Uncertainty clouds the current job market. On one hand, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports unemployment rates at 4.2% as of May 2025—and that hasn't changed much in the past year, a typical indicator of a positive economy. At the same time, average weekly earnings have increased by 3.9% over the 12 months ending May 2025 to reach $1,243.03.
However, the American economy may soon shift. The Trump administration's federal budget cuts have eliminated tens of thousands of jobs, and constant changes in import tariffs leave companies unable to plan for their future employment needs.
With these factors in mind, minimum or low-wage jobs are increasingly unsustainable for most. In 2025, a full-time job at the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour puts a worker under the poverty threshold, according to the Economic Policy Institute. While states can opt to have higher minimum wages, 20 states are at or below the federal minimum as of 2025.
Salaries can also vary by gender, race, and educational attainment. According to a March 2025 report from the Pew Research Center, women's earnings are about 85% of men's, and women also remain overrepresented in low-paying jobs. Meanwhile, April 2025 BLS data shows that Hispanic workers' median earnings lag behind those of other race and ethnicity groups, and full-time workers without a high school diploma earned the least compared to their more educated counterparts.
It's important to note, though, that low pay doesn't always equal low job satisfaction. Some people feel drawn to a particular field, seek a certain work environment, or aim for work-life balance. No matter the reason, Stacker used BLS data to find the 50 lowest-paying jobs in Merced. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.
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Nikita M production // Shutterstock
1 / 50- Median annual wage: $38,870
- Median hourly wage: $18.69
- Total employment: 50 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
2 / 50- Median annual wage: $38,680
- Median hourly wage: $18.60
- Total employment: 1,610 people (20.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nataliia Maksymenko // Shutterstock
3 / 50- Median annual wage: $38,660
- Median hourly wage: $18.59
- Total employment: 1,060 people (13.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kanemme6 // Shutterstock
4 / 50- Median annual wage: $38,620
- Median hourly wage: $18.57
- Total employment: 60 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
5 / 50- Median annual wage: $38,540
- Median hourly wage: $18.53
- Total employment: 400 people (5.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Chay_Tee // Shutterstock
6 / 50- Median annual wage: $38,420
- Median hourly wage: $18.47
- Total employment: 30 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Anucha Cheechang // Shutterstock
7 / 50- Median annual wage: $38,410
- Median hourly wage: $18.47
- Total employment: 40 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
8 / 50- Median annual wage: $38,270
- Median hourly wage: $18.40
- Total employment: 170 people (2.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VH-studio // Shutterstock
9 / 50- Median annual wage: $38,020
- Median hourly wage: $18.28
- Total employment: 350 people (4.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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10 / 50- Median annual wage: $37,990
- Median hourly wage: $18.26
- Total employment: 70 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
11 / 50- Median annual wage: $37,930
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 1,630 people (20.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
12 / 50- Median annual wage: $37,800
- Median hourly wage: $18.17
- Total employment: 70 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
13 / 50- Median annual wage: $37,740
- Median hourly wage: $18.14
- Total employment: 500 people (6.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
14 / 50- Median annual wage: $37,580
- Median hourly wage: $18.07
- Total employment: 420 people (5.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
New Africa // Shutterstock
15 / 50- Median annual wage: $37,440
- Median hourly wage: $18.00
- Total employment: 330 people (4.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Weerayuth Kanchanacharoen // Shutterstock
16 / 50- Median annual wage: $37,300
- Median hourly wage: $17.93
- Total employment: 1,040 people (13.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rido // Shutterstock
17 / 50- Median annual wage: $37,090
- Median hourly wage: $17.83
- Total employment: 30 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
UfaBizPhoto // Shutterstock
18 / 50- Median annual wage: $37,010
- Median hourly wage: $17.79
- Total employment: 190 people (2.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock
19 / 50- Median annual wage: $36,990
- Median hourly wage: $17.78
- Total employment: 80 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
encierro // Shutterstock
