--- title: 16 High-Paying Jobs With the Best Work-Life Balance description: People with the following professions report typically working an average of less than 40 hours a week and earning at least $60,000 a year. canonical: https://time.com/4977855/16-high-paying-jobs-work-life-balance/ author: Business Insider article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-10-11T16:41:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-04-13T08:57:57.946Z og:title: 16 High-Paying Jobs That Won't Overwork You og:description: People in these professions work an average of less than 40 hours per week og:url: https://time.com/4977855/16-high-paying-jobs-work-life-balance/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1b5fcffe237ec56d/6988e17b656a3fd701bd20b9/dentist-high-paying-jobs.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Dentist doing dental examination og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 16 High-Paying Jobs That Won't Overwork You twitter:description: People in these professions work an average of less than 40 hours per week twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1b5fcffe237ec56d/6988e17b656a3fd701bd20b9/dentist-high-paying-jobs.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 16 High-Paying Jobs That Won't Overwork You by [Rachel Gillett and Andy Kiersz / Business Insider](https://time.com/author/business-insider/) ## Rachel Gillett and Andy Kiersz / Business Insider Oct 11, 2017 4:41 PM UTC  Dentist doing dental Dentist doing dentalGetty Images by [Rachel Gillett and Andy Kiersz / Business Insider](https://time.com/author/business-insider/) ## Rachel Gillett and Andy Kiersz / Business Insider Oct 11, 2017 4:41 PM UTC [Putting in more than 40 hours a week](http://www.businessinsider.com/working-more-than-40-hours-a-week-2015-5) is becoming something of the norm in the US for a number of jobs, with some occupations putting in an average of almost 60 hours a week. As a result, more Americans are feeling [overworked](http://www.businessinsider.com/best-kind-of-job-for-parents-2017-9). To find jobs that allow you to maintain [work-life balance](http://www.businessinsider.com/mike-gamson-linkedin-work-life-balance-2017-4) but still get paid well, we analyzed US Census data for about 478 occupations from the Minnesota Population Center’s 2015 American Community Survey [Integrated Public Use Microdata Series](https://usa.ipums.org/usa/). Based on that survey data, the average American works close to 40 hours a week and has a total income — a combination of salary, business, and any other form of money earned in a year — of about $52,293. While some people with these jobs may work more or less than the average depending on their employer or where they are in their career, people with the following professions report typically working an average of less than 40 hours a week and earning at least $60,000 a year, on average: ### 16\. Judicial law clerks They assist judges in court or by conducting research or preparing legal documents. **Average hours typically worked a week:** 39.8 **Average earned income:** $60,230 **_Read more:_** [_The 25 best jobs in America right now_](http://www.businessinsider.com/best-jobs-in-america-in-2017-2017-1) ### 15\. Speech language pathologists They assess and treat persons with speech, language, voice, and fluency disorders. **Average hours typically worked a week:** 36.6 **Average earned income:** $60,326 ### 14\. Occupational therapists They provide rehabilitative treatments and procedures that help build or restore vocational, homemaking, and daily living skills. **Average hours typically worked a week:** 36.4 **Average earned income:** $61,441 ### 13\. Fundraisers They organize activities to raise funds or otherwise solicit and gather monetary donations or other gifts for an organization. **Average hours typically worked a week:** 38.9 **Average earned income:** $62,543 ### 12\. Registered nurses They assess patient health problems and needs, develop and implement nursing-care plans, and maintain medical records. **Average hours typically worked a week:** 37.8 **Average earned income:** $63,295 ### 11\. Writers and authors They prepare written material like scripts, stories, advertisements, and other material. **Average hours typically worked a week:** 35.7 **Average earned income:** $65,298 ### 10\. Postsecondary teachers They instruct students in a wide variety of academic and career and technical subjects beyond the high school level. **Average hours typically worked a week:** 37.5 **Average earned income:** $65,946 **_Read more:_** [_The 15 best states to find a job in 2017_](http://www.businessinsider.com/best-states-for-job-seekers-2017-9) ### 9\. Physical therapists They assess, plan, organize, and participate in rehabilitative programs that improve mobility, relieve pain, increase strength, and improve or correct disabling conditions resulting from disease or injury. **Average hours typically worked a week:** 38.1 **Average earned income:** $70,487 ### 8\. Technical writers They write technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions. **Average hours typically worked a week:** 39.4 **Average earned income:** $70,890 ### 7\. Radiation therapists They provide radiation therapy to patients as prescribed by a radiologist according to established practices and standards. **Average hours typically worked a week:** 37.9 **Average earned income:** $72,077 ### 6\. Audiologists They assess and treat persons with hearing and related disorders. **Average hours typically worked a week:** 38.0 **Average earned income:** $77,925 ### 5\. Psychologists They diagnose or evaluate mental and emotional disorders of individuals through observations, interviews, and psychological tests and formulate and administer programs of treatment. **Average hours typically worked a week:** 37.4 **Average earned income:** $81,837 ### 4\. Chiropractors They assess, treat, and care for patients by manipulation of spine and musculoskeletal system. **Average hours typically worked a week:** 39.7 **Average earned income:** $92,008 ### 3\. Pharmacists They dispense drugs prescribed by physicians and other health practitioners and provide information to patients about medications and their use. **Average hours typically worked a week:** 37.7 **Average earned income:** $103,711 **_Read more:_** [_4 things you need to do to secure a job abroad_](http://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-a-job-abroad-2017-9) ### 2\. Optometrists They diagnose, manage, and treat conditions and diseases of the human eye and visual system. **Average hours typically worked a week:** 39.3 **Average earned income:** $120,958 ### 1\. Dentists They examine, diagnose, and treat diseases, injuries, and malformations of teeth and gums. **Average hours typically worked a week:** 38.7 **Average earned income:** $188,151 _This_ [_article_](http://www.businessinsider.com/high-paying-jobs-work-less-than-40-hours-a-week-2017-10/) _originally appeared on_ [_BusinessInsider.com_](http://www.businessinsider.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4977855/16-high-paying-jobs-work-life-balance/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4977855/16-high-paying-jobs-work-life-balance/"},"headline":"16 High-Paying Jobs That Won't Overwork You","datePublished":"2017-10-11T16:41:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T08:57:57.946Z","description":"People in these professions work an average of less than 40 hours per week","url":"https://time.com/4977855/16-high-paying-jobs-work-life-balance/","keywords":["Living","Careers","onetime","bi","Evergreen"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1b5fcffe237ec56d/6988e17b656a3fd701bd20b9/dentist-high-paying-jobs.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Rachel Gillett and Andy Kiersz / Business Insider"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt1b5fcffe237ec56d/6988e17b656a3fd701bd20b9/dentist-high-paying-jobs.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Dentist doing dental examination","caption":"Dentist doing dental examination","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-living/","name":"Living"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4977855/16-high-paying-jobs-work-life-balance/","name":"16 High-Paying Jobs That Won't Overwork You"}}]}] ```