Survey Finds the 3 Most Satisfying Jobs in America

Gallup-Healthways asked more than 170,000 workers a series of 55 questions covering physical and emotional health, life evaluation and workplace environment.

Gallup assigned a score between 0 to 100 to each of 14 major professional categories, with 100 representing ideal well-being.

According to the 2012 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, physicians have the highest level of well-being of any major profession.

Here are the most satisfied professions:

1. Physician...  Job types: Internist, obstetrician, anesthesiologist

· Well-being index score: 78.0

· Obesity: 86.0 percent

· Percent with health insurance: 96.7 percent

· Percent satisfied with job: 95.5 percent

Physicians were the most likely professionals to be described as "thriving." They were also less likely than any other workers to have felt sad or angry in the past day and the most likely to have the energy needed to be productive. Physicians are also exceptionally well-paid. Primary care physicians earned more than $200,000, while those with medical specialties made more than $350,000.

2. Teacher... Job types: High school, special education teacher, teacher assistants

· Well-being index score: 73.6

· Obesity: 79.4 percent

· Percent with health insurance: 95.7 percent

· Percent satisfied with job: 91.1 percent

Teachers had higher self-evaluations of their lives than workers in every other occupation beside physicians. Almost 70 percent of teachers qualify as "thriving" based on their current and future quality of life. Teachers were also the most likely to report they smiled or laughed, experienced enjoyment or happiness within the past day. More than 64 percent ate at least five servings of fruits and vegetables at least four days a week, second only to nurses and just under 6 percent smoked. Average pay for "education, training and library occupations" was just over $45,000.

3. Business Owners...· Job types: Contractor, store owner, entrepreneur

· Well-being index score: 73.4

· Obesity: 79.5 percent

· Percent with health insurance: 77.6 percent

· Percent satisfied with job: 93.3 percent

Business owners are more likely than any other class of workers to rate their work environment highly. Over 93 percent of business owners were satisfied with their job or the work they did, higher than any occupation except for physician. Also, almost 89 percent of business owners reported their work environment was trusting and open -- the highest of any type of worker.

Coming soon: Part two- The 3 Least Satisfied Workers.  Or, if you can't wait, click for the entire story now.