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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →There is not enough evidence here to name America’s 25 lowest-paying jobs or rank them from 1 to 25. The available examples are four low-paid production occupations from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ May 2024 data—not a national bottom-25 list. They report mean annual wages, a measure that does not identify the lowest typical hourly wage.
The most recent national all-occupation benchmark cited here is a mean annual wage of $69,770 for May 2025. The occupation examples below are from May 2024, so they should not be compared with that newer benchmark as if they came from the same release.
What are the lowest-paying jobs in America?
A complete answer requires sorting one full BLS national occupation table by a single wage measure and deciding how to handle occupations without annual estimates. The figures available here do not establish that ranking. They do show four production occupations with low mean annual wages in May 2024:
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | Reference period |
|---|---|---|
| Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials | $33,370 | May 2024 |
| Laundry and dry-cleaning workers | $33,990 | May 2024 |
| Hand sewers | $34,810 | May 2024 |
| Shoe and leather workers and repairers | $36,280 | May 2024 |
These are examples from production occupations, not the four lowest-paid occupations across the U.S. economy. BLS reported a $67,920 mean annual wage across all occupations in May 2024, also substantially higher than each example. The occupation figures and benchmark are BLS estimates for that release. BLS May 2024 wage estimates
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Why use mean annual wages—and what do they mean?
This article uses mean annual wages because the available occupation examples are reported on that basis. A mean is total estimated annual wages divided by estimated employment; it is not the wage earned by every worker in an occupation. A median hourly wage instead marks the midpoint: half of workers have hourly wages below it and half above it. Those measures answer different questions, so an annual-mean list should not be described as a ranking of the lowest typical hourly pay. BLS OEWS technical information
The latest national all-occupation mean annual wage cited here is $69,770 for May 2025, according to BLS. It is a useful newer national reference, but it cannot be used to compare the May 2024 occupation examples on a same-year basis. BLS May 2025 wage estimates
What OEWS wages include—and leave out
The Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) program estimates wages for wage-and-salary workers at nonfarm establishments. BLS describes the measure this way: “Wages for the OEWS survey are straight-time, gross pay, exclusive of premium pay.” Included pay can include base rates, guaranteed pay, commissions, production bonuses, and tips. Excluded amounts include overtime, severance, shift differentials, nonproduction bonuses, employer-paid benefits, and tuition reimbursement. BLS OEWS technical notes
- OEWS does not cover self-employed people, owners and partners in unincorporated firms, household workers, or unpaid family workers.
- For most occupations, BLS annualizes hourly wages using 2,080 hours. Some occupations typically paid annually but worked fewer hours have annual rates reported directly; some irregular or seasonal occupations may have only hourly estimates.
- May 2024 estimates use the 2018 Standard Occupational Classification and cross-industry employer data. BLS describes them as model-based estimates built from three years of OEWS data.
- These are statistical estimates, not individual salary records or a promise of what a worker currently earns.
Why a national list cannot predict an individual paycheck
A national occupational mean combines workers across locations and industries. Actual pay can differ by state, local labor market, industry, hours worked, employer, and worker. Annualized estimates also should not be read as the amount every worker takes home in a year, particularly where schedules are seasonal or irregular. OEWS wages are gross pay estimates, not take-home pay after taxes or deductions.
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