Military, firefighter, airline pilot most stressful careers in U.S.

Enlisted military personnel tops the list of most stressful careers for 2013 in the United States, according to a new report by CareerCast.com. Military general, firefighter, commercial airline pilot and public relations executive round out the top five.

The report analyzed 200 different professions, measuring work environment, job competitiveness and risk to determine the rankings.

These jobs are the most stressful because soldiers' lives are always at risk, and military officers, firefighters and pilots are responsible for the well-being of others, said CareerCast. Although not a dangerous career, public relations executives need to be able to think and act quickly under stress. The profession lives in the public eye, and landing and keeping a good job is difficult.

On the other end of the spectrum are the least stressful jobs, with university professor at the top of the list.

"The field's high growth opportunities and minimal health risks in a low-stress, pleasant work environment makes the job of university professor the envy of many career professionals," said Tony Lee, publisher, CareerCast.com.

Universities in the United States are expected to add 305,700 adjunct and tenure-track professorial positions by 2020.

Seamstress/tailor earned second place on the least stressful jobs list for its low safety risks, limited physical demands and peaceful work environment. A handful of careers in the medical industry also made the 10 least stressful rankings: medical records technician, medical laboratory technician, audiologist and dietitian.