Work-related stress in the United States has evolved into a widespread epidemic, no longer limited to stereotypically high-pressure professions. As the nation approaches 2026, comprehensive research indicates that chronic strain is now a common feature across various sectors, primarily fuelled by systemic organisational flaws rather than individual job roles.
How the Stress Rankings Were Calculated
To pinpoint where this pressure is most intense, researchers from Welltory, a stress management application, conducted a detailed analysis of major US industries throughout 2025. Moving beyond simple employee surveys, the study employed seven concrete labour and health metrics to gauge structural stress. These factors included:
- Average weekly working hours
- Job opening rates
- Workplace injury and illness rates
- Average weekly earnings
- Layoff and discharge rates
- Employee quit rates
- Reported worker burnout
Each metric was standardised using a min-max normalisation technique, allowing for a fair comparison between different fields. Industries were subsequently assigned a score out of one hundred, with a higher number signifying greater exposure to stress factors.
The Top 10 Most Stressful US Industries
The resulting list highlights sectors where stress is an ingrained, everyday reality. Here are the ten industries where workers face the highest structural pressure:
1. Leisure and Hospitality (Score: 66): Topping the list, this sector grapples with irregular schedules, constant customer interaction, persistent staffing shortages, and relatively lower pay. The instability of work hours and the emotional toll of service roles are key drivers.
2. Professional and Business Services (Score: 56): Encompassing consulting, legal services, and administrative support, this industry is marked by extended work hours, intense client expectations, and significant performance pressure.
3. Transportation and Warehousing (Score: 53): Labour shortages, the physical nature of the work, and the relentless pressure of time-sensitive logistics and delivery schedules create sustained strain for employees.
4. Mining and Logging (Score: 50): Despite offering higher wages, this sector's high risk of injury, physically demanding environments, and often remote work locations contribute to elevated stress levels.
5. Private Education and Health Services (Score: 46): Both teachers and healthcare workers contend with overwhelming workloads, deep emotional strain, and critical staffing gaps that amplify daily pressure.
6. Information (Score: 43): Professionals in media, telecom, and technology face stress stemming from long hours, pervasive job insecurity, and the breakneck pace of industry change.
7. Construction (Score: 43): Physical danger on sites, projects driven by tight deadlines, and unpredictable employment patterns combine to raise stress in this field.
8. Retail Trade (Score: 42): Retail workers experience consistent strain from difficult customer interactions, unpredictable shift patterns, and lower-than-average earnings.
9. Utilities (Score: 42): The weight of maintaining critical infrastructure, coupled with significant safety risks—especially during emergencies or peak demand—defines the stress profile in utilities.
A Systemic Challenge for the Future
The collective data paints a clear picture: the most stressful industries are those where long hours, labour shortages, high injury risk, and limited opportunity for recovery have become the norm. This analysis suggests that stress is not a personal failing but a design flaw in modern work organisation.
For millions of Americans in these top ten sectors, stress is a permanent fixture, not a passing phase. It is woven into the very fabric of their work systems. As the United States workforce moves into 2026, this entrenched structural stress threatens to define the future of work unless fundamental changes are made to workload design, staffing models, and workplace support.
