Highest Stress Jobs – Plus Tips to Reduce Stress in These Demanding Careers

Worried about job burnout? Some careers push workers to their limits more than others. Explore the 11 most burnout-prone jobs, what makes them so stressful, and key strategies professionals use to protect their mental well-being. Whether you're in a high-burnout field or considering one, learn what to expect and how to manage the pressure.

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11 mins read

Burnout isn’t new.

It’s been a problem for so long that when the World Health Organization officially recognized it as a syndrome in 2019, they were just confirming what many of us had already lived through. It drains your energy, impacts your job performance, and leaves you questioning how much more you can take.

I know because I’ve been there. I’ve poured everything into a job — stayed late, skipped breaks, pushed through exhaustion—only to feel completely drained, detached, and running on fumes. If you're searching for "the most stressful jobs" or “careers with the highest burnout,” maybe you’ve felt it too.

Maybe you’re wondering if your exhaustion is normal or if it’s time to quit your job. Or perhaps you’re considering a new career and want to avoid high-burnout fields altogether.

Either way, knowing which jobs come with the highest risk—and how to protect yourself—can help you make smarter choices for your well-being.

Which Careers Are The Most Stressful?

A tired-looking woman working at a desk with two monitors, illustrating careers with the highest burnout rates.

I analyzed industry research, expert insights, and real-world experiences to identify the professions and jobs most affected by burnout. These jobs come with relentless pressure, long hours, and emotional exhaustion—making burnout a serious risk.

Based on recent data, here are 11 of the most stressful careers with highest burnout:

Healthcare Workers – 46% experience burnout (including 68% of nurses and 49% of physicians)
Emergency Responders – 57% of EMTs likely suffer from burnout
Social Workers – 48% experience burnout
Counselors and Therapists – 21% to 67% report burnout; 45% of psychologists feel burned out
Teachers and Educators – 45% experience burnout
Fast Food and Retail Workers – 55% report experiencing burnout
Lawyers – 52% experience job burnout
Certified Public Accountants – 99% feel some level of burnout; 54% at or above average levels
Project Managers – 50% experience burnout
Construction Workers – 75.86% experience burnout
Entrepreneurs – 34.4% suffer from burnout; 87.7% struggle with mental health issues

Important Note

The list of careers presented here is not ranked in any specific order of burnout severity. Burnout rates can vary based on different studies and methodologies, influenced by factors such as work environment, personal coping strategies, stress-prone personality traits, job demands, and available support. For detailed study references, see the career-specific sections below.

Understanding the Strain of These High-Stress & High-Burnout Jobs

While the statistics are striking, they only tell part of the story. Burnout isn’t just a number—it’s a real and personal experience felt by many professionals. In the following sections, we’ll look at why these specific careers face such high burnout rates and how certain elements—whether it’s emotional labor, long hours, or the constant demand for perfection—create the perfect storm for burnout.

Understanding why these jobs are so demanding and how burnout affects those who work in them can help you identify if you’re at risk, whether you're already in one of these roles or thinking about changing careers. You’ll also gain insight into strategies and techniques to manage and reduce burnout—so you can continue doing what you love, without sacrificing your mental health.

1. Healthcare Workers

A nurse sits at a desk with her head resting on her arms and eyes closed, highlighting healthcare as one of the careers with the highest burnout.

If there’s one field where burnout shouldn’t be an issue—given its life-saving importance—it’s healthcare. Yet, burnout is alarmingly high across the entire sector, from doctors and nurses to the behind-the-scenes staff who keep hospitals and clinics running.

The statistics paint a grim picture. In 2022, 46% of healthcare workers as a whole reported feeling burned out. The numbers are even worse for nurses, who often face grueling 12-hour shifts with little time to rest or recover. Research shows that 68% of nurses report experiencing burnout. Physicians, too, experience extreme pressure—49% of doctors have reported burnout (varies by specialty), dealing with high patient loads, administrative burdens, and the constant weight of life-or-death decisions.

But burnout isn’t just a problem for those on the frontlines. Support staff, such as medical technicians, administrative workers, and hospital aides, also face high levels of stress. They often work under the same intense conditions but receive less recognition or support.

Whether you're a nurse, doctor, or part of the essential workforce behind the scenes, the emotional and physical toll of healthcare work is undeniable. Addressing burnout in this field requires more than personal resilience—it demands systemic changes, better staffing policies, and meaningful mental health support for everyone working in the healthcare sector.

