For many people, spending their days inside an office building at a 9-to-5 job is an insufferable routine. Luckily, there are plenty of jobs available for those who love to be outdoors.
Using the most recent data from O*NET, an occupational database sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor, CareerTrends found the 25 most outdoorsy jobs. We also used the most recent wage data from the Foreign Labor Certification Data Center and most recent employment data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which were released in June 2015 and May 2014, respectively.
To make this list, we relied on results from O*NET surveys sent out to employers. The two survey questions we focused on were: “How often does this job require working outdoors, exposed to all weather conditions?” and “How often does this job require working outdoors, under cover (e.g. structure with roof but no walls)?” Each question is scored on a scale from 1 to 5. The occupations on this list are the ones with the highest combined score from the responses to these two survey questions, forming the job’s “Outdoorsy Rating.”
The FLCDC uses four categorizations for experience level: entry level, qualified, experienced and fully competent. Experienced workers typically have three years or more of experience in their careers and require less on-the-job supervision than entry level or qualified workers. We listed each job’s experienced-level salary in addition to its total employment.
Some of these careers — such as agricultural equipment operators and animals breeders — are in the farming category, but there is a wide array of other categories available for those with no interest in farming.
Note: In the event of ties, in which two jobs have the same Outdoorsy Rating, the job with the highest total employment was ranked higher.
#25. Farm Equipment Mechanics
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.24
Total employment: 35,320
Experienced salary: $36,946
Job description: Diagnose, adjust, repair or overhaul farm machinery and vehicles, such as tractors, harvesters, dairy equipment and irrigation systems.
#24. Paramedics
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.24
Total employment: 235,760
Experienced salary: $33,742
Job description: Assess injuries, administer emergency medical care and extricate trapped individuals. Transport injured or sick persons to medical facilities.
#23. Wind Turbine Service Technicians
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.26
Total employment: 3,710
Experienced salary: $51,542
Job description: Inspect, diagnose, adjust or repair wind turbines. Perform maintenance on wind turbine equipment, including resolving electrical, mechanical and hydraulic malfunctions.
#22. Ship Loaders
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.27
Total employment: 12,490
Experienced salary: $41,550
Job description: Load and unload chemicals and bulk solids, such as coal, sand and grain into or from tank cars, trucks or ships using material moving equipment. May perform a variety of other tasks relating to shipment of products.
#21. Geothermal Technicians
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.3
Total employment: 138,460
Experienced salary: $39,405
Job description: Perform technical activities at power plants or individual installations necessary for the generation of power from geothermal energy sources. Monitor and control operating activities at geothermal power generation facilities and perform maintenance and repairs as necessary. Install, test and maintain residential and commercial geothermal heat pumps.
#20. Motorboat Operators
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.35
Total employment: 4,060
Experienced salary: $40,971
Job description: Operate small motor-driven boats. May assist in navigational activities.
#19. Powerhouse Equipment Installers
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.35
Total employment: 22,120
Experienced salary: $70,287
Job description: Inspect, test, repair or maintain electrical equipment in generating stations, substations and in-service relays.
#18. Bus & Truck Mechanics
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.36
Total employment: 243,080
Experienced salary: $42,277
Job description: Diagnose, adjust, repair or overhaul buses and trucks, or maintain and repair any type of diesel engines. Includes mechanics working primarily with automobile or marine diesel engines.
#17. Aquacultural Managers
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.39
Total employment: 4,300
Experienced salary: $70,091
Job description: Direct and coordinate, through subordinate supervisory personnel, activities of workers engaged in fish hatchery production for corporations, cooperatives or other owners.
#16. Gas Station Operators
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.4
Total employment: 4,700
Experienced salary: $56,593
Job description: Operate steam, gas, electric motor or internal combustion engine driven compressors. Transmit, compress or recover gases, such as butane, nitrogen, hydrogen and natural gas.
