The most—and least—dangerous jobs in the U.S.

Weighing a career's risk versus its reward? This might help.

Jobs search website CareerCast.com released a list of its most and least dangerous jobs in America.

The site compiled the list using its in-house methodology to quantify different aspects of a career, including environment, salary, stress and others. The company also used data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to determine projected salary growth as well as annual mean salary.

Here is a list of the 10 most—and least—dangerous jobs in the U.S. in alphabetical order.

—By Fred Imbert.

Posted 22 July 2015

Airline pilots are responsible for transporting over 1,000 travelers safely while flying several thousand feet in the air at over 500 miles per hour. "It's no wonder Federal Aviation Regulations require aspiring pilots to take six to eight weeks of on-the-job training on the ground before they can even take to the air," the CareerCast report said.

• Annual median salary: $98,410
• Projected growth by 2022: -1 percent

The biggest risk animal caretakers face is how unpredictable animals can be. "It is dangerous work, but someone has to do it," Jme Thomas, executive director at Motley Zoo Animal Rescue, said in the CareerCast report.

• Annual median salary: $19,970
• Projected growth by 2022: 15 percent

With the high number of potential hazards that make up a construction site and the need for attention to detail required for the work, this job is extremely dangerous.

• Annual median salary: $29,160
• Projected growth by 2022: 25 percent

While EMTs have the high task of saving people's lives, they themselves face their own risks. "Speeding through traffic or helicoptering into dangerous terrain is not out of the norm in this profession," the CareerCast report said.

• Annual median salary: $31,020
• Projected growth by 2022: 23 percent

Servicemen and women face perils unimaginable to most Americans as they can be sent into combat or into disaster zones around the U.S., the CareerCast report said.

• Annual median salary: $21,664
• Projected growth by 2022: N/A

Firefighters are required to jump into forest fires and run into blazing buildings, making their job one of the most perilous.

• Annual median salary: $45,250
• Projected growth by 2022: 7 percent

About one in 10 highway deaths involves a crash with a large truck, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

• Annual median salary: $38,200
• Projected growth by 2022: 11 percent

"The combination of working with large machinery, falling debris and typically remote locations makes for a potentially hazardous environment," the CareerCast report said.

• Annual median salary: $33,630
• Projected growth by 2022: -9 percent

Having to deal with potentially violent felonies makes the job of a parole officer a very hazardous one, according to CareerCast.

• Annual median salary: $48,190
• Projected growth by 2022: -1 percent

"Police officers have one of the highest rates of injuries and illnesses of all occupations," the CareerCast report said, citing the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Annual median salary: $56,980
• Projected growth by 2022: 5 percent

Click on the right arrow for the 10 safest jobs in the U.S.

Unlike the previously mentioned jobs, "the greatest hazard an accountant faces on the job comes in the form of an audit," according to the CareerCast report.

• Annual median salary: $63,550
• Projected growth by 2022: 13 percent

Ironically, part of an actuary's job entails determining risk in insurance coverage. Nevertheless, CareerCast said actuaries have a low risk of harm.

• Annual median salary: $93,680
• Projected growth by 2022: 26 percent

Fatal injury rate for executive assistants is just 0.3 percent. Managing the day-to-day tasks for an executive can be stressful, but the environment itself is very safe," according to CareerCast.

• Annual median salary: $51,270
• Projected growth by 2022: 17 percent

With the bulk of their work centering on research, a historian's job is relatively safe compared to other professions.

• Annual median salary: $52,480
• Projected growth by 2022: 6 percent

"Overseeing the day-to-day operations of a business may be stressful, but it's also safe," according to the CareerCast report.

• Annual median salary: $99,720
• Projected growth by 2022: 13 percent

The career path of a mathematician is not only safe, but could also lead to much success in the business "world with more companies moving toward advanced analytic research," according to CareerCast.

• Annual median salary: $101,360
• Projected growth by 2022: 23 percent

Despite their low annual median salary, medical record technicians work in some of the safest environments in the U.S., according to CareerCast.

• Annual median salary: $34,160
• Projected growth by 2022: 22 percent

This job may require a certain degree of physical exertion, but recreation work mostly entails spending time with children in relatively safe environments, according to CareerCast.

• Annual median salary: $22,240
• Projected growth by 2022: 14 percent

Statisticians enjoy the same benefits as mathematicians do: high demand and relatively safe working environments.

• Annual median salary: $75,560
• Projected growth by 2022: 27 percent

"Technical writers bridge the gap between STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and mainstream communication, typically working in offices with relatively favorable environments," according to the CareerCast report.

• Annual median salary: $65,500
• Projected growth by 2022: 15 percent