How Healthcare Workers Can Avoid Burnout

Some stressors, such as high-stress environments, emotional strain from traumatic events, and constant care for patients’ well-being, come with the job. However, long hours, understaffing, heavy workloads, and administrative burdens are avoidable contributors to burnout among healthcare workers.

Healthcare workers can avoid burnout by:

Prioritizing regular breaks to reset and recover.
Avoiding excessive overtime whenever possible.
Detaching after work to maintain mental well-being.
Choosing careers in the medical field that best suit their personality.
Utilizing counseling and peer support programs for emotional resilience.
Advocating for better working conditions to address systemic issues.
Engaging in hobbies and activities outside of work to reduce stress and recharge.

2. Emergency Responders

A tired-looking firefighter sits resting against his truck, highlighting emergency responders as one of the careers with the highest burnout.

I wasn’t surprised to read a survey showing that 57% of EMT clinicians likely suffer from burnout. Emergency responders—including paramedics, firefighters, and police officers—work in high-pressure environments, make life-or-death decisions, and are regularly exposed to trauma. The relentless stress of responding to crises takes a significant toll.

Many emergency responders suffer from compassion fatigue, PTSD, and emotional exhaustion. Firefighters face extreme physical and mental stress, rushing into dangerous situations while witnessing devastation. Paramedics navigate unpredictable, high-stakes medical emergencies, often with limited resources. Police officers must make split-second decisions under immense pressure, balancing public safety with personal risk.

I’ve read stories of paramedics who started their careers feeling like heroes, only to find that years of constant emergencies, unpredictable shifts, and repeated exposure to human suffering left them drained. Over time, the emotional weight of the job can erode passion and lead to severe burnout.

How Emergency Responders Can Avoid Burnout

Emergency responders should prioritize their mental and physical well-being by:

Seeking trauma counseling and joining support groups to process stressful events.
Getting adequate rest and sleep, despite the field’s always-on work culture.
Establishing a self-care routine with activities that promote relaxation and connection with loved ones.
Using work breaks and vacations to replenish physical, mental, and emotional energy.

3. Social Workers

A distressed woman sits at a desk, surrounded by piles of files, highlighting social work as one of the careers with the highest levels of burnout.

Social work is emotionally exhausting, especially in cases involving abuse, neglect, poverty, addiction, and mental health crises. The weight of these responsibilities, combined with high caseloads and limited resources, makes burnout a constant threat. Research shows that 73% of social workers suffer from high emotional exhaustion—a clear sign of how demanding this profession is.

I know many social workers who feel their efforts are never enough. There is always one more child in need, one more family in crisis, and a few extra cases added to their already overwhelming workload. Because they are in a caring profession, walking away guilt-free is rarely an option. The emotional burden, coupled with systemic challenges, often leads to chronic workplace stress, compassion fatigue, and job burnout.

How Social Workers Can Avoid Burnout

A survey found that only 16% of social workers received stress management training, and less than 33% had access to workplace counseling. To help prevent burnout, social workers can:

Accept that you can’t save everyone—prioritizing your own well-being is essential.
Spend time with loved ones and engage in hobbies to recharge emotionally.
Advocate for workplace therapy or seek personal counseling.
Lean on colleagues and mentors when cases become overwhelming.
Push for systemic changes like reduced caseloads and better mental health benefits.

4. Counselors and Therapists

A man sitting at a desk, holding a notepad, showcasing counseling as one of the careers with the highest burnout.

Supporting others through their most difficult moments is at the heart of counseling and therapy, but the emotional weight of the job is relentless. Unlike social workers, who navigate systemic challenges and crisis interventions, counselors and therapists absorb deep emotional struggles daily, making burnout a major concern.

Research shows that between 21% and 67% of mental health practitioners experience burnout, with empathy fatigue—the emotional exhaustion that comes from continuous exposure to clients' trauma—being a leading cause. Over time, this can lead to detachment, decreased effectiveness, and even questioning one’s ability to help others.

I’ve known therapists who feel drained after back-to-back sessions with struggling clients, yet they push forward, carrying the weight of others’ pain. The expectation to always provide emotional support while often neglecting their own mental well-being makes burnout nearly inevitable.

How Counselors and Therapists Can Avoid Burnout

A study by the American Psychological Association found that 45% of psychologists reported feeling burned out, yet many struggle to prioritize their own self-care. If you work in counseling or therapy, these strategies can help:

Recognize the signs of empathy fatigue—emotional exhaustion, detachment, and loss of motivation.
Set emotional boundaries—you can care deeply without internalizing every client’s struggles.
Schedule regular breaks and supervision to process challenging cases.
Seek peer support—colleagues understand the pressures of the field.
Prioritize your own therapy or self-care to maintain resilience.

