37 jobs that are great for people who love the outdoors

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37 jobs that are great for people who love the outdoors
  • Not all jobs require you to sit at a desk all day, and there are plenty of careers where employees do most of their work outside.
  • We took a look at which occupations are best suited for those who want to be outdoors for much of the workday, using data from the US Labor Department's Occupational Information Network.
  • Crossing guards, farmers, and several occupations in the oil and gas industry made the list.

Summer is in full swing, and while many people are taking advantage of the sunny weather at beaches and social distancing with friends outside as the novel coronavirus pandemic continues, some workers are out in the sun in jobs that require working outdoors full-time, year-round.

Business Insider decided to take a closer look at which occupations spend the most time outside and how much they earn.

The Department of Labor's Occupational Information Network (O*NET) collects and scores occupations based on the importance or frequency of different work activities, contexts, values, and styles. We used O*NET's work context scores for being outdoors to find out which occupations do most of their work outside. Higher values indicate a larger share of time at work spent outdoors, with 100 meaning working outside every day and zero meaning never working outside.

13 jobs on the list require being outside daily, indicated in the data with the maximum score of 100. Crossing guards were one of these occupations, and workers in this job make an average of $32,920 per year, according to May 2019 figures from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the most recent data available.

Read on to find out the 37 jobs that require being outside the most, along with their average annual salaries from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and what they do according to O*NET. When there were ties in the outdoor scores, we ranked the occupations based on which job had the higher salary.

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37. Emergency medical technicians and paramedics

37. Emergency medical technicians and paramedics
Joerg Koch / Stringer / Getty Images

Outdoor score: 96

Average annual salary: $38,830

What they do, according to O*NET: Assess injuries, administer emergency medical care, and extricate trapped individuals.

36. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

36. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
A bulldozer moves coal at the Murray Energy Corporation port facility in Powhatan Point, Ohio Reuters

Outdoor score: 96

Average annual salary: $54,210

What they do, according to O*NET: Operate one or several types of power construction equipment to excavate, move, and grade earth, erect structures, or pour concrete or other hard surface pavement.

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35. Telecommunications line installers and repairers

35. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
Workers fix a power line in Puerto Rico after an earthquake Marco Bello/Reuters

Outdoor score: 96

Average annual salary: $59,670

What they do, according to O*NET: Install and repair telecommunications cable, including fiber optics.

34. Gas compressor and gas pumping station operators

34. Gas compressor and gas pumping station operators
BRAHIM ADJI/AFP via Getty Images

Outdoor score: 96

Average annual salary: $62,710

What they do, according to O*NET: Operate steam, gas, electric motor, or internal combustion engine driven compressors; transmit, compress, or recover gases, such as butane, nitrogen, hydrogen, and natural gas.

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33. Signal and track switch repairers

33. Signal and track switch repairers
Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York/flickr

Outdoor score: 96

Average annual salary: $72,690

What they do, according to O*NET: Install, inspect, test, maintain, or repair electric gate crossings, signals, signal equipment, track switches, section lines, or intercommunications systems within a railroad system.

32. Nursery and greenhouse managers

32. Nursery and greenhouse managers
Luis Alvarez/Getty Images

Outdoor score: 96

Average annual salary: $80,360*

What they do, according to O*NET: 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.

*Average annual salary is from farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers.

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31. Fish and game wardens

31. Fish and game wardens
Eleonore DERMY/AFP via Getty Images

Outdoor score: 97

Average annual salary: $57,690

What they do, according to O*NET: Patrol assigned area to prevent fish and game law violations; investigate reports of damage to crops or property by wildlife.

30. Crop farmworkers and laborers

30. Crop farmworkers and laborers
Reuters

Outdoor score: 98

Average annual salary: $27,780*

What they do, according to O*NET: Manually plant, cultivate, and harvest vegetables, fruits, nuts and field crops.

*Average annual salary is for "farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse" from the BLS salary data, while the O*NET score is only for "farmworkers and laborers, crop."

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29. Driver/sales workers

29. Driver/sales workers
Alex Gallardo/Reuters

Outdoor score: 98

Average annual salary: $30,230

What they do, according to O*NET: Drive truck or other vehicle over established routes or within an established territory and sell or deliver goods.

