Kitreel // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Food batchmakers
- Median annual wage: $38,690
- Median hourly wage: $18.60
- Total employment: 110 people (2.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Kankakee
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 Kankakee. 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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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
2 / 50#48. Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators (tie)
- Median annual wage: $38,480
- Median hourly wage: $18.50
- Total employment: 440 people (10.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Insurance claims and policy processing clerks (tie)
- Median annual wage: $38,480
- Median hourly wage: $18.50
- Total employment: 30 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragana Gordic // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Pharmacy technicians
- Median annual wage: $37,820
- Median hourly wage: $18.18
- Total employment: 170 people (4.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Milkovasa // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Medical assistants
- Median annual wage: $37,390
- Median hourly wage: $17.98
- Total employment: 230 people (5.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock
6 / 50#44. Nursing assistants (tie)
- Median annual wage: $37,350
- Median hourly wage: $17.96
- Total employment: 680 people (15.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
zhu difeng // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Merchandise displayers and window trimmers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $37,350
- Median hourly wage: $17.96
- Total employment: 30 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
8 / 50#42. Substitute teachers, short-term (tie)
- Median annual wage: $37,340
- Median hourly wage: $17.95
- Total employment: 140 people (3.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Tellers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $37,340
- Median hourly wage: $17.95
- Total employment: 150 people (3.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $37,050
- Median hourly wage: $17.81
- Total employment: 230 people (5.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Undrey // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Data entry keyers
- Median annual wage: $37,010
- Median hourly wage: $17.79
- Total employment: 40 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Security guards
- Median annual wage: $36,620
- Median hourly wage: $17.61
- Total employment: 320 people (7.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Median annual wage: $36,600
- Median hourly wage: $17.60
- Total employment: 70 people (1.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Medical secretaries and administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $36,570
- Median hourly wage: $17.58
- Total employment: 290 people (6.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
New Africa // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Receptionists and information clerks
- Median annual wage: $36,400
- Median hourly wage: $17.50
- Total employment: 300 people (7.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers
- Median annual wage: $36,260
- Median hourly wage: $17.44
- Total employment: 370 people (8.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
UfaBizPhoto // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Parts salespersons
- Median annual wage: $36,090
- Median hourly wage: $17.35
- Total employment: 90 people (2.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Standret // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Counter and rental clerks
- Median annual wage: $35,970
- Median hourly wage: $17.29
- Total employment: 90 people (2.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Cooks, institution and cafeteria
- Median annual wage: $35,830
- Median hourly wage: $17.23
- Total employment: 240 people (5.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Weerayuth Kanchanacharoen // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
- Median annual wage: $35,590
- Median hourly wage: $17.11
- Total employment: 1,020 people (24.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $35,280
- Median hourly wage: $16.96
- Total employment: 630 people (14.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $35,200
- Median hourly wage: $16.92
- Total employment: 140 people (3.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $35,020
- Median hourly wage: $16.84
- Total employment: 120 people (2.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Automotive and watercraft service attendants
- Median annual wage: $34,980
- Median hourly wage: $16.82
- Total employment: 50 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DSBfoto // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $34,930
- Median hourly wage: $16.79
- Total employment: 580 people (13.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $34,750
- Median hourly wage: $16.71
- Total employment: 310 people (7.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $34,520
- Median hourly wage: $16.60
- Total employment: 80 people (1.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SviatlanaLaza // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Packers and packagers, hand
- Median annual wage: $34,090
- Median hourly wage: $16.39
- Total employment: 140 people (3.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Cooks, restaurant
- Median annual wage: $33,430
- Median hourly wage: $16.07
- Total employment: 410 people (9.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vasin Lee // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Residential advisors
- Median annual wage: $33,020
- Median hourly wage: $15.87
- Total employment: 40 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Ground Picture // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Stockers and order fillers
- Median annual wage: $32,520
- Median hourly wage: $15.64
- Total employment: 860 people (20.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Richard Thornton // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. School bus monitors
- Median annual wage: $32,230
- Median hourly wage: $15.50
- Total employment: 60 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $31,470
- Median hourly wage: $15.13
- Total employment: 180 people (4.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $31,410
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 600 people (14.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 30 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Library assistants, clerical
- Median annual wage: $31,070
- Median hourly wage: $14.94
- Total employment: 70 people (1.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $30,900
- Median hourly wage: $14.86
- Total employment: 1,150 people (26.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $30,830
- Median hourly wage: $14.82
- Total employment: 1,430 people (33.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $30,700
- Median hourly wage: $14.76
- Total employment: 150 people (3.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $30,540
- Median hourly wage: $14.69
- Total employment: 60 people (1.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $30,510
- Median hourly wage: $14.67
- Total employment: 140 people (3.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $30,040
- Median hourly wage: $14.44
- Total employment: 120 people (2.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $29,820
- Median hourly wage: $14.34
- Total employment: 110 people (2.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $29,800
- Median hourly wage: $14.33
- Total employment: 1,100 people (25.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $29,480
- Median hourly wage: $14.17
- Total employment: 150 people (3.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dragon Images // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
- Median annual wage: $29,310
- Median hourly wage: $14.09
- Total employment: 100 people (2.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $29,240
- Median hourly wage: $14.06
- Total employment: 70 people (1.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $29,120
- Median hourly wage: $14.00
- Total employment: 120 people (2.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Waiters and waitresses (tie)
- Median annual wage: $29,120
- Median hourly wage: $14.00
- Total employment: 590 people (13.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santypan // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Bartenders (tie)
- Median annual wage: $29,120
- Median hourly wage: $14.00
- Total employment: 290 people (6.72 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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