The Worst Paying Jobs in America According to BLS
05. Jan, 2009 
0 Comments
Just in case you were curious, the Bureau of Labor Statistics did a survey on how much money people are making these days. These occupations were at the bottom of the list:
Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food
Average hourly earnings: $7.66
Average annual earnings: $15,930
Cooks, fast food
Average hourly earnings: $7.67
Average annual earnings: $15,960
Dishwashers
Average hourly earnings: $7.78
Average annual earnings: $16,190
Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
Average hourly earnings: $7.84
Average annual earnings: $16,320
Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge and coffee shop
Average hourly earnings: $8.10
Average annual earnings: $16,860
Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession and coffee shop
Average hourly earnings: $8.15
Average annual earnings: $16,950
Gaming dealers
Average hourly earnings: $8.18
Average annual earnings: $17,010
Shampooers
Average hourly earnings: $8.20
Average annual earnings: $17,050
Waiters and waitresses
Average hourly earnings: $8.27
Average annual earnings: $17,190
Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers
Average hourly earnings: $8.41
Average annual earnings: $17,500
Amusement and recreation attendants
Average hourly earnings: $8.43
Average annual earnings: $17,530
Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
Average hourly earnings: $8.48
Average annual earnings: $17,630
Cashiers
Average hourly earnings: $8.62
Average annual earnings: $17,930
Personal and home care aides
Average hourly earnings: $8.74
Average annual earnings: $18,180
Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers
Average hourly earnings: $8.85
Average annual earnings: $18,410
Parking lot attendants
Average hourly earnings: $8.87
Average annual earnings: $18,450
Food preparation workers
Average hourly earnings: $8.88
Average annual earnings: $18,480
Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials
Average hourly earnings: $8.88
Average annual earnings: $18,470
Bartenders
Average hourly earnings: $8.91
Average annual earnings: $18,540
Graders and sorters, agricultural products
Average hourly earnings: $8.95
Average annual earnings: $18,610
Cooks, short order
Average hourly earnings: $8.99
Average annual earnings: $18,710
Maids and housekeeping cleaners
Average hourly earnings: $8.99
Average annual earnings: $18,700
Child care workers
Average hourly earnings: $9.05
Average annual earnings: $18,820
Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
Average hourly earnings: $9.08
Average annual earnings: $18,890
Service station attendants
Average hourly earnings: $9.21
Average annual earnings: $19,150
Just fyi…
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ABOUT THE WRITER
Jim Stroud is a Social Media Development Manager for EnglishCafe, the premier English learning community for global professionals. Prior to EnglishCafe, Jim Stroud amassed a decade of recruiting experience consulting for such companies as Microsoft, Google, MCI and Siemens. Jim Stroud also produces iLiveOnline, a how-to blog on all things internet.
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Wow I didn’t know the average for bartenders and wait staff was so low. We should be tipping them better!
Wow, I started out doing some of these jobs — first a farm worker, then a restaurant worker. That was long before online resume writing and online resume tracking.
SCARY, most everyone I know works in one of the first 9, all in the food service industry.
No wonder we’re all poor, and working our asses off…
Good information and details.
nice blog,very informative.now i get an insight into how much americans are earning.
Wow. These numbers are pretty astonishing. I am sure all these poorly paid employees have talents and skills that are gone unnoticed. With a professional resume and some good resume tips I am sure people with these jobs could land better paying jobs.
Ouch… I’ve worked half these jobs
I like this site. It has got very useful information. may be many who live there may find this informative
good job. this contains a lot of informative data and i get the insight that how much is Americans earnings
I didn’t realize that was what these jobs were making these days. I did a few of them 20 years ago but I was only making about 1/3 what they are making now. How times have changed.
Nice Blog!
lol good information.And piks are also good lol
I know all about it, I worked a seasonal job at Toys R Us and had two 40 hour weeks. The paychecks were not as big as I would have hoped for. Minimum wage blows.
Wow, definitely did not know this information. This will now be my ‘what not to do for a living’ list. Also agree with another person on this blog, that we should definitely be tipping better after reading this!
I don’t doubt that these are lousy jobs, and that it’s awfully hard to get by on almost any of them. However, some of these numbers don’t look right, particularly for the jobs where workers receive tips.
For example, I grew up in Vegas, and know that salaries for casino dealers are low. However, dealers receive a substantial income in tips from the gamblers who play at their table. This has actually long been a pretty desirable job in Las Vegas and Atlantic City, and is seen by many as a ticket to the middle class. While tips vary substantially by casino (high-stakes tables at high-end casinos obviously generate bigger tips), I’m sure they’re not making far more than burger flippers and dishwashers.
This shows just how sick amerika is. Cooking should be near the top of the list..As far as amerikan jobs are concerned it will only get worse–as all the illegals ARE PUSHING THE WAGES DOWN TO NOTHING..Thank your greed driven capitalists..
Until all illegal mexican-korean- INVADERS ARE KICKED OUT OF AMERIKA…NOTHING WILL CHANGE..
Legislation needs to change. Waiters get paid $2.13/hour in my state. That’s not even HALF of minimum wage. How can anyone but teenagers and college-age students be expected to work jobs like this? Oh, wait, that’s all it is anymore. Well, kids, and the immigrants who have two or three jobs just to survive. They’re low-skill, crappy jobs. Customers are allowed to treat service workers like crap. I do not doubt that people are greedy. It’s really rather frustrating.
I’d like to know what position the theme park employees are working in to be paid $8.43/hour. I’m in my fourth year as an employee for Busch Gardens Europe (I’m also a lead supervisor), and I’m only getting $7.70/hour. Yeah, the benefits are okay, but in this day and age (and also having to pay for my own college education), I’d prefer to be getting a higher salary than the benefits.
Waiters and waitresses
Average hourly earnings: $8.27
Average annual earnings: $17,190
If you divide $17,190 by $8.27, it equals 40 hours per week. 50% of all wait persons work part time. If you are working full time as a server and you’re only making $8.27 an hour, that means you’re making about $5.00 in tips per hour. If your average customer tips you 10% (most customers are miserly) and you have three customers per hour, that’s $1.60 in tips per customer, which means you’re working at a greasy spoon diner in the Ozarks. Where does this data come from? Waiting tables does not pay an average of $8 an hour.
I’ll tell you what job pays $0 per hour – a sales executive at ResumeBear. Because there is no such position, even though it’s been advertised regularly for the past year.