In
2025, low-income jobs in the U.S. remain concentrated in Leisure &
Hospitality, Food Service, Retail, Childcare, and Home Care, including roles like
Fast Food Workers, Cashiers, Housekeepers, Dishwashers, Childcare Workers, and
Home Health Aides, often paying below $15/hour, though high demand exists in
sectors like social assistance for roles like Case Managers. AI may impact basic
clerical/data entry jobs, while caregiving roles face recruitment challenges
due to low wages despite high need.
Common Low-Income Sectors & Roles (2025):
Food Services & Hospitality: Fast-food workers, cooks, dishwashers, food prep workers, servers.
Retail: Cashiers, retail salespersons, stockers.
Care & Social Assistance: Childcare workers, home health/personal care aides, nursing assistants, social workers.
Cleaning & Maintenance: Maids, housekeeping cleaners, janitors, landscaping workers.
Administrative/Clerical
(Vulnerable to AI): Data entry clerks, basic customer service reps, office
clerks.
Key Trends in 2025:
High Demand in Care: Social assistance roles (home health aides, case managers) see high demand but struggle with low pay.
AI Impact: Routine tasks in data entry, telemarketing, and basic customer service are at risk of automation.
Persistent Low Wages: Many frontline service jobs offer wages below $15/hour, even with high employment.
Examples
of Jobs with High Volume Under $15/hr (BLS Data):
Fast
Food & Counter Workers
Cashiers
Home
Health & Personal Care Aides
Waiters & Waitresses
Note: Specific wages vary by location, but these roles consistently appear as lower-paid opportunities across the U.S. labor market.
The lowest-income jobs in the U.S. in 2025 are primarily in the leisure and hospitality sector and include roles such as shampooers, fast food workers, and dishwashers, many with annual earnings around $30,000 to $33,000.
Overview of Low-Income Occupations
Jobs with the lowest pay in the U.S. generally involve providing services to customers and often require minimal formal education or training, with many offering average annual salaries between $30,000 and $34,000. The leisure and hospitality industry as a whole has the lowest average salary across all sectors in the U.S., at approximately $30,000 per year.
Specific Lower-Income Jobs in 2025
Key occupations consistently identified as lower-income include:
Shampooers: Often an entry-level position in salons, with an average annual earning of around $30,830.
Fast Food and Counter Workers: These roles average about $27,418 to $31,810 annually, depending on specific duties.
Amusement and Recreation Attendants: People who operate rides or concession stands, with a low average wage.
Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers: Positions typically found at theaters and concert venues.
Cashiers: A large occupation in the U.S., with an average annual salary of approximately $31,810.
Hosts and Hostesses: Restaurant and coffee shop hosts and hostesses make less than servers, with an average around $31,740.
Child Care Workers: This important role has an average annual salary of about $33,140.
Dishwashers: They earn an average of approximately $32,433 per year.
Laundry and Dry-Cleaning Workers: These workers typically earn an average of about $19,000 annually.
Home Health and Personal Care Aides: This is one of the largest occupations in the U.S., known for having below-average wages.
These jobs often have a high percentage of workers paid less than $15 per hour.
https://www.google.com/search?q=what+are+the+lower+income+jobs+in+the+us+in+2025
Comments
As wages for these Lower Paid Occupations rise in 2026, businesses will offer these jobs to Students who live at home or with roommates. These lower paid jobs may also continue to be filled by spouses providing a second family income. Daycare for spouses with small children find daycare with family and grandparents.
Prices are based on supply and demand and so are wages. The wage increases needed by these lower paid workers will continue to be based on their individual productivity and skills.
Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader
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