28. Hunters and trappers

28. Hunters and trappers
Shutterstock

Outdoor score: 98

Average annual salary: $31,340*

What they do, according to O*NET: Hunt and trap wild animals for human consumption, fur, feed, bait, or other purposes.

*Average annual salary is from the overall major job category of farming, fishing, and forestry occupations.

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27. Tree trimmers and pruners

27. Tree trimmers and pruners
Josef Mohyla/Getty Images

Outdoor score: 98

Average annual salary: $42,510

What they do, according to O*NET: Using sophisticated climbing and rigging techniques, cut away dead or excess branches from trees or shrubs to maintain right-of-way for roads, sidewalks, or utilities, or to improve appearance, health, and value of tree.

26. Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters

26. Explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blasters
Martin Tower, former world headquarters of Bethlehem Steel, implodes Sunday May 19, 2019 in Bethlehem, Pa. Associated Press

Outdoor score: 98

Average annual salary: $48,890*

What they do, according to O*NET: Place and detonate explosives to demolish structures or to loosen, remove, or displace earth, rock, or other materials.

*Average annual salary is from "earth drillers, except oil and gas; and explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blastersworkers," while the O*NET score is only for "explosives workers, ordnance handling experts, and blastersworkers" because earth drillers had a lower outdoor score.

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25. Postal service mail carriers

25. Postal service mail carriers
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Outdoor score: 98

Average annual salary: $52,180

What they do, according to O*NET: Sort mail for delivery; deliver mail on established route by vehicle or on foot.

24. First-line supervisors of logging workers

24. First-line supervisors of logging workers
Amanda Beams (L) and her husband Dale Beams, from Winkleigh, Australia compete in the Jack and Jill double buck event during the Lumberjack World Championships in Hayward, Wisconsin. Reuters/Eric Miller

Outdoor score: 98

Average annual salary: $52,520*

What they do, according to O*NET: Directly supervise and coordinate activities of logging workers

*Average annual salary is from "first-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers," while the O*NET score is only for "first-line supervisors of logging workers" because other first-line supervisors in this category had lower outdoor scores.

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23. Farmers and ranch managers

23. Farmers and ranch managers
Associated Press

Outdoor score: 98

Average annual salary: $80,360

What they do, according to O*NET: Plan, direct, or coordinate the management or operation of farms, ranches, greenhouses, aquacultural operations, nurseries, timber tracts, or other agricultural establishments.

22. Log graders and scalers

22. Log graders and scalers
Ben McCanna/Portland Portland Press Herald via Getty Images

Outdoor score: 99

Average annual salary: $39,110

What they do, according to O*NET: Grade logs or estimate the marketable content or value of logs or pulpwood in sorting yards, millpond, log deck, or similar locations.

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21. Highway maintenance workers

21. Highway maintenance workers
DAVID BREWSTER/Star Tribune via Getty Images

Outdoor score: 99

Average annual salary: $42,410

What they do, according to O*NET: Maintain highways, municipal and rural roads, airport runways, and rights-of-way.

20. Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners

20. Septic tank servicers and sewer pipe cleaners
REUTERS/Luke MacGregor

Outdoor score: 99

Average annual salary: $42,760

What they do, according to O*NET: Clean and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or drains. May patch walls and partitions of tank, replace damaged drain tile, or repair breaks in underground piping.

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19. Pump operators, except wellhead pumpers

19. Pump operators, except wellhead pumpers
David McNew / Getty Images

Outdoor score: 99

Average annual salary: $49,120

What they do, according to O*NET: 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.

18. Fallers

18. Fallers
stockstudioX/Getty Images

Outdoor score: 99

Average annual salary: $49,670

What they do, according to O*NET: Use axes or chainsaws to fell trees using knowledge of tree characteristics and cutting techniques to control direction of fall and minimize tree damage.

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17. Wellhead pumpers

17. Wellhead pumpers
Jeff W. Jarrett/Shutterstock

Outdoor score: 99

Average annual salary: $55,080

What they do, according to O*NET: Operate power pumps and auxiliary equipment to produce flow of oil or gas from wells in oil field.

16. Brickmasons and blockmasons

16. Brickmasons and blockmasons
splain2me/Getty Images

Outdoor score: 99

Average annual salary: $56,470

What they do, according to O*NET: Lay and bind building materials, such as brick, structural tile, concrete block, cinder block, glass block, and terra-cotta block, with mortar and other substances to construct or repair walls, partitions, arches, sewers, and other structures.

