The 25 Lowest-Paying Jobs in America

These jobs are all low-paying because they require little education or training. Many of them are also physically demanding or dangerous. However, some of these jobs offer opportunities for advancement, such as becoming a manager or supervisor.

Here are some additional facts about the lowest-paying jobs in America:

• The median annual wage for all jobs in the United States was $51,168 in 2021.
• The median annual wage for the lowest-paying job, laundry and dry-cleaning workers, was $22,464.
• The median annual wage for the highest-paying job, chief executives, was $187,128.
• The majority of the lowest-paying jobs are in the service sector.
• The lowest-paying jobs are often located in rural areas.
• The lowest-paying jobs are often held by people with less education.

If you are considering a career in one of these low-paying jobs, it is important to weigh the pros and cons carefully. While these jobs may not pay well, they can offer other benefits, such as flexible hours or the opportunity to work with people. It is also important to remember that many of these jobs offer opportunities for advancement.

25 of the Lowest Paying Jobs

1. Fast Food Workers: They often work for minimum wage, with few opportunities for raises. They are responsible for preparing food, serving customers, and cleaning up the dining areas.
2. Dishwashers: They wash, clean, and sanitize dishes and utensils in restaurants and cafes. The job requires no formal education and offers limited advancement opportunities.
3. Cashiers: They handle customer payments in retail environments. Despite dealing with significant amounts of money, they are often paid near the minimum wage.
4. Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop: They greet customers, take reservations, and manage seating arrangements, often earning only slightly more than minimum wage.
5. Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers: Working in cinemas, theaters, and event venues, they guide patrons and maintain order. Despite the responsibility, they tend to earn low wages.
6. Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse: They perform intensive manual labor for long hours in varying weather conditions, yet their wages are often quite low.
7. Amusement Park Attendants: They ensure the safety of guests and maintain cleanliness, but their pay typically reflects the seasonal and part-time nature of the job.
8. Shampooers: Employed primarily in beauty salons, they wash and condition clients’ hair. Despite being a stepping stone to higher-paying cosmetology careers, shampooers are usually paid minimum wage.
9. Lifeguards and other Recreational Protective Service Workers: While their job is crucial to public safety, these positions, which are often seasonal, typically don’t pay well.
10. Childcare Workers: They care for children when parents and other family members are unavailable. Despite the responsibility involved, pay is generally low.
11. Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers: They clean clothing, linens, and other articles, and while the job requires attention to detail, it is often poorly compensated.
12. Cafeteria Attendants and Barista Workers: These food service jobs often pay near minimum wage, despite requiring workers to manage several tasks simultaneously.
13. Food Preparation and Serving Workers, Including Fast Food: These workers often earn minimum wage or slightly above, with few opportunities for advancement.
14. Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers: Known as bussers or bar backs, these workers support waitstaff and bartenders but often make less than their colleagues.
15. Personal Care Aides: They assist elderly, disabled, ill, or mentally impaired people with daily activities. Despite the important role they play, they often earn low wages.
16. Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners: They clean and maintain private residences or commercial buildings, typically earning low pay despite the physical demands of the job.
17. Agricultural Workers, All Other: This category includes a variety of farming roles, from animal breeders to farm equipment operators, most of which pay poorly.
18. Nonfarm Animal Caretakers: They feed, water, groom, bathe, and exercise pets and nonfarm animals. Despite the level of care required, these workers usually earn a low wage.
19. Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks: Despite being the face of their establishments, these workers are often paid minimum wage or slightly above.
20. Packers and Packagers, Hand: They pack or package a variety of products by hand. This labor-intensive job typically pays low wages.
21. Home Health Aides: They help ill, elderly, or disabled people with daily activities. Despite the need for these services, home health aides typically earn a low wage.
22. Nursing Assistants: They help provide basic care for patients in hospitals and residents of long-term care facilities. Despite their critical role in healthcare, they often earn low wages.
23. Taxi Drivers and Chauffeurs: These drivers often earn modest incomes due to the variability of tips and the costs associated with maintaining a vehicle.
24. Teacher Assistants: They help teachers with classroom duties, but often earn a fraction of a teacher’s salary, even though their work is integral to the learning environment.
25. Retail Salespersons: Despite the skills needed to excel in sales, such as product knowledge and customer service, the median pay for this job is generally low.

It’s important to remember that while these jobs may not offer high financial compensation, they often provide other forms of value, such as entry-level experience, flexible hours, and opportunities to help others. Additionally, these jobs can often serve as stepping stones to higher-paying positions within the same industry. For instance, many people who start as dishwashers or busboys can eventually become chefs or restaurant managers.

the 25 lowest-paying jobs in America, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics:

1. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
2. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
3. Food preparation workers
4. Shampooers
5. Cooks, fast food
6. Gaming dealers
7. Waiters and waitresses
8. Food servers, nonrestaurant
9. Gambling and sports book writers and runners
10. Cooks, restaurant
11. Cooks, private household
12. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
13. Fast food and counter workers
14. Amusement and recreation attendants
15. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers, theater, sports, and related activities
16. Animal caretakers
17. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housecleaners
18. Baggers
19. Parking lot attendants
20. Automotive and watercraft service attendants
21. Counter attendants, retail trade
22. Retail salespersons, non-store
23. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers, transportation
24. Personal care aides
25. Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals

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