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1 / 50#50. Physical therapist aides
- Median annual wage: $36,180
- Median hourly wage: $17.39
- Total employment: 30 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Cedar Rapids
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 Cedar Rapids. 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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kanemme6 // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Tire repairers and changers
- Median annual wage: $35,890
- Median hourly wage: $17.25
- Total employment: 110 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Cooks, restaurant
- Median annual wage: $35,770
- Median hourly wage: $17.20
- Total employment: 1,280 people (9.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Office machine operators, except computer
- Median annual wage: $35,630
- Median hourly wage: $17.13
- Total employment: 30 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Cooks, institution and cafeteria
- Median annual wage: $35,620
- Median hourly wage: $17.12
- Total employment: 810 people (5.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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New Africa // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Receptionists and information clerks
- Median annual wage: $35,470
- Median hourly wage: $17.05
- Total employment: 530 people (3.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $35,440
- Median hourly wage: $17.04
- Total employment: 2,160 people (15.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
MarijaBazarova // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Skincare specialists
- Median annual wage: $35,300
- Median hourly wage: $16.97
- Total employment: 60 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
MAVV // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
- Median annual wage: $35,230
- Median hourly wage: $16.94
- Total employment: 50 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
hedgehog94 // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Pest control workers
- Median annual wage: $35,220
- Median hourly wage: $16.94
- Total employment: 40 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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DSBfoto // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $35,110
- Median hourly wage: $16.88
- Total employment: 1,970 people (14.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Richard Thornton // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. School bus monitors
- Median annual wage: $34,640
- Median hourly wage: $16.65
- Total employment: 110 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Standret // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Counter and rental clerks
- Median annual wage: $34,500
- Median hourly wage: $16.59
- Total employment: 150 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nature's Charm // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Food preparation and serving related workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $33,530
- Median hourly wage: $16.12
- Total employment: 40 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DuxX // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Butchers and meat cutters
- Median annual wage: $33,260
- Median hourly wage: $15.99
- Total employment: 200 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Helpers--pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $33,010
- Median hourly wage: $15.87
- Total employment: 40 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Median annual wage: $32,300
- Median hourly wage: $15.53
- Total employment: 220 people (1.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Pharmacy aides
- Median annual wage: $32,230
- Median hourly wage: $15.50
- Total employment: 100 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $32,040
- Median hourly wage: $15.41
- Total employment: 550 people (3.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Real estate sales agents
- Median annual wage: $31,780
- Median hourly wage: $15.28
- Total employment: 50 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Cooks, short order
- Median annual wage: $31,460
- Median hourly wage: $15.13
- Total employment: 150 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $31,440
- Median hourly wage: $15.12
- Total employment: 130 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers
- Median annual wage: $31,110
- Median hourly wage: $14.96
- Total employment: 150 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
antoniodiaz // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys
- Median annual wage: $30,930
- Median hourly wage: $14.87
- Total employment: 40 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ORION PRODUCTION // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $30,700
- Median hourly wage: $14.76
- Total employment: 90 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $30,430
- Median hourly wage: $14.63
- Total employment: 400 people (2.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $30,370
- Median hourly wage: $14.60
- Total employment: 3,040 people (21.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Atstock Productions // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Telemarketers
- Median annual wage: $30,190
- Median hourly wage: $14.51
- Total employment: 180 people (1.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $30,130
- Median hourly wage: $14.48
- Total employment: 190 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $29,890
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 1,630 people (11.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $29,850
- Median hourly wage: $14.35
- Total employment: 430 people (3.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $29,460
- Median hourly wage: $14.16
- Total employment: 490 people (3.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Shakirov Albert // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Floral designers
- Median annual wage: $29,410
- Median hourly wage: $14.14
- Total employment: 30 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $29,380
- Median hourly wage: $14.13
- Total employment: 530 people (3.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $29,100
- Median hourly wage: $13.99
- Total employment: 3,390 people (24.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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SviatlanaLaza // Shutterstock
36 / 50#14. Packers and packagers, hand (tie)
- Median annual wage: $29,080
- Median hourly wage: $13.98
- Total employment: 500 people (3.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Childcare workers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $29,080
- Median hourly wage: $13.98
- Total employment: 410 people (2.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
38 / 50#12. Animal caretakers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $29,040
- Median hourly wage: $13.96
- Total employment: 320 people (2.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Library assistants, clerical (tie)
- Median annual wage: $29,040
- Median hourly wage: $13.96
- Total employment: 60 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $28,780
- Median hourly wage: $13.84
- Total employment: 430 people (3.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $28,410
- Median hourly wage: $13.66
- Total employment: 3,050 people (21.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $28,310
- Median hourly wage: $13.61
- Total employment: 320 people (2.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
- Median annual wage: $27,670
- Median hourly wage: $13.30
- Total employment: 320 people (2.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Waiters and waitresses
- Median annual wage: $27,620
- Median hourly wage: $13.28
- Total employment: 1,840 people (13.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $25,850
- Median hourly wage: $12.43
- Total employment: 320 people (2.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Martin Smith // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Parking attendants
- Median annual wage: $25,560
- Median hourly wage: $12.29
- Total employment: 170 people (1.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $25,340
- Median hourly wage: $12.19
- Total employment: 240 people (1.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Amusement and recreation attendants
- Median annual wage: $23,630
- Median hourly wage: $11.36
- Total employment: 430 people (3.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santypan // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Bartenders
- Median annual wage: $22,760
- Median hourly wage: $10.94
- Total employment: 690 people (4.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers
- Median annual wage: $22,430
- Median hourly wage: $10.78
- Total employment: 90 people (0.64 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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