The 27 most physically active jobs in America

Updated
America's Deadliest Jobs
America's Deadliest Jobs

When you think of the most physically active jobs out there, you might think of professional athletes or construction workers.

But you might be surprised which other jobs get you moving.

To find out, we used data from the Occupational Information Network (O*NET), a US Department of Labor database with detailed information on occupations. We looked at its ratings for five different types of physical activity: dynamic strength, explosive strength, time spent walking or running, stamina, and trunk strength. All are ranked on a scale 1 (low) to 100 (high).

Read on to find out which jobs are the most physically active.

26 (tie). Tire repairers and changers

Overall activeness score: 49.6

What they do: Repair and replace tires.

Top three activity areas:

1. Time spent walking or running

2. Trunk strength

3. Stamina

26 (tie). Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders

Overall activeness score: 49.6

What they do: Set up, operate, or monitor machines that draw thermoplastic or metal materials into bars, hoses, rods, tubes, wire, or other shapes.

Top three activity areas:

1. Time spent walking or running

2. Trunk strength

3. Stamina

25. Terrazzo workers and finishers

Overall activeness score: 49.8

What they do: Apply a mixture of cement, sand, pigment, or marble chips to floors, stairways, and fixtures to create durable and decorative surfaces.

Top three activity areas:

1. Trunk strength

2. Stamina

3. Time spent walking or running

24. Nursery workers

Getty

Overall activeness score: 50

What they do: Cultivate, harvest, and transplant trees, shrubs, or plants.

Top three activity areas:

1. Time spent walking or running

2. Stamina

3. Trunk strength

22 (tie). Drywall and ceiling tile installers

Overall activeness score: 50.4

What they do: Apply plasterboard to ceilings or interior building walls, or apply or mount tiles or blocks, strips, or sheets of shock-absorbing materials to ceilings and walls to reduce sound.

Top three activity areas:

1. Time spent walking or running

2. Trunk strength

3. Stamina

RELATED: The best jobs for a healthy work-life balance

22 (tie). Helpers — roofers

Overall activeness score: 50.4

What they do: Help roofers by taking on tasks that require less skill, like supplying or holding materials or tools and helping to clean the equipment and work space.

Top three activity areas:

1. Trunk strength

2. Time spent walking or running

3. Stamina

20 (tie). Waiters and waitresses

Overall activeness score: 50.6

What they do: Take orders and serve food and drinks to customers in a restaurant, bar, or cafe.

Top three activity areas:

1. Time spent walking or running

2 (tie). Stamina

2 (tie). Trunk strength

20 (tie). Landscaping and groundskeeping workers

Overall activeness score: 50.6

What they do: Landscape property grounds using hand tools or other equipment. Work typically includes things like laying sod, mowing, trimming, planting, watering, fertilizing, digging, raking, and installing sprinklers.

Top three activity areas:

1. Time spent walking or running

2. Trunk strength

3. Stamina

19. Helpers — brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters

Overall activeness score: 50.8

What they do: Help brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, or tile and marble setters by handling tasks that require less skill. They often help use or supply tools or assist with cleaning equipment.

Top three activity areas:

1. Trunk strength

2. Time spent walking or running

3. Dynamic strength and stamina

17 (tie). Roofers

Overall activeness score: 51.4

What they do: Cover roofs with shingles, slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, etc. Roofers may also spray roofs, sidings, and walls with binding and sealing material.

Top three activity areas:

1. Trunk strength

2. Time spent walking or running

3. Stamina

17 (tie). Helpers — installation, maintenance, and repair workers

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Overall activeness score: 51.4

What they do: Help installation, maintenance, and repair workers maintain and repair parts, vehicles, machinery, and electrical equipment. They may also help furnish tools, materials, and supplies to other workers; clean the work area, machines, and tools; and hold materials or tools for other workers.

Top three activity areas:

1. Time spent walking or running

2. Trunk strength

3. Stamina

16. Adhesive bonding machine operators and tenders

Overall activeness score: 51.6

What they do: Operate bonding machines that use adhesives to join pieces of a product, from turning veneer sheets into plywood; gluing paper; or joining rubber and rubberized fabric parts, plastic, simulated leather, or other materials.