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15. Oil and gas rotary drill operators

15. Oil and gas rotary drill operators
Zview/Getty Images

Outdoor score: 99

Average annual salary: $57,070

What they do, according to O*NET: 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.

14. Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators

14. Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators
Monty Rakusen/Getty Images

Outdoor score: 99

Average annual salary: $57,160

What they do, according to O*NET: Lay, repair, and maintain track for standard or narrow-gauge railroad equipment used in regular railroad service or in plant yards, quarries, sand and gravel pits, and mines.

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13. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers

13. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers
Workers lay drip irrigation pipes at El Niguel Country Club in Laguna Niguel, California. Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

Outdoor score: 100

Average annual salary: $32,360

What they do, according to O*NET: Landscape or maintain grounds of property using hand or power tools or equipment.

12. Crossing guards and flaggers

12. Crossing guards and flaggers
Crossing guard Linda Norris holds traffic as students from Gooding High School cross the street to board their buses after being released from class on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009 in Gooding, Idaho. Charlie Litchfield/AP

Outdoor score: 100

Average annual salary: $32,920

What they do, according to O*NET: Guide or control vehicular or pedestrian traffic at such places as streets, schools, railroad crossings, or construction sites.

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11. Oil and gas roustabouts

11. Oil and gas roustabouts
Jake Wyman/Getty Images

Outdoor score: 100

Average annual salary: $41,280

What they do, according to O*NET: Assemble or repair oil field equipment using hand and power tools.

10. Refuse and recyclable material collectors

10. Refuse and recyclable material collectors
ryasick/Getty Images

Outdoor score: 100

Average annual salary: $41,400

What they do, according to O*NET: Collect and dump refuse or recyclable materials from containers into truck

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9. Parking enforcement workers

9. Parking enforcement workers
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Outdoor score: 100

Average annual salary: $43,420

What they do, according to O*NET: Patrol assigned area, such as public parking lot or city streets to issue tickets to overtime parking violators and illegally parked vehicles.

8. Pipelayers

8. Pipelayers
Anton Vaganov/Reuters

Outdoor score: 100

Average annual salary: $43,600

What they do, according to O*NET: Lay pipe for storm or sanitation sewers, drains, and water mains.

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7. Roofers

7. Roofers
Roofers work on removing and placing new shingles in Warren, Mich. Associated Press

Outdoor score: 100

Average annual salary: $45,820

What they do, according to O*NET: Cover roofs of structures with shingles, slate, asphalt, aluminum, wood, or related materials.

6. Utilities meter readers

6. Utilities meter readers
Bob Rowan/Getty Images

Outdoor score: 100

Average annual salary: $46,250

What they do, according to O*NET: Read meter and record consumption of electricity, gas, water, or steam.

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5. Oil and gas derrick operators

5. Oil and gas derrick operators
REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton

Outdoor score: 100

Average annual salary: $48,030

What they do, according to O*NET: Rig derrick equipment and operate pumps to circulate mud through drill hole.

4. Oil and gas service unit operators

4. Oil and gas service unit operators
curraheeshutter/Getty Images

Outdoor score: 100

Average annual salary: $51,390

What they do, according to O*NET: Operate equipment to increase oil flow from producing wells or to remove stuck pipe, casing, tools, or other obstructions from drilling wells.

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3. Sailors and marine oilers

3. Sailors and marine oilers
Pool/Getty Images

Outdoor score: 100

Average annual salary: $53,250

What they do, according to O*NET: 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. They also break out, rig, overhaul, and store cargo-handling gear, stationary rigging, and running gear.

2. Railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers

2. Railroad brake, signal, and switch operators and locomotive firers
Sergey Kucherov/Getty Images

Outdoor score: 100

Average annual salary: $62,380

What they do, according to O*NET: Operate railroad track switches, couple or uncouple rolling stock to make up or break up trains, and signal engineers by hand or flagging.

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1. Pile driver operators

1. Pile driver operators
Sean Gallup / Getty Images

Outdoor score: 100

Average annual salary: $70,230

What they do, according to O*NET: Operate pile drivers mounted on skids, barges, crawler treads, or locomotive cranes to drive pilings for retaining walls, bulkheads, and foundations of structures, such as buildings, bridges, and piers.