Standret // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Counter and rental clerks
- Median annual wage: $40,860
- Median hourly wage: $19.64
- Total employment: 150 people (3.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Watertown
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 Watertown. 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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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Waiters and waitresses
- Median annual wage: $40,720
- Median hourly wage: $19.58
- Total employment: 860 people (22.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Bakers
- Median annual wage: $40,360
- Median hourly wage: $19.41
- Total employment: 30 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Stockers and order fillers
- Median annual wage: $40,070
- Median hourly wage: $19.26
- Total employment: 840 people (21.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ruslan Galiullin // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Office clerks, general
- Median annual wage: $39,560
- Median hourly wage: $19.02
- Total employment: 620 people (15.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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ESB Basic // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Customer service representatives
- Median annual wage: $39,490
- Median hourly wage: $18.98
- Total employment: 500 people (12.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vasin Lee // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Residential advisors
- Median annual wage: $38,400
- Median hourly wage: $18.46
- Total employment: 40 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
nullplus // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Light truck drivers
- Median annual wage: $38,310
- Median hourly wage: $18.42
- Total employment: 340 people (8.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Nursing assistants
- Median annual wage: $38,160
- Median hourly wage: $18.35
- Total employment: 430 people (10.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers
- Median annual wage: $38,130
- Median hourly wage: $18.33
- Total employment: 330 people (8.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators
- Median annual wage: $37,970
- Median hourly wage: $18.26
- Total employment: 120 people (3.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Milkovasa // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Medical assistants
- Median annual wage: $37,910
- Median hourly wage: $18.23
- Total employment: 100 people (2.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Tellers
- Median annual wage: $37,790
- Median hourly wage: $18.17
- Total employment: 110 people (2.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragana Gordic // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Pharmacy technicians
- Median annual wage: $37,330
- Median hourly wage: $17.95
- Total employment: 120 people (3.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Weerayuth Kanchanacharoen // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
- Median annual wage: $37,310
- Median hourly wage: $17.94
- Total employment: 440 people (11.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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LightField Studios // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Emergency medical technicians
- Median annual wage: $37,290
- Median hourly wage: $17.93
- Total employment: 110 people (2.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Cooks, institution and cafeteria
- Median annual wage: $37,130
- Median hourly wage: $17.85
- Total employment: 90 people (2.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santypan // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Bartenders
- Median annual wage: $37,020
- Median hourly wage: $17.80
- Total employment: 270 people (7.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Medical secretaries and administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $36,880
- Median hourly wage: $17.73
- Total employment: 240 people (6.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
New Africa // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Receptionists and information clerks
- Median annual wage: $36,680
- Median hourly wage: $17.64
- Total employment: 230 people (6.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Interviewers, except eligibility and loan
- Median annual wage: $36,550
- Median hourly wage: $17.57
- Total employment: 60 people (1.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Median annual wage: $36,510
- Median hourly wage: $17.55
- Total employment: 50 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
23 / 50#27. Cooks, restaurant (tie)
- Median annual wage: $36,480
- Median hourly wage: $17.54
- Total employment: 340 people (8.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $36,480
- Median hourly wage: $17.54
- Total employment: 270 people (6.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $36,320
- Median hourly wage: $17.46
- Total employment: 80 people (1.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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zhu difeng // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Merchandise displayers and window trimmers
- Median annual wage: $36,290
- Median hourly wage: $17.45
- Total employment: 50 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $36,050
- Median hourly wage: $17.33
- Total employment: 60 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DSBfoto // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $35,870
- Median hourly wage: $17.25
- Total employment: 680 people (17.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $35,730
- Median hourly wage: $17.18
- Total employment: 110 people (2.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Substitute teachers, short-term
- Median annual wage: $35,620
- Median hourly wage: $17.12
- Total employment: 470 people (11.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $35,320
- Median hourly wage: $16.98
- Total employment: 130 people (3.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $35,190
- Median hourly wage: $16.92
- Total employment: 880 people (22.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Library assistants, clerical
- Median annual wage: $33,940
- Median hourly wage: $16.32
- Total employment: 50 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $33,870
- Median hourly wage: $16.28
- Total employment: 90 people (2.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $33,830
- Median hourly wage: $16.26
- Total employment: 280 people (7.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $33,780
- Median hourly wage: $16.24
- Total employment: 110 people (2.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $33,710
- Median hourly wage: $16.21
- Total employment: 290 people (7.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $33,570
- Median hourly wage: $16.14
- Total employment: 1,520 people (38.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Richard Thornton // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. School bus monitors
- Median annual wage: $33,330
- Median hourly wage: $16.02
- Total employment: 90 people (2.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $33,070
- Median hourly wage: $15.90
- Total employment: 240 people (6.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jason Person // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Cooks, short order
- Median annual wage: $32,910
- Median hourly wage: $15.82
- Total employment: 100 people (2.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $32,790
- Median hourly wage: $15.76
- Total employment: 50 people (1.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $32,240
- Median hourly wage: $15.50
- Total employment: 70 people (1.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
- Median annual wage: $31,990
- Median hourly wage: $15.38
- Total employment: 130 people (3.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $31,800
- Median hourly wage: $15.29
- Total employment: 1,110 people (28.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
46 / 50#1. Cashiers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 1,100 people (28.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
47 / 50#1. Dishwashers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 130 people (3.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 950 people (24.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leika production // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Couriers and messengers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 30 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Childcare workers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 160 people (4.1 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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