Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
1 / 50#49. Life, physical, and social science technicians, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: $46,300
- Median hourly wage: $22.26
- Total employment: 90 people (1.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Kahului
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 Kahului. 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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2 / 50#49. Real estate sales agents (tie)
- Median annual wage: $46,300
- Median hourly wage: $22.26
- Total employment: 130 people (1.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Nursing assistants
- Median annual wage: $46,260
- Median hourly wage: $22.24
- Total employment: 340 people (4.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
- Median annual wage: $46,250
- Median hourly wage: $22.24
- Total employment: 430 people (5.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $46,170
- Median hourly wage: $22.20
- Total employment: 100 people (1.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Amusement and recreation attendants
- Median annual wage: $45,980
- Median hourly wage: $22.11
- Total employment: 760 people (10.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
shocky // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers
- Median annual wage: $45,720
- Median hourly wage: $21.98
- Total employment: 110 people (1.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Standret // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Counter and rental clerks
- Median annual wage: $45,710
- Median hourly wage: $21.98
- Total employment: 380 people (5.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ruslan Galiullin // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Office clerks, general
- Median annual wage: $45,270
- Median hourly wage: $21.77
- Total employment: 1,590 people (22.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Bakers
- Median annual wage: $45,240
- Median hourly wage: $21.75
- Total employment: 170 people (2.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Light truck drivers
- Median annual wage: $45,130
- Median hourly wage: $21.70
- Total employment: 270 people (3.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $45,080
- Median hourly wage: $21.67
- Total employment: 170 people (2.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Office and administrative support workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $45,000
- Median hourly wage: $21.64
- Total employment: 110 people (1.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Social and human service assistants
- Median annual wage: $44,940
- Median hourly wage: $21.61
- Total employment: 460 people (6.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragana Gordic // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Pharmacy technicians
- Median annual wage: $44,550
- Median hourly wage: $21.42
- Total employment: 180 people (2.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Deemerwha studio // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Conservation scientists
- Median annual wage: $44,460
- Median hourly wage: $21.38
- Total employment: 60 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Tellers
- Median annual wage: $44,080
- Median hourly wage: $21.19
- Total employment: 200 people (2.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kelvn // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Passenger attendants
- Median annual wage: $43,610
- Median hourly wage: $20.97
- Total employment: 250 people (3.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ESB Basic // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Customer service representatives
- Median annual wage: $43,540
- Median hourly wage: $20.93
- Total employment: 690 people (9.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $42,940
- Median hourly wage: $20.64
- Total employment: 750 people (10.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $42,830
- Median hourly wage: $20.59
- Total employment: 560 people (7.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Tutors
- Median annual wage: $42,550
- Median hourly wage: $20.46
- Total employment: 120 people (1.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragana Gordic // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Community health workers
- Median annual wage: $42,500
- Median hourly wage: $20.43
- Total employment: Not available
New Africa // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Receptionists and information clerks
- Median annual wage: $42,040
- Median hourly wage: $20.21
- Total employment: 350 people (4.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers
- Median annual wage: $41,940
- Median hourly wage: $20.17
- Total employment: 70 people (1.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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DSBfoto // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $40,550
- Median hourly wage: $19.50
- Total employment: 1,230 people (17.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Stockers and order fillers
- Median annual wage: $40,480
- Median hourly wage: $19.46
- Total employment: 1,230 people (17.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Cargo and freight agents
- Median annual wage: $39,720
- Median hourly wage: $19.10
- Total employment: 280 people (3.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Martin Smith // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Parking attendants
- Median annual wage: $39,170
- Median hourly wage: $18.83
- Total employment: 190 people (2.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
zhu difeng // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Merchandise displayers and window trimmers
- Median annual wage: $39,060
- Median hourly wage: $18.78
- Total employment: 110 people (1.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Baggage porters and bellhops
- Median annual wage: $39,020
- Median hourly wage: $18.76
- Total employment: 210 people (2.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks
- Median annual wage: $38,860
- Median hourly wage: $18.68
- Total employment: 440 people (6.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $38,460
- Median hourly wage: $18.49
- Total employment: 200 people (2.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $38,420
- Median hourly wage: $18.47
- Total employment: 70 people (1.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $38,190
- Median hourly wage: $18.36
- Total employment: 300 people (4.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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worradirek // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Helpers--production workers
- Median annual wage: $38,170
- Median hourly wage: $18.35
- Total employment: 30 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $37,840
- Median hourly wage: $18.19
- Total employment: 1,560 people (21.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $37,740
- Median hourly wage: $18.15
- Total employment: 2,350 people (32.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $37,670
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 620 people (8.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SviatlanaLaza // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Packers and packagers, hand
- Median annual wage: $37,480
- Median hourly wage: $18.02
- Total employment: 270 people (3.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
41 / 50#9. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $37,440
- Median hourly wage: $18.00
- Total employment: 290 people (4.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Home health and personal care aides (tie)
- Median annual wage: $37,440
- Median hourly wage: $18.00
- Total employment: 640 people (8.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
MAVV // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
- Median annual wage: $36,870
- Median hourly wage: $17.73
- Total employment: 130 people (1.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Philip Lange // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Highway maintenance workers
- Median annual wage: $36,600
- Median hourly wage: $17.60
- Total employment: Not available
Vasin Lee // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Residential advisors
- Median annual wage: $36,050
- Median hourly wage: $17.33
- Total employment: 70 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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tilialucida // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Biological technicians
- Median annual wage: $35,480
- Median hourly wage: $17.06
- Total employment: 170 people (2.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $34,670
- Median hourly wage: $16.67
- Total employment: 2,710 people (37.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $34,590
- Median hourly wage: $16.63
- Total employment: 60 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aappp // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Aircraft service attendants
- Median annual wage: $34,330
- Median hourly wage: $16.51
- Total employment: 80 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Viktoriia Hnatiuk // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Travel agents
- Median annual wage: $29,120
- Median hourly wage: $14.00
- Total employment: 100 people (1.34 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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