#15. Refrigeration Mechanics
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.46
Total employment: 261,390
Experienced salary: $43,704
Job description: Install and repair industrial and commercial refrigerating systems.
#14. Biomass Plant Technicians
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.47
Total employment: 11,610
Experienced salary: $53,633
Job description: Control and monitor biomass plant activities and perform maintenance as needed.
#13. Mechanical Door Repairers
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.5
Total employment: 17,220
Experienced salary: $37,978
Job description: Install, service or repair automatic door mechanisms and hydraulic doors. Includes garage door mechanics.
#12. Glaziers
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.56
Total employment: 42,820
Experienced salary: $40,664
Job description: Install glass in windows, skylights, store fronts and display cases, or on surfaces, such as building fronts, interior walls, ceilings and tabletops.
#11. Agricultural Equipment Operators
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.57
Total employment: 26,100
Experienced salary: $29,591
Job description: Drive and control farm equipment to till soil and to plant, cultivate and harvest crops. May perform tasks, such as crop baling or hay bucking. May operate stationary equipment to perform post-harvest tasks, such as husking, shelling, threshing and ginning.
#10. Petroleum Pump Operators
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.57
Total employment: 41,700
Experienced salary: $57,763
Job description: Operate or control petroleum refining or processing units. May specialize in controlling manifold and pumping systems, gauging or testing oil in storage tanks, or regulating the flow of oil into pipelines.
#9. Automotive Glass Repairers
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.61
Total employment: 15,670
Experienced salary: $33,651
Job description: Replace or repair broken windshields and window glass in motor vehicles.
#8. Insulation Workers
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.63
Total employment: 24,180
Experienced salary: $36,483
Job description: Line and cover structures with insulating materials. May work with batt, roll or blown insulation materials.
#7. Animal Breeders
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.67
Total employment: 1,110
Experienced salary: $42,588
Job description: Select and breed animals according to their genealogy, characteristics and offspring. May require knowledge of artificial insemination techniques and equipment use. May involve keeping records on heats, birth intervals or pedigree.
#6. Building Inspectors
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.67
Total employment: 88,410
Experienced salary: $52,062
Job description: Inspect structures using engineering skills to determine structural soundness and compliance with specifications, building codes and other regulations. Inspections may be general in nature or may be limited to a specific area, such as electrical systems or plumbing.
#5. Oil Drill Operators
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.68
Total employment: 26,480
Experienced salary: $55,066
Job description: Set up or operate a variety of drills to remove underground oil and gas, or remove core samples for testing during oil and gas exploration.
#4. Greenhouse Managers
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.75
Total employment: 4,300
Experienced salary: $70,091
Job description: Plan, organize, direct, control and coordinate activities of workers engaged in propagating, cultivating and harvesting horticultural specialties, such as trees, shrubs, flowers, mushrooms and other plants.
#3. Pump Operators
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.82
Total employment: 12,170
Experienced salary: $44,904
Job description: Tend, control or operate power-driven, stationary or portable pumps and manifold systems to transfer gases, oil, other liquids, slurries or powdered materials to and from various vessels and processes.
#2. Farm and Ranch Managers
Outdoorsy Rating: 8.89
Total employment: 4,300
Experienced salary: $70,091
Job description: Plan, direct or coordinate the management or operation of farms, ranches, greenhouses, aquacultural operations, nurseries, timber tracts or other agricultural establishments. May hire, train or supervise farm workers or contract for services to carry out the day-to-day activities of the managed operation. May engage in or supervise planting, cultivating, harvesting, financial or marketing activities.
#1. Sailors
Outdoorsy Rating: 9.41
Total employment: 27,640
Experienced salary: $37,622
Job description: Stand watch to look for obstructions in path of vessel, measure water depth, turn wheel on bridge or use emergency equipment as directed by captain, mate or pilot. Break out, rig, overhaul and store cargo-handling gear, stationary rigging and running gear. Perform a variety of maintenance tasks to preserve the painted surface of the ship and to maintain line and ship equipment.
