Study Says Teachers Are The Most Stressed-Out Workers In America
Many people feel like they are teetering on the brink of burnout at their jobs. You have someone frantically trying to close a deal before a deadline, another person from IT battling a system malfunction that’s been going on for days, and a worker barely remembering what the weekend feels like because they’re always working. But who are the most stressed-out workers?
A new report reveals that the most stressed-out workers in the country are not firefighters or police officers, but rather our nation’s educators.
The Most Stressed-Out Workers
According to a national survey by the RAND Corporation, teachers work longer hours and earn less than their peers in other fields, experiencing job-related stress or burnout at twice the rate of other workers. In 2023-24, 59% of teachers reported frequent job-related stress, compared to 33% of similar working adults. Additionally, 19% of teachers showed symptoms of depression, compared to 12% of their counterparts.
However, burnout showed the most difference, with 60% of teachers reporting burnout compared to 33% of their counterparts.
Despite the high-stress nature of their work, the survey found that teachers were not more likely to leave their jobs than workers in other fields. Overall, 22% of teachers expressed a desire to leave their current job, while 24% of adults in other sectors reported the same.
According to the National Education Association, even with record-level increases in some states, average teacher pay has failed to keep up with inflation over the past decade. Adjusted for inflation, on average, teachers are making 5% less than they did 10 years ago.
The top three workplace stressors highlighted by respondents were managing student behavior, administrative work, and low salaries.
Overall, only 36% of teachers described their pay as being adequate, while 51% of comparable workers did.
The report from RAND was completed in January 2024. It included responses from 1,500 K-12 teachers and 500 comparable employees, described as adults with a bachelor’s degree working at least 35 hours per week in other industries.
A Teachers Take
There’s a thread on Reddit full of teachers sharing their stressors from the job. “During my first year I wanted to quit almost everyday,” someone said. Another person said, “teaching is an incredible demanding and taxing job emotionally. The amount of split second decision making that you go through in a day can literally numb your brain.”
Several people mentioned while it is a stressful job, it can be rewarding. One person wrote, “I have mostly positive experiences with the students. There are always bad days but I try to reset begin anew the next day.”
Take a look at the complete study breakdown here.
