‘Unhappiest’ Job Sector in America Named in New Study

One industry has taken the crown for the most miserable job sector in the United States, a new study finds.

Known workforce management platform Deputy released its third annual Shift Pulse Report last month, analyzing more than 1.5 million survey results from data collected between April 2024 and April 2025.

The study included a new metric called the Net Happiness Score, which was determined by asking workers to share their personal sentiments about their respective jobs.

Respondents were able to share if they felt “good” or “amazing” about their work or if they were unhappy with their current setup, for one reason or another.

One job sector stood above the rest as the “unhappiest” in America. Results pointed to those working in pharmacies as having the worst Net Happiness Score, with just 13.94 percent of pharmacy workers giving a positive assessment.

The next three on the unhappiest list were those who worked in delivery and postal services, animal health, and medical clinics.

Conversely, the happiest workers were those who worked in tobacco, e-cigarette and marijuana stores. The industry got a phenomenal happiness score of 91.87 percent.

Other job sectors ranking high in the Net Happiness Score were catering businesses, coffee shops and, surprisingly, dental work.

The data also identified the happiest workers by state.

South Carolina, Virginia, and Utah were the top three in that regard. On the other hand, those working in North Dakota, New Mexico and Vermont gave the lowest scores.

However, happiness obviously goes far beyond work and padding one’s bank account. Some studies have debunked one huge myth about man’s pursuit of happiness.

Related: Italian Critics Crown No. 1 Pizza Joint in America

‘Unhappiest’ Job Sector in America Named in New Study first appeared on Men’s Journal on Jul 8, 2025