Job Description：Interprets statistics to determine probabilities of accidents, sickness, death and loss of property from theft and natural disasters.

Verdict：This job makes the list in part because of the “pleasant” work environment it provides. The salary is pretty pleasant too — about $87,000.

Actuary typically have a bachelor’s degree, but many also have to take a host of examinations to get full professional standing. Most employers are in the insurance industry. There are about 20,000 actuary employed in the United States, and the employment outlook is strong. Employment is expected to rise by 21 percent in the next seven years.

Job Description：Tabulates, analyzes and interprets numeric results of experiments and surveys.

Verdict：Most statisticians need a master’s degree in statistics or mathematics, and about 30 percent of those in the field work for government agencies. The job may require long hours and tight deadlines, but it pays $73,208 a year pm average. The number of jobs in this occupation is projected to climb by 13 percent to 25,500 by 2018.

Job description：Performs routine physical labor and maintenance on oil rigs and pipelines, both on and offshore.

Verdict：This job makes its second straight appearance at the top of the worst list. The demanding, dangerous work is what gets the gig its crummy distinction.

“Roustabouts routinely perform backbreaking labor at all hours of the day and night in conditions that can range from arctic winters to desert summers to ocean storms,” the CareerCast jobs report found. “Braving these inhospitable surroundings, roustabouts work on the front lines, getting hands-on with dangerous drilling equipment and risking serious injury or worse — as last year’s explosion at the Deepwater Horizon facility in the Gulf of Mexico illustrates.”

About 60,000 individuals hold such jobs, which typically require little advanced education. Wyoming has the most roustabouts, but Alaska pays the best. Midlevel income for this job averages $32,123, according to CareerCast, but Willis said depending on experience and what they do, roughnecks can make as much as $60,000. Unfortunately job prospects going forward are lousy with a jobless rate upwards of 14 percent.

Job Description：Raises the steel framework of buildings, bridges and other structures.

Verdict：This job brings in a bit more money than a lumberjack（see below）at $34,127, but it also requires much more training, as much as four years as a paid apprentice. The work environment is also dangerous and stress levels on this job are high.

The number of iron and metal workers is expected to rise to 110,000 by 2018, up from about 100,000 today, according to the BLS, which expects “many job openings will result from the need to replace experienced ironworkers who leave the occupation or retire.”