The Jobs with the Most (and Least) Burnout in 2025

Updated: November 2025

Why This Matters

Burnout isn’t limited to overworked entrepreneurs or corporate execs — it’s a systemic issue across nearly every industry. Understanding which careers face the highest burnout rates (and why) is the first step in protecting your energy and building sustainable systems to prevent it.

If you’re ready to step into your burnout-proof CEO era, start here in the Burnout Hub →

Jobs with the Highest Burnout Rates (2024 – 2025 Data)

1️⃣ Social Workers

Social workers deal with emotional trauma, under-resourcing, and massive caseloads daily. Research shows roughly 73–79% experience elevated emotional exhaustion. Compassion fatigue and systemic underfunding make social work one of the most burnout-prone fields.
📚 Sources: SocialWorker.com 1, SocialWorker.com 2

2️⃣ Emergency Responders & Medical Staff

Paramedics, firefighters, police, nurses, and ER doctors endure long hours and life-or-death pressure. Around 30% of EMTs meet clinical burnout criteria, nearly 50% of firefighters report high burnout, and 88% of emergency physicians show moderate-to-high emotional exhaustion. Constant adrenaline and sleep deprivation destroy nervous-system balance.
📚 Sources: PMC Study, Nova University Study, The Lancet

3️⃣ Creative & Design Professionals

Designers and marketers juggle constant deadlines and subjective feedback. A 2024 Superside survey found 76% of creative leads reported burnout last year. The expectation to deliver nonstop innovation under pressure keeps their nervous systems in overdrive.
📚 Source: Superside Report

4️⃣ Corporate Professionals & Entrepreneurs

Corporate teams face “always-on” cultures. A 2024 SHRM study found 44% of U.S. employees feel burned out. Entrepreneurs mirror that pattern — long hours, blurred boundaries, and no downtime. Without systems, even passion becomes pressure.
📚 Source: WorkLife News

5️⃣ Lawyers

Lawyers log punishing hours under immense stakes. A 2025 Rev.com survey found nearly 80% felt burned out “sometimes,” and 9% said they were constantly burned out. The “work-hard, never-complain” culture fuels emotional depletion.
📚 Source: Rev.com Report

6️⃣ Academic & STEM Professionals

Academia’s “publish or perish” pressure hits both students and faculty. Around 40% of STEM students drop out within four years, often due to stress and burnout. Over 55% of college students report burnout symptoms. Precarious funding and isolation make it worse.
📚 Sources: Inside Higher Ed, Crown Counseling

7️⃣ Journalists

Constant deadlines, low pay, and exposure to trauma create extreme burnout. 70% of local journalists reported work-related burnout, and 72% considered leaving in 2023. Chronic fatigue and cynicism are now standard in the newsroom.
📚 Source: CISLM Survey

8️⃣ Retail & Service Workers

Frontline employees face relentless demands with low control or pay. Roughly 55% report burnout, and 84% show declining mental health. The emotional labor of constant customer interaction drains the system.
📚 Source: Meditopia Report

9️⃣ Military Personnel

Intense training, deployment, and trauma exposure make military burnout a major concern. Some studies show up to 40% experience high burnout, while troops in extreme conditions have reported rates above 90%. Chronic fight-or-flight activation takes its toll.
📚 Sources: PMC Study, Nature Report

🔟 Teachers & Educators

Teachers top Gallup’s burnout rankings—44% report feeling burned out “always” or “very often.” Emotional load, oversized classes, and low pay drive exhaustion, especially post-pandemic.
📚 Source: Gallup Report

Jobs with the Lowest Burnout Rates

While no job is stress-free, these professions tend to have stable hours, predictable routines, and lower emotional load.

• Diagnostic Medical Sonographers: Calm environments, minimal emergencies — ranked the least stressful U.S. job.

• Compliance Officers: Routine work, clear guidelines, and low urgency.

• Hairstylists / Cosmetologists: Creative autonomy and strong client relationships with manageable stress.

• Tenured University Professors: Security, autonomy, and flexible scheduling reduce burnout risk.

• Jewelers / Craft Professionals: Focused, detail-oriented work without constant crisis demands.

📚 Source: CBS News CareerCast Survey

Other low-stress roles often include librarians, audiologists, massage therapists, and medical records techs — jobs offering consistency, autonomy, and healthy boundaries.

What This Means for You

Burnout doesn’t care about your title — it cares about your capacity. Whether you’re a first responder, a founder, or a freelancer, the key is creating systems that regulate your nervous system and sustain your success long-term.

Ready to design work that fuels you instead of drains you? 👉 Check out my Burnout Memberships for Corporate + Entrepreneur Options for burnout management!

FAQs

• What jobs have the highest burnout rates in 2025?

  The most burnout-prone jobs in 2025 include social workers, emergency responders, teachers, healthcare professionals, lawyers, and creatives. These roles involve chronic emotional demand, long hours, and little recovery time — the perfect recipe for nervous-system overload. Frontline workers and first responders still top the list, while creative and corporate professionals are seeing rising burnout due to “always-on” digital work culture.

• Why are teachers and healthcare workers so burned out?

  Both professions combine high emotional labor with low systemic support. Teachers are underpaid, overextended, and emotionally invested in their students. Healthcare workers face trauma, long shifts, and understaffed systems that keep them in constant survival mode. When your nervous system never gets to reset, burnout becomes inevitable.

• What careers have the lowest burnout rates?

  Jobs with predictable schedules, creative autonomy, and fewer life-or-death stakes tend to have the lowest burnout. In 2025, that includes diagnostic medical sonographers, compliance officers, hairstylists, tenured professors, and jewelers. These roles offer more stability, work-life balance, and control over pace — three of the strongest buffers against burnout.

• Is any job truly burnout-proof?

  No job is completely burnout-proof — but your systems can be. Burnout happens when your workload, boundaries, and recovery are out of alignment. By creating nervous-system-friendly routines, automating the repetitive stuff, and setting clear boundaries, you can thrive in even high-pressure careers without crashing.

• How can I prevent burnout in a high-stress career?

  Prevention starts with capacity management — not more motivation. Protect recovery time like a deadline, set digital boundaries, and systemize what drains your focus. Track your energy daily, not just your output. My Burnout-Proof Business program teaches solopreneurs and leaders how to build systems that support ambition without sacrificing health.

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