20 / 50- Median annual wage: $36,850
- Median hourly wage: $17.72
- Total employment: 70 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50- Median annual wage: $36,700
- Median hourly wage: $17.64
- Total employment: 110 people (1.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
22 / 50- Median annual wage: $36,460
- Median hourly wage: $17.53
- Total employment: 60 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
23 / 50- Median annual wage: $36,440
- Median hourly wage: $17.52
- Total employment: 2,540 people (32.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Motortion Films // Shutterstock
24 / 50- Median annual wage: $36,310
- Median hourly wage: $17.46
- Total employment: 40 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
maxbelchenko // Shutterstock
25 / 50- Median annual wage: $35,970
- Median hourly wage: $17.29
- Total employment: 60 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
26 / 50- Median annual wage: $35,960
- Median hourly wage: $17.29
- Total employment: 830 people (10.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
27 / 50- Median annual wage: $35,930
- Median hourly wage: $17.27
- Total employment: 40 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock
28 / 50- Median annual wage: $35,910
- Median hourly wage: $17.27
- Total employment: 90 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
29 / 50- Median annual wage: $35,880
- Median hourly wage: $17.25
- Total employment: 80 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
30 / 50- Median annual wage: $35,850
- Median hourly wage: $17.24
- Total employment: 100 people (1.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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BearFotos // Shutterstock
31 / 50- Median annual wage: $35,620
- Median hourly wage: $17.13
- Total employment: 210 people (2.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
MAVV // Shutterstock
32 / 50- Median annual wage: $35,410
- Median hourly wage: $17.02
- Total employment: 3,830 people (48.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
33 / 50- Median annual wage: $35,360
- Median hourly wage: $17.00
- Total employment: 100 people (1.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
34 / 50- Median annual wage: $35,270
- Median hourly wage: $16.96
- Total employment: 230 people (2.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
35 / 50- Median annual wage: $35,140
- Median hourly wage: $16.90
- Total employment: 390 people (4.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
36 / 50- Median annual wage: $35,030
- Median hourly wage: $16.84
- Total employment: 1,490 people (18.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
37 / 50- Median annual wage: $34,960
- Median hourly wage: $16.81
- Total employment: 240 people (3.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
38 / 50- Median annual wage: $34,720
- Median hourly wage: $16.69
- Total employment: 130 people (1.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
39 / 50- Median annual wage: $34,640
- Median hourly wage: $16.66
- Total employment: 2,340 people (29.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
40 / 50- Median annual wage: $34,320
- Median hourly wage: $16.50
- Total employment: 170 people (2.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
41 / 50- Median annual wage: $34,280
- Median hourly wage: $16.48
- Total employment: 190 people (2.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
42 / 50- Median annual wage: $34,260
- Median hourly wage: $16.47
- Total employment: 220 people (2.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jason Person // Shutterstock
43 / 50- Median annual wage: $34,200
- Median hourly wage: $16.44
- Total employment: 130 people (1.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
44 / 50- Median annual wage: $33,530
- Median hourly wage: $16.12
- Total employment: 4,460 people (56.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
45 / 50- Median annual wage: $33,420
- Median hourly wage: $16.07
- Total employment: 630 people (8.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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santypan // Shutterstock
46 / 50- Median annual wage: $33,390
- Median hourly wage: $16.05
- Total employment: 160 people (2.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
47 / 50- Median annual wage: $33,340
- Median hourly wage: $16.03
- Total employment: 120 people (1.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nature's Charm // Shutterstock
48 / 50- Median annual wage: $33,300
- Median hourly wage: $16.01
- Total employment: 50 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
49 / 50- Median annual wage: $33,280
- Median hourly wage: $16.00
- Total employment: 130 people (1.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SviatlanaLaza // Shutterstock
50 / 50- Median annual wage: $33,280
- Median hourly wage: $16.00
- Total employment: 1,190 people (15.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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