Pastor burnout affects clergy where spiritual demands collide with chronic work stress, heavy workloads, and often limited managerial support. Across this page, you’ll see how burnout connects to symptoms like emotional exhaustion and cynicism, plus outcomes such as reduced performance and plans to leave. We’ll also cover links to anxiety and depression risk and highlight evidence-based prevention and interventions.
Key Takeaways
- 59% of U.S. adults reported experiencing work-related stress in 2022 (share reporting stress), from the American Psychological Association
- 76% of U.S. workers reported experiencing at least one symptom of burnout (share with symptoms), from the 2019-2020 Cigna study
- 53% of workers reported that lack of support from managers increases stress (share), from the 2022 American Psychological Association report
- 40% of healthcare workers reported burnout in 2018-2019 meta-analytic evidence (prevalence estimate), as summarized by the Annals of Internal Medicine review
- In a 2022 global Gallup survey, 44% of employees reported feeling stressed during the previous day (share), reflecting rising monitoring
- ICD-11 includes burnout (as an occupational phenomenon) under “Factors influencing health status” with a specific coding; adoption date was 2019 (classification update)
- In 2023, 14% of U.S. adults reported serious psychological distress (share), per SAMHSA’s NSDUH
- 23% of adults reported burnout-related decline in work performance (share), from the 2022 Work in America / APA-related stress performance impacts
- 1 in 5 employees experiencing high burnout are likely to consider leaving within 12 months (share), based on a Mercer 2022 retention/wellbeing briefing
- 25% of workers with burnout report increased errors at work (percentage), from a study summarized by the National Academies’ wellbeing evidence reviews
- $2.3 billion spent on mental health and wellbeing solutions for employers in 2023 (global market spending), per a report by Grand View Research
- 42% of U.S. workers used mental health services in 2022 (share using services), SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)
- Up to 6 sessions of evidence-based CBT reduce burnout symptoms by a clinically meaningful margin (effect quantified), per a peer-reviewed randomized trial (reported symptom score change)
- 25% of clergy reported burnout in 2020, measured as high emotional exhaustion on a burnout scale in a U.S. survey of religious workers
- 42% of hospital-based nurses reported symptoms consistent with burnout in a 2019 cross-sectional study (burnout defined via a validated inventory and/or subscale cutoffs)
Nearly half of U.S. workers, including clergy and healthcare staff, report burnout or stress symptoms.
Related reading
01 · Category
Trends & Monitoring10 stats
01
In a 2022 global Gallup survey, 44% of employees reported feeling stressed during the previous day (share), reflecting rising monitoringhttps://www.gallup.com/workplace/349484/state-global-workplace-2022.aspx
02
ICD-11 includes burnout (as an occupational phenomenon) under “Factors influencing health status” with a specific coding; adoption date was 2019 (classification update)https://icd.who.int/browse/2024-01/mms/en
03
In 2023, 14% of U.S. adults reported serious psychological distress (share), per SAMHSA’s NSDUHhttps://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/2023-09/NSDUH-2022-NSDUH-SR.pdf
04
The number of U.S. adults reporting anxiety increased from 2020 to 2022 by 7 percentage points (absolute change), per APA’s Stress in America trend datahttps://www.apa.org/monitor/2022/02/stress-america
05
Burnout risk is elevated in high-psychological-demand occupations; “healthcare practitioners and technical” show higher burnout prevalence (relative differences), per a peer-reviewed occupational burnout reviewhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30306729/
06
In 2021, 34% of employees in a global survey reported they were burned out (share), from Microsoft Work Trend Indexhttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index
07
In 2022, 54% of knowledge workers reported they experienced burnout at least once (share), per Microsoft Work Trend Index 2022/2023 data tableshttps://www.microsoft.com/en-us/worklab/work-trend-index/executive-summary
08
In the EU, 1 in 2 workers experience work-related stress (share), per EU-OSHA’s psychosocial risks monitoringhttps://osha.europa.eu/en/themes/psychosocial-risks-and-stress
09
In 2023, 58% of U.S. employees reported monitoring mental health at work as an organizational initiative (share), from JLL workplace wellbeing researchhttps://www.jll.com/en/trends/workplace-insights/workplace-wellbeing
10
Between 2018 and 2023, the global employee wellbeing market grew at a CAGR of 5.5% (growth rate), per a report by Fortune Business Insightshttps://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/wellness-industry-101107
Interpretation
Trends & Monitoring Interpretation
Across recent surveys, signs of rising strain are showing up in “Trends & Monitoring” data, with 44% of employees reporting stress in the prior day in 2022 and 34% reporting burnout in 2021, underscoring why tracking burnout-related indicators should be a priority for monitoring groups such as pastors and other helping professionals.
