Lucky Business // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors
- Median annual wage: $39,550
- Median hourly wage: $19.01
- Total employment: 80 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Bangor
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 Bangor. 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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Socrates471 // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Audio and video technicians
- Median annual wage: $39,350
- Median hourly wage: $18.92
- Total employment: 60 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Korotkov // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Crossing guards and flaggers
- Median annual wage: $39,020
- Median hourly wage: $18.76
- Total employment: Not available
zhu difeng // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Merchandise displayers and window trimmers
- Median annual wage: $38,970
- Median hourly wage: $18.74
- Total employment: 160 people (2.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Self-enrichment teachers
- Median annual wage: $38,960
- Median hourly wage: $18.73
- Total employment: 130 people (1.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Production workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $38,710
- Median hourly wage: $18.61
- Total employment: 80 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Waiters and waitresses
- Median annual wage: $38,630
- Median hourly wage: $18.57
- Total employment: 820 people (11.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Cooks, restaurant
- Median annual wage: $38,620
- Median hourly wage: $18.57
- Total employment: 540 people (7.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Tellers
- Median annual wage: $38,590
- Median hourly wage: $18.55
- Total employment: 250 people (3.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
antoniodiaz // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Broadcast announcers and radio disc jockeys
- Median annual wage: $38,490
- Median hourly wage: $18.51
- Total employment: 30 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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New Africa // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Receptionists and information clerks
- Median annual wage: $38,480
- Median hourly wage: $18.50
- Total employment: 370 people (5.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Photographee.eu // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Rehabilitation counselors
- Median annual wage: $38,330
- Median hourly wage: $18.43
- Total employment: Not available
UfaBizPhoto // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Sewing machine operators
- Median annual wage: $38,260
- Median hourly wage: $18.39
- Total employment: 50 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $37,520
- Median hourly wage: $18.04
- Total employment: 160 people (2.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kanemme6 // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Tire repairers and changers
- Median annual wage: $37,440
- Median hourly wage: $18.00
- Total employment: 90 people (1.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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DSBfoto // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $37,410
- Median hourly wage: $17.99
- Total employment: 1,300 people (18.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Weerayuth Kanchanacharoen // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
- Median annual wage: $37,300
- Median hourly wage: $17.93
- Total employment: 730 people (10.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $36,900
- Median hourly wage: $17.74
- Total employment: 250 people (3.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Refuse and recyclable material collectors
- Median annual wage: $36,760
- Median hourly wage: $17.67
- Total employment: 80 people (1.1 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: $36,750
- Median hourly wage: $17.67
- Total employment: 2,140 people (29.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kitreel // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Food batchmakers
- Median annual wage: $36,680
- Median hourly wage: $17.64
- Total employment: 30 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Bakers
- Median annual wage: $36,570
- Median hourly wage: $17.58
- Total employment: 160 people (2.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Pharmacy aides
- Median annual wage: $36,460
- Median hourly wage: $17.53
- Total employment: 40 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Stockers and order fillers
- Median annual wage: $36,380
- Median hourly wage: $17.49
- Total employment: 1,520 people (21.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $36,230
- Median hourly wage: $17.42
- Total employment: 210 people (2.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $36,210
- Median hourly wage: $17.41
- Total employment: 100 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Motortion Films // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Personal care and service workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $36,090
- Median hourly wage: $17.35
- Total employment: 90 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $35,620
- Median hourly wage: $17.12
- Total employment: 140 people (1.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Median annual wage: $35,550
- Median hourly wage: $17.09
- Total employment: 100 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $35,370
- Median hourly wage: $17.01
- Total employment: 590 people (8.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $35,240
- Median hourly wage: $16.94
- Total employment: 2,090 people (29.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $35,200
- Median hourly wage: $16.92
- Total employment: 580 people (8.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $35,050
- Median hourly wage: $16.85
- Total employment: 170 people (2.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $34,590
- Median hourly wage: $16.63
- Total employment: 60 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $34,450
- Median hourly wage: $16.56
- Total employment: 190 people (2.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Automotive and watercraft service attendants
- Median annual wage: $34,380
- Median hourly wage: $16.53
- Total employment: 50 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $33,850
- Median hourly wage: $16.28
- Total employment: 460 people (6.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jason Person // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Cooks, short order
- Median annual wage: $33,520
- Median hourly wage: $16.12
- Total employment: 120 people (1.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $32,560
- Median hourly wage: $15.65
- Total employment: 150 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $32,220
- Median hourly wage: $15.49
- Total employment: 2,380 people (33.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Lucky Business // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Sales and related workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $32,090
- Median hourly wage: $15.43
- Total employment: 30 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $32,020
- Median hourly wage: $15.40
- Total employment: 280 people (3.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers
- Median annual wage: $31,600
- Median hourly wage: $15.19
- Total employment: 40 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Amusement and recreation attendants
- Median annual wage: $31,370
- Median hourly wage: $15.08
- Total employment: 140 people (2.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $31,350
- Median hourly wage: $15.07
- Total employment: 2,030 people (28.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
46 / 50#4. Substitute teachers, short-term (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 110 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 150 people (2.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Motor vehicle operators, all other
- Median annual wage: $30,330
- Median hourly wage: $14.58
- Total employment: 80 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SviatlanaLaza // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Packers and packagers, hand
- Median annual wage: $30,130
- Median hourly wage: $14.49
- Total employment: 90 people (1.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers
- Median annual wage: $30,100
- Median hourly wage: $14.47
- Total employment: 80 people (1.14 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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