5. Teachers and Educators

A tired-looking teacher sitting at a desk, holding his head with both hands, illustrating teaching as one of the careers with the highest burnout.

Teaching demands patience, resilience, and an endless reserve of energy. I’ve seen firsthand how overwhelming this career can be without the right safeguards. Educators are expected to engage students, navigate difficult parents, and keep up with ever-changing policies—all while working with limited resources, low pay, and inadequate support.

It’s no surprise that teacher burnout is so common it has its own name—a reflection of just how severe and widespread the issue has become. Teaching was once considered one of the most fulfilling careers, but rising workloads, bureaucratic pressures, and emotional strain have turned it into one of the most burnout-prone professions. A 2022 Gallup poll confirmed this shift, showing that educators experience burnout at higher rates than any other profession in the U.S. workforce.

How Can Teachers Avoid Burnout

Teachers can combat burnout by:

Limiting work to designated school hours to maintain work-life balance.
Utilizing planning periods for high-priority tasks instead of extra duties.
Taking regular breaks and practicing self-care routines to reset.
Collaborating with fellow educators to develop effective teaching methods.
Advocating for systemic changes such as smaller class sizes, mental health days, or additional classroom resources.

6. Fast Food and Retail Workers

A man wearing a white apron holding two receipts in his hands, illustrating retail work as one of the careers with the highest burnout.

Fast food and retail workers are essential to daily life, yet their efforts often go unnoticed. I've met people in these industries whose stories were surprisingly similar—long shifts, unpredictable schedules, and relentless customer interactions that leave them mentally and physically drained.

They face rude customers, demanding workloads, and a lack of support from management, who often expect them to pour their hearts into the job with no extra compensation. The physical and emotional toll of working in a high-stress, low-control environment makes these jobs highly prone to burnout. In 2023, research showed that 55% of retail workers reported experiencing burnout on the job.

How Fast Food and Retail Workers Can Avoid Burnout

Fast food and retail employees can combat burnout by:

Building a support system among co-workers for shared encouragement.
Spending personal time on activities that promote mental health and well-being.
Asking for better working conditions where possible.
Setting clear boundaries with management to avoid overwork.
Seeking growth opportunities within their current role or transitioning to a different career.

7. Lawyers

A man working on his laptop in a dimly lit room, with papers spread across the desk, showcasing legal practice as one of the most burnout-prone careers.

A lawyer once shared that she worked nearly 80 hours a week just to keep up with billable hour targets, outstanding tasks, deadlines, and client demands. That’s the reality for many in private practice. While government lawyers may have a standard 40-hour workweek, those in small firms average 45-55 hours, and big law firms demand grueling 65-80-hour weeks.

The combination of excessive hours, heavy caseloads, tight deadlines, high-pressure courtroom battles, and a competitive work environment makes the legal profession one of the most burnout-prone careers. Unsurprisingly, the American Bar Association reports that 52% of lawyers experience burnout in their jobs.

How Lawyers Can Avoid Burnout

Law firms can help reduce burnout by:

Offering flexible schedules and reducing billable hour targets.
Providing wellness programs and encouraging mental health support.
Delegating administrative tasks to paralegals and assistants, so lawyers can focus on legal work.

Individual lawyers can protect their well-being by:

Limiting overtime and setting realistic work boundaries.
Prioritizing self-care practices and taking regular breaks.
Exploring government legal work for better work-life balance.

8. Certified Public Accountants

A man wearing spectacles works on his laptop, with a cup of coffee beside him and a heap of files nearby, showcasing public accounting as one of the careers with the highest burnout rates.

Certified Public Accountants may spend most of their work hours quietly crunching numbers behind a desk, but their job is just as stressful as any other—especially during tax season and financial audits.

According to a FloQast and University of Georgia survey, 99% of accountants reported feeling some level of burnout, with 54% experiencing it at or above the average level and 24% admitting to medium-high or high levels of burnout.

CPAs must juggle tight deadlines, complex financial regulations, and intense scrutiny from clients and authorities. The pressure to be precise and error-free is immense, as even small mistakes can have serious financial or legal consequences.

