📺 Stream EntrepreneurTV for Free 📺

From Entrepreneurs to Freelancers, Who Are the Happiest or Most Stressed? Every job type comes with its own set of positives and negatives.

By Rose Leadem

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Maskot | Getty Images

Jobs can be rollercoasters: one minute you're stressed out then the next you're happily trucking along.

Insurance website Insurance Quotes recently surveyed more than 1,000 working Americans across different career types and generations to uncover how they feel about their work. The study compared the feelings of people by employment type, including freelancers, self-employed workers, salaried employees, hourly employees and people who have a base pay plus tips.

Related: 3 Strategies for Hacking Happiness

From work-life balance to job security, different career paths have different negatives and positives. Here are some facts about how people in different job types feel about their work.

Hero Images | Getty Images

Self-employed workers are the happiest.

Turns out people enjoy being their own boss. Entrepreneurs and other self-employed workers are some of the happiest working Americans today. On a scale of 1 to 7, self-employed scored 5.4 on the happiness spectrum, placing them above salaried and hourly workers.

Hero Images | Getty Images

Freelancers are the most stressed out.

Out of all employment types, freelancers are far more stressed than other workers -- even the self-employed. According to the survey, almost all freelancers (92.9 percent) said they were unhappy about the stress their jobs bring. However, all of the surveyed freelancers said they were happy with their job's flexibility.

Thomas Barwick | Getty Images

Base-pay-plus-tip earners say co-workers are one of the worst aspects of their jobs.

Bad co-workers can be a nightmare. And employees who earn a base pay plus tip say that their co-workers are one of the worst aspects of their job. In fact, nearly two-thirds said their co-workers made them unhappy.

Related: 5 Ways to Make Your Employees Happier and More Productive

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc | Getty Images

People with multiple jobs are slightly happier than people with only one.

Today, more and more people are juggling multiple jobs -- in fact, approximately 7.6 million Americans do, according to Bureau of Labor statistics. Overall, when it comes to most job aspects such as flexibility, work environment, responsibilities and stress, people who have more than one job are happier. However, people with more than one job are more negative when it comes to work-life balance and pay rate.

Dejan Kolar | Getty Images

Workers with multiple jobs are worried about paying for medical costs.

When it comes to affording a medical checkup or medical emergencies, people with multiple jobs are not as confident than people with one in their ability to pay for these events. Sixty-six percent of people with one job say they are comfortable paying for routine medical checkups, while only 58 percent of workers with multiple jobs said this.

PeopleImages | Getty Images

Workers with one job are more comfortable growing a family and saving for retirement.

People who only have one job were found to be more confident in their finances when it came to growing or starting a family and saving for retirement. Only one in four workers with multiple jobs felt comfortably about growing a family, while 34 percent of people who only work one job said so.

Hero Images | Getty Images

Most freelancing baby boomers have more than one job.

Across generations, baby boomers who are either self-employed or freelancing are most likely working two jobs. Compared to millennials and gen Xers, twice as many freelancing baby boomers have more than one job at a time.

Related: 10 Horrible Habits That Destroy Your Happiness

Thomas Barwick | Getty Images

Gen Xers make the most from their second jobs.

Compared to other generations of workers who carry multiple jobs, gen Xers are bringing in the most weekly income from their side hustles. Twenty-one percent of these gen Xers are bringing in $300 or more every week, while only 13 percent of millennials and 18 percent of boomers bring in this much.

Rose Leadem is a freelance writer for Entrepreneur.com. 

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Thought Leaders

It's the End of the Entrepreneurial Era As We Know It

With the rise of advanced technologies and AI, are we losing all sense of the independent business person and entrepreneur?

Business News

These 4 Words Make It Obvious You Used AI to Write a Paper, According to New Research

Scientists are increasingly using ChatGPT and other AI bots to write studies.

Science & Technology

Exploring How Virtual Reality is Changing Startups

Virtual reality's immersive environment is where startup marketing is headed, and early adopters will be the ones who profit.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Side Hustle

He Started a Luxury Side Hustle at Age 13 — Now the Business Earns More Than $10 Million a Year: 'People Want to Help You When You're Young'

Michael Morgan, now the owner of Iconic Watch Company, always had a passion for "old things" — and he turned it into a lucrative venture.

Business News

'They're Scared': PNC Arena Bans New York Residents From Purchasing Tickets Ahead of Rangers, Hurricanes NHL Playoff Matchup

The two teams will face off in Game 1 of the second round of the Eastern Conference fight for the Stanley Cup.