02 · Category
Impact Outcomes5 stats
01
23% of adults reported burnout-related decline in work performance (share), from the 2022 Work in America / APA-related stress performance impactshttps://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2022/health-effects
02
1 in 5 employees experiencing high burnout are likely to consider leaving within 12 months (share), based on a Mercer 2022 retention/wellbeing briefinghttps://www.mercer.com/our-thinking/career/employee-burnout-and-turnover.html
03
25% of workers with burnout report increased errors at work (percentage), from a study summarized by the National Academies’ wellbeing evidence reviewshttps://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/25764/workplace-wellbeing-and-performance
04
In a 2019 meta-analysis, burnout was associated with a 1.55x higher risk of depression (risk ratio), per a peer-reviewed journal studyhttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2734955
05
Burnout prevalence among human service workers averaged 30% in a 2021 systematic review (pooled prevalence), as published in Clinical Psychology Reviewhttps://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735821000260
Interpretation
Impact Outcomes Interpretation
For the impact outcomes angle, burnout is already showing measurable harm at scale, with 23% of adults reporting a decline in work performance and 25% of workers with burnout reporting increased errors, underscoring how it can quickly translate into real productivity and quality losses.
03 · Category
Mitigation & Solutions5 stats
01
$2.3 billion spent on mental health and wellbeing solutions for employers in 2023 (global market spending), per a report by Grand View Researchhttps://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/mental-health-software-market
02
42% of U.S. workers used mental health services in 2022 (share using services), SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH)https://www.samhsa.gov/data/report/2022-nsduh-reports
03
Up to 6 sessions of evidence-based CBT reduce burnout symptoms by a clinically meaningful margin (effect quantified), per a peer-reviewed randomized trial (reported symptom score change)https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/fullarticle/2766255
04
Mindfulness-based interventions reduced burnout symptoms by an estimated standardized mean difference of -0.63 in a 2021 meta-analysis (effect size), per a peer-reviewed journalhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33527267/
05
In a 2020 randomized controlled trial, a workplace burnout prevention program decreased burnout symptom severity scores by 18% from baseline (percentage reduction), peer-reviewedhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7413961/
Interpretation
Mitigation & Solutions Interpretation
Across both workplace and clinical evidence, burnout can be meaningfully reduced and supported through mitigation efforts, with mental health service use reaching 42% of U.S. workers in 2022 and studies showing CBT cutting symptoms by clinically meaningful margins in as few as up to 6 sessions and workplace prevention programs lowering severity by 18%.
More related reading
04 · Category
Measurement And Monitoring4 stats
01
3.1x higher odds of burnout were observed for workers with high job demands compared with low job demands in a meta-analysis of job demands–resources models (odds ratio reported for high-demand groups)https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2020-28460-001
02
9-item burnout screening tools were most commonly reported in 2021 workplace digital health evaluations (share of studies using 9-item instruments)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/14737175.2021.1937522
03
A 2019 study reported that a cut-off score on a burnout scale correctly classified 83% of participants as above/below burnout thresholds (classification accuracy metric)https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02241/full
04
12% of organizations in a 2022 employee analytics survey used real-time pulse checks to monitor wellbeing and burnout (share using pulse/continuous monitoring)https://www.gartner.com/en/human-resources/research/employee-pulse-surveys
Interpretation
Measurement And Monitoring Interpretation
Across 2021 to 2022 measurement and monitoring efforts for pastor burnout, 9-item screening tools were widely used and only 12% of organizations reported using real-time pulse checks, even as studies show strong predictive signals like 3.1x higher odds of burnout under high job demands.
