Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Cooks, institution and cafeteria
- Median annual wage: $35,010
- Median hourly wage: $16.83
- Total employment: 800 people (3.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Fort Wayne
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 Fort Wayne. 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.
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Stockers and order fillers
- Median annual wage: $34,870
- Median hourly wage: $16.77
- Total employment: 4,610 people (20.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DSBfoto // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $34,810
- Median hourly wage: $16.74
- Total employment: 3,360 people (15.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Motor vehicle operators, all other
- Median annual wage: $34,800
- Median hourly wage: $16.73
- Total employment: 30 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krysja // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Funeral attendants
- Median annual wage: $34,710
- Median hourly wage: $16.69
- Total employment: 70 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Cooks, restaurant
- Median annual wage: $34,550
- Median hourly wage: $16.61
- Total employment: 2,130 people (9.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $34,520
- Median hourly wage: $16.60
- Total employment: 390 people (1.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ORION PRODUCTION // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $34,440
- Median hourly wage: $16.56
- Total employment: 160 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Bakers
- Median annual wage: $34,360
- Median hourly wage: $16.52
- Total employment: 200 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $33,490
- Median hourly wage: $16.10
- Total employment: 550 people (2.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lucky Business // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Sales and related workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $33,280
- Median hourly wage: $16.00
- Total employment: 40 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Standret // Shutterstock
12 / 50#38. Counter and rental clerks (tie)
- Median annual wage: $33,260
- Median hourly wage: $15.99
- Total employment: 660 people (2.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Coaches and scouts (tie)
- Median annual wage: $33,260
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 360 people (1.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $32,170
- Median hourly wage: $15.47
- Total employment: 1,020 people (4.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Median annual wage: $32,040
- Median hourly wage: $15.41
- Total employment: 340 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Automotive and watercraft service attendants
- Median annual wage: $31,830
- Median hourly wage: $15.31
- Total employment: 220 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $31,570
- Median hourly wage: $15.18
- Total employment: 450 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Martin Smith // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Parking attendants
- Median annual wage: $31,500
- Median hourly wage: $15.14
- Total employment: 250 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Airfield operations specialists
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 50 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $30,580
- Median hourly wage: $14.70
- Total employment: 4,110 people (18.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $30,510
- Median hourly wage: $14.67
- Total employment: 850 people (3.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers
- Median annual wage: $30,450
- Median hourly wage: $14.64
- Total employment: 180 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Richard Thornton // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. School bus monitors
- Median annual wage: $30,380
- Median hourly wage: $14.61
- Total employment: 90 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $30,360
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 1,460 people (6.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $30,270
- Median hourly wage: $14.56
- Total employment: 850 people (3.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Library assistants, clerical
- Median annual wage: $30,120
- Median hourly wage: $14.48
- Total employment: 60 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Shakirov Albert // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Floral designers
- Median annual wage: $30,000
- Median hourly wage: $14.43
- Total employment: 50 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Carlovis // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Tour and travel guides
- Median annual wage: $29,910
- Median hourly wage: $14.38
- Total employment: 30 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lucky Business // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors
- Median annual wage: $29,880
- Median hourly wage: $14.36
- Total employment: 450 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $29,650
- Median hourly wage: $14.26
- Total employment: 240 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Flamingo Images // Shutterstock
31 / 50#19. Concierges (tie)
- Median annual wage: $29,580
- Median hourly wage: $14.22
- Total employment: 30 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Retail salespersons (tie)
- Median annual wage: $29,580
- Median hourly wage: $14.22
- Total employment: 5,740 people (25.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $29,570
- Median hourly wage: $14.22
- Total employment: 270 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jason Person // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Cooks, short order
- Median annual wage: $29,340
- Median hourly wage: $14.11
- Total employment: 190 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists
- Median annual wage: $29,270
- Median hourly wage: $14.07
- Total employment: 440 people (1.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $28,950
- Median hourly wage: $13.92
- Total employment: 590 people (2.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $28,800
- Median hourly wage: $13.85
- Total employment: 340 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $28,660
- Median hourly wage: $13.78
- Total employment: 340 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $28,590
- Median hourly wage: $13.75
- Total employment: 4,290 people (19.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Library technicians
- Median annual wage: $28,330
- Median hourly wage: $13.62
- Total employment: 250 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $28,280
- Median hourly wage: $13.60
- Total employment: 370 people (1.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Waiters and waitresses
- Median annual wage: $28,170
- Median hourly wage: $13.54
- Total employment: 3,290 people (14.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $28,110
- Median hourly wage: $13.51
- Total employment: 420 people (1.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers
- Median annual wage: $27,980
- Median hourly wage: $13.45
- Total employment: 250 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $27,970
- Median hourly wage: $13.45
- Total employment: 710 people (3.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $27,770
- Median hourly wage: $13.35
- Total employment: 6,960 people (31.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
- Median annual wage: $27,630
- Median hourly wage: $13.29
- Total employment: 700 people (3.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Physical therapist aides
- Median annual wage: $26,530
- Median hourly wage: $12.76
- Total employment: 100 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Amusement and recreation attendants
- Median annual wage: $26,520
- Median hourly wage: $12.75
- Total employment: 440 people (1.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santypan // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Bartenders
- Median annual wage: $22,430
- Median hourly wage: $10.78
- Total employment: 930 people (4.16 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.