Top three activity areas:

1. Time spent walking or running

2. Trunk strength

3. Stamina

RELATED: The 10 most stressful jobs

15. Brickmasons and blockmasons

Overall activeness score: 52.2

What they do: Lay and bind building materials like bricks, tiles, concrete, cinder, glass, and terra-cotta blocks to build or fix things like walls, partitions, arches, and sewers.

Top three activity areas:

1. Trunk strength

2. Dynamic strength

3. Time spent walking or running

14. Choreographers

Overall activeness score: 52.8

What they do: Come up with new dance routines, rehearse performances, or direct shows.

Top three activity areas:

1 (tie). Trunk strength

1 (tie). Stamina

2. Time spent walking or running

13. Construction carpenters

Overall activeness score: 53

What they do: Build and fix wood, plywood, and wallboard structures with carpenter's hand and power tools.

Top three activity areas:

1. Time spent walking or running

2. Trunk strength

3. Stamina

11 (tie). Cement masons and concrete finishers

Overall activeness score: 53.4

What they do: Smooth and finish poured concrete surfaces like floors, walks, sidewalks, roads, or curbs with hand and power tools. Align forms for sidewalks, curbs, or gutters; patch voids; and use saws to cut joints.

Top three activity areas:

1. Time spent walking or running

2. Trunk strength

3. Stamina

11 (tie). Stonemasons

Overall activeness score: 53.4

What they do: Build stone structures like piers and walls, and lay walks, curbstones, or special types of masonry for vats, tanks, and floors.

Top three activity areas:

1. Trunk strength

2. Time spent walking or running

3. Stamina

10. Manufactured building and mobile home installers

Overall activeness score: 53.6

What they do: Move or set up mobile homes or premade buildings.

Top three activity areas:

1. Trunk strength

2. Stamina

3. Time spent walking or running

9. Correctional officers and jailers

Overall activeness score: 54.4

What they do: Guard inmates in accordance with established laws, sometimes as they transit between jail, courtroom, prison, or other places. Includes deputy sheriffs and police who spend the majority of their time guarding prisoners in institutions.

Top three activity areas:

1. Stamina

2. Time spent walking or running

3. Explosive strength

8. Fallers

Overall activeness score: 54.8

What they do: Use axes or chainsaws to cut down trees and minimize damage.

Top three activity areas:

1. Time spent walking or running

2 (tie). Stamina

2 (tie). Trunk strength

7. Athletes and sports competitors

Reuters

Overall activeness score: 55.2

What they do: Compete in athletic events.

Top three activity areas:

1. Stamina

2. Dynamic strength

3. Explosive and trunk strength

6. Fence erectors

Overall activeness score: 55.4

What they do: Build and fix fences and gates with hand and power tools.

Top three activity areas:

1. Time spent walking or running

2 (tie). Dynamic strength

2 (tie). Stamina and trunk strength

5. Forest firefighters

REUTERS

Overall activeness score: 55.6

What they do: Control and put out fires in forests or empty public land.

Top three activity areas:

1 (tie). Stamina

1 (tie). Trunk strength

2. Time spent walking or running

4. Reinforcing iron and rebar workers

Overall activeness score: 57.6

What they do: Set up and secure steel bars or mesh in concrete forms to reinforce concrete using tools like fasteners, rod-bending machines, blowtorches, and hand tools.

Top three activity areas:

1 (tie). Time spent walking or running

1 (tie). Trunk strength

2. Stamina

3. Structural iron and steel workers

REUTERS

Overall activeness score: 60

What they do: Raise, place, and bring together iron or steel girders, columns, and other structural parts to make completed structures. Some iron and steel workers also build metal storage tanks and assemble premade metal buildings.

Top three activity areas:

1. Trunk strength

2. Time spent walking or running

3. Drynamic strength

2. Fitness trainers and aerobics instructors

Overall activeness score: 62

What they do: Guide exercise activities for groups or individuals. Demonstrate proper form and techniques, watch participants, and help teach them how to improve their skills.

Top three activity areas:

1. Stamina

2. Trunk strength

3. Dynamic strength

1. Dancers

Overall activeness score: 75.2

What they do: Dance on stage, for on-air broadcasting, or for videos.

Top three activity areas:

1. Time spent walking or running

2. Stamina

2 (tie). Dynamic strength and trunk strength

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