2.9% | $587.27 | 1.62% | 3.52% | 76% |
| Professional and business services | 22.6M | 56 | 36.5 | 5.54% | 1.1% | $1,633.38 | 2.02% | 2.52% | 79.26% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 6.8M | 53 | 38.2 | 4.39% | 4.5% | $1,212.85 | 1.42% | 1.95% | 68.75% |
| Mining and logging | 625K | 50 | 45.2 | 3.13% | 2.6% | $1,835.07 | 1.1% | 2.15% | 80.86% |
| Private education and health services | 27.2M | 46 | 32.7 | 5.22% | 3.4% | $1,162.49 | 0.75% | 1.9% | 72.15% |
| Information | 2.9M | 43 | 37.1 | 5.38% | 1% | $1,987.88 | 1.5% | 1.37% | 81.38% |
| Construction | 8.3M | 43 | 39 | 2.82% | 2.3% | $1,562.73 | 2.2% | 1.47% | 75.86% |
| Retail trade | 15.6M | 42 | 29.9 | 3.65% | 3.1% | $765.74 | 1.07% | 2.37% | 69.81% |
| Utilities | 596K | 42 | 41.9 | 3.6% | 4.2% | $2,225.31 | 1.1% | 2.07% | 68.75% |
| Other services | 6.0M | 40 | 31.9 | 4.45% | 1.7% | $1,052.7 | 1% | 1.85% | 75.04% |
| Manufacturing | 12.8M | 40 | 40 | 3.1% | 2.8% | $1,424.03 | 0.95% | 1.45% | 75.32% |
| Financial activities | 9.3M | 32 | 37.6 | 4.12% | 0.2% | $1,802.54 | 0.62% | 1.32% | 82.5% |
| Wholesale trade | 6.2M | 29 | 39.2 | 2.91% | 2.3% | $1,542.92 | 0.7% | 1.42% | 69.81% |
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Methodology
The Industry Stress Ranking was developed by analyzing the major U.S. industries and combining seven key workplace indicators into a single stress score from 1 to 100. These seven factors offer a comprehensive view of how stressful each industry is:
- Average Weekly Hours
Measures how many hours employees work per week on average. Longer hours often signal higher workload and increased stress levels.
- Job Openings Rate
Shows the rate of open jobs in the industry that can indicate labour shortage and this will usually put more stress on the existing workers.
- Workplace Injury and Illness Rate
Tracks how often workers experience injuries or illnesses on the job. Higher rates reflect more physically demanding or hazardous work environments.
- Average Weekly Earnings
Represents how much workers make on average weekly. Lower earnings contribute to financial stress, especially within industries with demanding workloads.
- Layoff and Discharge Rates
Represents how frequently workers are laid off or discharged. Higher rates indicate job insecurity which often leads to high stress.
- Employee Quit Rates
Shows the percentage of employees voluntarily leaving their jobs. High quit rates often point to dissatisfaction, burnout, or stressful working conditions.
- Worker Burnout Rate
Reflects the percentage of employees reporting burnout symptoms such as exhaustion, low motivation, or mental fatigue — a direct indicator of workplace stress.
Because each factor uses different units, they were first normalized so they can be compared on the same scale. This was done using a standard min–max normalization formula, which converts any number into a value between 0 and 1. After normalization, each factor was assigned a weight based on its importance in contributing to workplace stress, then combined to produce a final stress score from 1 to 100.
Sources used for gathering data - U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and two independent surveys measuring worker burnout (Ringover and BMC Public Health).
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Written by Nika Zdanovich
Chief Commercial Officer at Welltory. A strategic leader with expertise in business growth, marketing strategy, executive coaching. She drives brand visibility and helps bring Welltory’s mission to a wider audience.
Written by Mariia Ermatova
Project manager and brand advocate at Welltory. She helps turn complex health data into engaging stories and meaningful user experiences.