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1 / 50#50. Pharmacy technicians
- Median annual wage: $43,120
- Median hourly wage: $20.73
- Total employment: 170 people (3.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Pittsfield
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 Pittsfield. 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. Cooks, restaurant
- Median annual wage: $42,680
- Median hourly wage: $20.52
- Total employment: 690 people (11.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Carlovis // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Tour and travel guides
- Median annual wage: $42,260
- Median hourly wage: $20.32
- Total employment: 100 people (1.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Photographee.eu // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Rehabilitation counselors
- Median annual wage: $41,790
- Median hourly wage: $20.09
- Total employment: 130 people (2.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DuxX // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders
- Median annual wage: $41,060
- Median hourly wage: $19.74
- Total employment: 110 people (1.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Light truck drivers
- Median annual wage: $40,790
- Median hourly wage: $19.61
- Total employment: 290 people (4.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
UfaBizPhoto // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Parts salespersons
- Median annual wage: $40,370
- Median hourly wage: $19.41
- Total employment: 80 people (1.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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8 / 50#43. Tellers
- Median annual wage: $40,320
- Median hourly wage: $19.39
- Total employment: 220 people (3.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Miscellaneous assemblers and fabricators
- Median annual wage: $40,220
- Median hourly wage: $19.34
- Total employment: 80 people (1.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $39,920
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 830 people (14.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Emergency medical technicians
- Median annual wage: $39,480
- Median hourly wage: $18.98
- Total employment: 90 people (1.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Weerayuth Kanchanacharoen // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
- Median annual wage: $39,410
- Median hourly wage: $18.95
- Total employment: 410 people (7.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $39,390
- Median hourly wage: $18.94
- Total employment: 130 people (2.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $39,140
- Median hourly wage: $18.82
- Total employment: 2,560 people (44.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
MAVV // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
- Median annual wage: $39,120
- Median hourly wage: $18.81
- Total employment: 60 people (1.04 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: $38,740
- Median hourly wage: $18.62
- Total employment: 880 people (15.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Stockers and order fillers
- Median annual wage: $38,370
- Median hourly wage: $18.45
- Total employment: 860 people (14.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
New Africa // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Receptionists and information clerks
- Median annual wage: $38,230
- Median hourly wage: $18.38
- Total employment: 420 people (7.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
shocky // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers
- Median annual wage: $38,020
- Median hourly wage: $18.28
- Total employment: 50 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $38,010
- Median hourly wage: $18.27
- Total employment: 230 people (3.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $37,730
- Median hourly wage: $18.14
- Total employment: 90 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Bakers
- Median annual wage: $37,570
- Median hourly wage: $18.06
- Total employment: 90 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Standret // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Counter and rental clerks
- Median annual wage: $37,540
- Median hourly wage: $18.05
- Total employment: 100 people (1.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LuckView // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $37,160
- Median hourly wage: $17.87
- Total employment: 110 people (1.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists
- Median annual wage: $36,890
- Median hourly wage: $17.74
- Total employment: 150 people (2.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Library assistants, clerical
- Median annual wage: $36,760
- Median hourly wage: $17.68
- Total employment: 100 people (1.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Median annual wage: $36,630
- Median hourly wage: $17.61
- Total employment: 220 people (3.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Martin Smith // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Parking attendants
- Median annual wage: $36,470
- Median hourly wage: $17.54
- Total employment: 40 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $36,290
- Median hourly wage: $17.45
- Total employment: 40 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $36,100
- Median hourly wage: $17.36
- Total employment: 150 people (2.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers
- Median annual wage: $36,050
- Median hourly wage: $17.33
- Total employment: 70 people (1.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $35,950
- Median hourly wage: $17.29
- Total employment: 310 people (5.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $35,830
- Median hourly wage: $17.23
- Total employment: 270 people (4.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $35,610
- Median hourly wage: $17.12
- Total employment: 230 people (4.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SviatlanaLaza // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Packers and packagers, hand
- Median annual wage: $35,540
- Median hourly wage: $17.09
- Total employment: 110 people (1.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $35,470
- Median hourly wage: $17.05
- Total employment: 120 people (2.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $35,380
- Median hourly wage: $17.01
- Total employment: 190 people (3.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $35,160
- Median hourly wage: $16.90
- Total employment: 1,860 people (32.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $35,150
- Median hourly wage: $16.90
- Total employment: 550 people (9.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Waiters and waitresses
- Median annual wage: $34,590
- Median hourly wage: $16.63
- Total employment: 1,000 people (17.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50#10. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $34,190
- Median hourly wage: $16.44
- Total employment: 170 people (3.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $34,010
- Median hourly wage: $16.35
- Total employment: 1,400 people (24.46 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: $33,980
- Median hourly wage: $16.34
- Total employment: 200 people (3.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $33,970
- Median hourly wage: $16.33
- Total employment: 100 people (1.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santypan // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Bartenders
- Median annual wage: $33,960
- Median hourly wage: $16.33
- Total employment: 460 people (7.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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46 / 50#5. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $33,900
- Median hourly wage: $16.30
- Total employment: 1,260 people (22.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Amusement and recreation attendants
- Median annual wage: $33,820
- Median hourly wage: $16.26
- Total employment: 100 people (1.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Tutors
- Median annual wage: $32,940
- Median hourly wage: $15.84
- Total employment: 70 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers
- Median annual wage: $31,970
- Median hourly wage: $15.37
- Total employment: 40 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Finist4 // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Manicurists and pedicurists
- Median annual wage: $31,390
- Median hourly wage: $15.09
- Total employment: 60 people (1.09 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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