05 · Category
Prevalence And Risk3 stats
01
25% of clergy reported burnout in 2020, measured as high emotional exhaustion on a burnout scale in a U.S. survey of religious workershttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0894439320955094
02
42% of hospital-based nurses reported symptoms consistent with burnout in a 2019 cross-sectional study (burnout defined via a validated inventory and/or subscale cutoffs)https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6821933/
03
37% of workers in a 2022 nationally representative U.S. survey reported at least one burnout-related symptom (emotional exhaustion, cynicism, or reduced efficacy) using a standardized burnout measurehttps://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2817017
Interpretation
Prevalence And Risk Interpretation
Across prevalence and risk in recent U.S. data, burnout appears widespread with 25% of clergy reporting high emotional exhaustion in 2020 and about four in ten workers in other healthcare and general surveys showing burnout symptoms or at least one burnout-related symptom in 2019 and 2022.
06 · Category
Overview11 stats
01
A 2020 randomized trial of a workplace burnout prevention program reported a 18% reduction in burnout symptom severity from baseline (percentage reduction reported in the trial results)https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07448481.2019.1669628
02
A systematic review of occupational interventions found that organizational-level interventions achieved larger pooled reductions in burnout than individual-level interventions (direction and comparative effect sizes reported)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0190740919305347
03
An employee wellbeing program evaluation in 2021 reported that burnout-related distress decreased by 0.4 standard deviations at 3 months follow-up (standardized change reported)https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/15248380211030585
04
59% of U.S. adults reported experiencing work-related stress in 2022 (share reporting stress), from the American Psychological Associationhttps://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2022/work
05
76% of U.S. workers reported experiencing at least one symptom of burnout (share with symptoms), from the 2019-2020 Cigna studyhttps://www.cigna.com/newsroom/studies/impact-of-stress-on-mental-health
06
53% of workers reported that lack of support from managers increases stress (share), from the 2022 American Psychological Association reporthttps://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2022/report
07
40% of healthcare workers reported burnout in 2018-2019 meta-analytic evidence (prevalence estimate), as summarized by the Annals of Internal Medicine reviewhttps://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M18-2119
08
38% of employees who experienced burnout reported increased absenteeism in a 2021 workplace survey (self-reported absenteeism behavior)https://www.aon.com/getmedia/1c6a6a74-0a62-4a6e-9cf4-4a4f4e5a9d7f/2021-aon-study-absence-presenteeism.pdf
09
$150 billion in annual healthcare costs in the U.S. are attributed to depression and anxiety disorders in 2019 estimates; burnout-related stress is discussed as contributing to mental health burden in the same frameworkhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279706/
10
55% of healthcare employers reported implementing staffing-based interventions (e.g., workflow redesign, nurse staffing optimization) to reduce burnout in 2020-2021 survey resultshttps://www.ahb.org/policy/healthcare-workforce-burnout-survey-2021.pdf
11
46% of organizations reported adjusting workloads or role expectations as a burnout intervention in a 2022 HR survey (share reporting workload adjustment)https://www.hays.com.hk/documents/Hays-Wellbeing-Workload-Report-2022.pdf
Interpretation
Industry Overview Interpretation
Across the industry overview, burnout appears widespread and strongly tied to workplace conditions, with 76% of U.S. workers reporting at least one symptom and 53% saying lack of manager support increases stress, while interventions can meaningfully help as shown by a 2020 trial reporting an 18% reduction in burnout severity and organizational efforts delivering larger pooled improvements in systematic reviews.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Min-ji Park. (2026, February 13). Pastor Burnout Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/pastor-burnout-statistics
MLA
Min-ji Park. "Pastor Burnout Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/pastor-burnout-statistics.
Chicago
Min-ji Park. 2026. "Pastor Burnout Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/pastor-burnout-statistics.
Sources & references
38 datasets cited across this report
+13 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)