MIND AND I // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Woodworkers, all other
- Median annual wage: $36,580
- Median hourly wage: $17.59
- Total employment: 110 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Phoenix
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 Phoenix. 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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DSBfoto // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $36,570
- Median hourly wage: $17.58
- Total employment: 26,040 people (11.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $36,520
- Median hourly wage: $17.56
- Total employment: 8,760 people (3.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $36,480
- Median hourly wage: $17.54
- Total employment: 53,750 people (22.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
zhu difeng // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Merchandise displayers and window trimmers
- Median annual wage: $36,330
- Median hourly wage: $17.47
- Total employment: 3,510 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $36,220
- Median hourly wage: $17.41
- Total employment: 4,950 people (2.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $36,180
- Median hourly wage: $17.39
- Total employment: 16,610 people (7.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Shakirov Albert // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Floral designers
- Median annual wage: $36,110
- Median hourly wage: $17.36
- Total employment: 160 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $36,020
- Median hourly wage: $17.32
- Total employment: 10,340 people (4.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $35,970
- Median hourly wage: $17.29
- Total employment: 3,340 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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NIKCOA // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Medical transcriptionists
- Median annual wage: $35,960
- Median hourly wage: $17.29
- Total employment: 680 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kelvn // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Passenger attendants
- Median annual wage: $35,880
- Median hourly wage: $17.25
- Total employment: Not available
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Substitute teachers, short-term
- Median annual wage: $35,850
- Median hourly wage: $17.24
- Total employment: 3,300 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Indypendenz // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service
- Median annual wage: $35,800
- Median hourly wage: $17.21
- Total employment: 690 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $35,640
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 16,980 people (7.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $35,620
- Median hourly wage: $17.13
- Total employment: 4,890 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $35,550
- Median hourly wage: $17.09
- Total employment: 64,030 people (27.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Visual Intermezzo // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Photographic process workers and processing machine operators
- Median annual wage: $35,520
- Median hourly wage: $17.08
- Total employment: Not available
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $35,470
- Median hourly wage: $17.05
- Total employment: 2,610 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $35,460
- Median hourly wage: $17.05
- Total employment: 7,670 people (3.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Pressmaster // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $35,410
- Median hourly wage: $17.02
- Total employment: 3,890 people (1.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
22 / 50#27. Recreation workers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $35,390
- Median hourly wage: $17.01
- Total employment: 8,380 people (3.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
23 / 50#27. Preschool teachers, except special education (tie)
- Median annual wage: $35,390
- Median hourly wage: $17.01
- Total employment: 7,090 people (3.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $35,390
- Median hourly wage: $17.01
- Total employment: 2,850 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
- Median annual wage: $35,370
- Median hourly wage: $17.01
- Total employment: 8,350 people (3.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
26 / 50#24. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $35,360
- Median hourly wage: $17.00
- Total employment: 2,060 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Robert Przybysz // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials (tie)
- Median annual wage: $35,360
- Median hourly wage: $17.00
- Total employment: 300 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Baggage porters and bellhops
- Median annual wage: $35,270
- Median hourly wage: $16.96
- Total employment: 330 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists
- Median annual wage: $35,220
- Median hourly wage: $16.93
- Total employment: 6,330 people (2.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Finist4 // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Manicurists and pedicurists
- Median annual wage: $34,990
- Median hourly wage: $16.82
- Total employment: 2,040 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Physical therapist aides
- Median annual wage: $34,940
- Median hourly wage: $16.80
- Total employment: 1,510 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Atstock Productions // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Telemarketers
- Median annual wage: $34,930
- Median hourly wage: $16.79
- Total employment: 1,360 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Automotive and watercraft service attendants
- Median annual wage: $34,720
- Median hourly wage: $16.69
- Total employment: 510 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Richard Thornton // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. School bus monitors
- Median annual wage: $34,480
- Median hourly wage: $16.58
- Total employment: 1,020 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Korotkov // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Crossing guards and flaggers
- Median annual wage: $34,020
- Median hourly wage: $16.35
- Total employment: 1,420 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $33,870
- Median hourly wage: $16.28
- Total employment: 62,150 people (26.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $33,700
- Median hourly wage: $16.20
- Total employment: 46,710 people (19.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Helpers--brickmasons, blockmasons, stonemasons, and tile and marble setters
- Median annual wage: $33,370
- Median hourly wage: $16.05
- Total employment: 410 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Demonstrators and product promoters
- Median annual wage: $33,280
- Median hourly wage: $16.00
- Total employment: 1,620 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Martin Smith // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Parking attendants
- Median annual wage: $33,020
- Median hourly wage: $15.87
- Total employment: 2,560 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Neale Cousland // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Athletes and sports competitors
- Median annual wage: $33,000
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: Not available
Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Barbers
- Median annual wage: $32,840
- Median hourly wage: $15.79
- Total employment: Not available
O.PASH // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Animal trainers
- Median annual wage: $32,220
- Median hourly wage: $15.49
- Total employment: 530 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Cameris // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Taxi drivers
- Median annual wage: $31,340
- Median hourly wage: $15.07
- Total employment: 710 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Amusement and recreation attendants
- Median annual wage: $31,320
- Median hourly wage: $15.06
- Total employment: 4,700 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $31,140
- Median hourly wage: $14.97
- Total employment: 8,930 people (3.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers
- Median annual wage: $31,090
- Median hourly wage: $14.95
- Total employment: 2,860 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Office machine operators, except computer
- Median annual wage: $30,940
- Median hourly wage: $14.87
- Total employment: Not available
Gerain0812 // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Cutters and trimmers, hand
- Median annual wage: $30,110
- Median hourly wage: $14.48
- Total employment: Not available
Robilad Co // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Craft artists
- Median annual wage: $29,950
- Median hourly wage: $14.40
- Total employment: Not available
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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