Numerous studies have established that teaching can be a stressful profession. Teacher occupational stress has been linked to absenteeism, turnover, productivity and other negative organisational outcomes. The ‘stressfulness’ of schools, however, cannot be fully understood without the input of non-teaching staff and there is a lack of research involving them. This study reports relationships between biographical variables and occupational stress of staff members in Catholic primary schools. The sample consisted of 356 staff members of Catholic primary schools in New South Wales, Australia. Data were collected using a questionnaire survey. Multivariate analysis and comparison of means were employed to test research hypotheses. Biographical differences, particularly age, sex and position, were related to several aspects of occupational stress. The results are discussed in terms of implications for schools and future research.