These Jobs Made Americans The Happiest—And Unhappiest In 2024, According To Data
It's said that working a job you love means you'll never have to work a day in your life. As true as this may be, Americans aren't always thrilled every day they go to work. Let's explore the jobs that made Americans the happiest—and unhappiest—last year.
Real Estate Agent
Real estate agents topped the list of the happiest workers in America in 2024. Perhaps it's the work-from-home nature of different parts of the position of a real estate agent or the fulfillment that comes with helping someone find their dream home. In any case, real estate agents were the happiest workers in America last year, with 4.25 out of 5 stars.
Carpenter
Making something out of nothing, isn't that just the coolest thing? While carpenters come in many forms and can specialize in anything from wood art to framing a house, there's no better smell than freshly cut lumber. Carpenters who work for themselves enjoy a relatively flexible schedule and are paid an average of $25 an hour, with an average annual salary of $56,000. Carpenters had an average employee happiness rating of 3.95 out of 5 stars.
Software Developer
Software developers also ranked high on the happiness index. Despite the emergence of artificial intelligence, work-from-home flexibility and job security are relatively high. Software development can be an incredibly lucrative career that doesn't necessarily require a degree. FATHOM, a software company, is ranked among the best employers in America. Software developers gave their jobs a 3.86-star rating out of 5.
Designer
Designers are incredibly creative people who use their creative brains to design houses, clothing items, graphics, and more. With all of the industry that began a serious reinvigoration in 2024, it's no wonder designers were happy! They ranked their career satisfaction at 3.83 stars out of 5.
Fitness Instructor
Helping others get fit while maintaining your fitness level is a fantastic career option. Fulfilling emotionally, physically, and financially, fitness instructors were among 2024's happiest workers. Whether you're a fitness instructor hired by a gym or run your own business, you could make an average of $46,000 per year. In 2024, fitness instructors ranked their job satisfaction at 3.81 out of 5 stars.
Firefighter
According to data, one of the most dangerous jobs in America also yields one of the highest career satisfaction ratings. Whether it's the camaraderie you form with fellow firefighters, the adrenaline rush, or the satisfaction of saving lives and property, firefighters surprisingly ranked charging into a burning building pretty high in career satisfaction. This dangerous job received a 3.78 star rating out of 5.
Secretary
You may think secretarial jobs are menial and boring, but secretaries are surprisingly happy. Some secretaries can enjoy the flexibility of working from home, while others have to go into the office but enjoy their work environment. The average salary for a secretary is about $45,000. They gave their job satisfaction ranking of 3.72 out of 5 stars.
IT Support
"Have you tried turning it off and on again?" Perhaps this question explains why IT support is fairly low on our list of the happiest jobs in the US. Tech support professionals can also work from home and have good upward career mobility. They are also very high earners, with an average annual salary of over $100,000. In 2024, they ranked their job satisfaction at 3.71 out of 5 stars.
Logistics Manager
Managing logistics for large-scale companies and corporations is a very difficult task. Logistical mistakes can cost companies millions of dollars. Logistics managers in 2024 were second-last in the happiest employees list of 2024 but on par with IT support, rating their job satisfaction at 3.71 out of 5 stars.
What Jobs Made Americans The Unhappiest In 2024?
We've all had a job we didn't particularly like. However, these jobs from 2024 were the ones that made Americans the most unhappy. Do you work in any of these jobs? What was your 2024 like?
Mail Carrier
2024 was a miserable year for mail carriers worldwide—the Canadians even went on strike for over four weeks! In the United States, mail carriers were among the unhappiest workers. Perhaps that's because they're up before the sun and have to work in all conditions. Mail carriers rated their careers 2.83 out of 5 stars.
Pharmacist
Another surprising entry into the "Unhappiest Jobs" category of 2025 is pharmacists. Despite their highly specialized knowledge and career choices that help make people better when unwell, pharmacists weren't happy bunnies in 2024. They ranked their job satisfaction at just 2.97 out of 5 stars.
Security Guard
Security guards earn a bad rep as "rent-a-cops" or another disparaging name. But, these people work long hours and often either succumb to a relatively boring shift in the middle of the night or are placed in a dangerous situation without proper training or defensive equipment. For that reason, security guards rank their job satisfaction at just 3.03 out of 5 stars.
Paramedic
Paramedics aren't among the least satisfied workers in America, but their job satisfaction isn't where you'd imagine it to be, either. The long hours, understaffing, and dangerous situations they sometimes encounter may have contributed to their unhappiness. Again, despite a rewarding career in saving lives, paramedics only rank their job satisfaction at 3.10 out of 5 stars.
Hairdresser
Maybe hairdressers aren't happy because of the fickleness of their clients, or that clients will sometimes cancel at the last minute. Or that people complain about the cost of getting their hair cut. In any case, hairdressers aren't the happiest folks in America, either. They rank their job satisfaction at 3.11 out of 5 stars.
Baker
We've all overbaked cookies occasionally, but perhaps it's not the occasional over/underbake causing bakers turning bakers off from the mouthwatering smell of fresh bread. Every single day. I digress; bakers might not be happy with their jobs for a variety of reasons—the long hours, including at ungodly hours of the morning when nobody should be awake, the relatively poor pay, and the toll that long-term baking can take on your body. Bakers only rank their job satisfaction at 3.15 out of 5 stars.
Secondary School Teacher
Who wouldn't be overwhelmed by dealing with a pile of unruly teenagers for 8-10 hours a day? Teachers are absolute saints, but we understand that life can be tough for secondary school teachers. This is particularly true if they have to buy their own school supplies (as many do) or if school boards make decisions that make it difficult for teachers to do what they're best at—teaching. Unfortunately, secondary school teachers rank their job satisfaction at just 3.16 out of 5 stars.
Personal Trainer
Personal trainers are also among America's least happy workers. Despite helping others better themselves, perhaps they suffer from the same problem hairdressers do—cancellations run amok. Whether self-employed or working for a company, personal trainers rate their job satisfaction at 3.17 out of 5 stars.
Barber
Barbers were among the professions that suffered a major blow during the COVID years and have been struggling to recover. While many barbers are transitioning to an on-the-go barber shop, they're still not the happiest—though slightly happier than personal trainers. Barbers rank their job satisfaction at 3.18 out of 5 stars.
Hair Stylist
Haircutters and shapers took a hit in 2024. Hair stylists, like barbers and hairdressers, are also rather unhappy in their jobs. Whether because of client cancellations, the ever-skyrocketing commercial rent prices, or just the general economic situation in the US, hair stylists have ranked their professional happiness at 3.21 out of 5 stars.
Doctors Were The Unhappiest Of The Happy Professions In 2024
One of the most surprising additions to our list is that physicians were among the unhappiest of the top 10 in job satisfaction in the US in 2024. Despite their high pay rate (an average of $352,000 per year) and rewarding career in saving lives, physicians were among the unhappiest of the unhappy, ranking their job satisfaction at a surprising 3.69 out of 5 stars.
Do you work as any of the above professions? How would you rank your job satisfaction out of five stars? Let us know in the comments below!
