The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health has ranked 130 jobs in terms of the level of stress they engender. According to this ranking, clerical and service workers are in occupations which engender very high levels of stress. This study examined the relative contribution of a variety of occupational and nonoccupational sources of stress to the psychological and physical health of service and clerical workers. Scales of job stress, life stress, and outcome measures of job satisfaction, self-esteem, depressed mood, psychological disturbance, and physical illness were administered to 150 clerical and 61 service workers. Results indicated occupational differences in patterns of stress, in patterns of strain reactions, and in the prediction of specific negative consequences from particular stressors. Clerical workers appeared more sensitive to task insignificance and work environment discomfort while service workers were more affected by lack of autonomy and role overload. For both groups, physical illness was a consequence of life rather than work stress. (Author/NB)