How Certified Public Accountants Can Avoid Burnout

CPAs can reduce burnout by:

Planning ahead for tax seasons and financial audits to manage peak workloads.
Using automation tools to streamline workflows and reduce manual tasks.
Prioritizing short breaks during peak seasons to maintain focus and prevent exhaustion.
Taking a longer vacation after busy periods to fully recover.

9. Project Managers

A man works with three desktop monitors in a dimly lit room, showcasing project management as one of the careers with the highest burnout rates.

If you ask random people to name careers most prone to burnout, most wouldn’t think of project management. However, project managers must constantly juggle deadlines, coordinate teams, handle last-minute changes, and meet stakeholders’ high expectations—all while managing multiple projects at once.

The nature of their job makes burnout almost inevitable if not properly managed. According to LinkedIn's Work Confidence Survey, project management has the highest burnout rate of any career. The combination of tight deadlines, shifting priorities, and high responsibility overload creates a relentless cycle of stress.

How Project Managers Can Avoid Burnout

Project managers can reduce burnout by:

Delegating tasks effectively without micromanaging.
Using project management tools to streamline workflows.
Setting realistic expectations with clients and stakeholders.
Taking breaks between projects to reset and avoid exhaustion.
Maintaining a healthy work-life balance by setting boundaries.

10. Entrepreneurs

We often associate entrepreneurship with success stories like Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and Bill Gates, but we rarely consider the countless unsuccessful entrepreneurs left with nothing but failed dreams. Many see entrepreneurship as the ultimate career freedom—where you set your own hours, answer to no one, and build something meaningful. But the reality is far less glamorous, and it takes a certain kind of person to handle the stressors that come with it.

Research shows that 34.4% of entrepreneurs suffer from burnout and a staggering 87.7% struggle with at least one mental health issue. I’ve met entrepreneurs who started businesses out of pure passion, only to find themselves working 80-hour weeks, stressing over cash flow, and struggling to switch off. When you own your business, work never stops, and your income isn’t guaranteed.

Entrepreneurship demands a lot, and for many, the driven, Type A personality—characterized by perfectionism, high standards, impatience, and workaholism—can make stress harder to manage. While Type A behaviors can drive success in the early stages, they can also fuel burnout. Recognizing these tendencies is key. Entrepreneurs should strive to balance ambition with self-awareness and rest, ensuring that their drive doesn’t come at the cost of their health and well-being.

How Entrepreneurs Can Avoid Burnout

Entrepreneurs can reduce burnout by:

Leaning on their support system—mentors, business partners, fellow entrepreneurs, and loved ones.
Taking regular guilt-free breaks and keeping work separate from personal life.
Trusting their team and delegating tasks instead of trying to do everything alone.
Avoiding micromanagement to reduce unnecessary stress.
Managing perfectionism—recognizing that striving for perfection can lead to burnout, and focusing on progress instead of flawless execution.

11. Construction Workers: The Wear and Tear of a High-Risk Job

A man is seated on a tower crane, gazing downward, symbolizing the high burnout often experienced in construction careers.

Construction workers must often endure long hours, extreme weather conditions, demanding physical labor, and workplace safety risks. The thrill of building something tangible may offset some stress, but the back-breaking work comes with serious consequences for both body and mind.

Although it is last on our list, one study found that the construction industry has the third-highest burnout rate among U.S. employees. The combination of physical exhaustion, unpredictable job sites, and the constant risk of injury leads to both short-term strain and long-term health issues—making burnout a growing concern in this field.

How Construction Workers Can Avoid Burnout

Construction workers can reduce burnout by:

Practicing strength training and prioritizing adequate rest to reduce injury risks.
Implementing all workplace safety protocols to protect physical health.
Taking regular work breaks to prevent exhaustion.
Advocating for fair work conditions to improve job sustainability.
Considering career advancement opportunities in leadership, site management, or training roles for long-term stability.

Protect Your Well-Being, No Matter Your Career

If you're in a high-burnout job, prioritizing your health is crucial to survival. The practical strategies we discussed can help you stay balanced and avoid burnout before it takes a toll.

Burnout isn't limited to these 11 careers. Many demanding professions—business development roles, finance roles, and tech industry roles, for example—also come with high stress levels.

Sometimes, your career isn't the reason for your burnout. It could be toxic company culture, unrealistic expectations, a job personality mismatch, or personal work habits.

Do you struggle to set boundaries, take on too much, or work overtime without rest?

No matter your profession, recognizing burnout early is key. If you're unsure, a burnout test can help you assess your condition and take action. Prioritize your well-being and avoid letting your career consume you.