Lowest-paying jobs in Grand 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 Grand 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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Nature's Charm // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Food preparation and serving related workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $35,620
- Median hourly wage: $17.12
- Total employment: 80 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Production workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $35,580
- Median hourly wage: $17.11
- Total employment: 1,730 people (3.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Stockers and order fillers

- Median annual wage: $35,270
- Median hourly wage: $16.96
- Total employment: 10,670 people (19.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

zhu difeng // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Merchandise displayers and window trimmers

- Median annual wage: $35,210
- Median hourly wage: $16.93
- Total employment: 900 people (1.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Recreation workers

- Median annual wage: $35,200
- Median hourly wage: $16.92
- Total employment: 870 people (1.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Roman Korotkov // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Crossing guards and flaggers

- Median annual wage: $35,150
- Median hourly wage: $16.90
- Total employment: 100 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#43. Library assistants, clerical (tie)

- Median annual wage: $35,110
- Median hourly wage: $16.88
- Total employment: 260 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Suteren // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Dietetic technicians (tie)

- Median annual wage: $35,110
- Median hourly wage: $16.88
- Total employment: 610 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

encierro // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals

- Median annual wage: $35,050
- Median hourly wage: $16.85
- Total employment: 60 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kzenon // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Self-enrichment teachers

- Median annual wage: $34,840
- Median hourly wage: $16.75
- Total employment: 1,030 people (1.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers

- Median annual wage: $34,830
- Median hourly wage: $16.74
- Total employment: Not available

DSBfoto // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

- Median annual wage: $34,770
- Median hourly wage: $16.71
- Total employment: 10,180 people (18.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Cooks, all other

- Median annual wage: $34,740
- Median hourly wage: $16.70
- Total employment: 60 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paul.J.West // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary

- Median annual wage: $34,440
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 5,270 people (9.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Home health and personal care aides

- Median annual wage: $34,340
- Median hourly wage: $16.51
- Total employment: 7,420 people (13.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Nejron Photo // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment

- Median annual wage: $34,180
- Median hourly wage: $16.43
- Total employment: 1,590 people (2.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Anna Jurkovska // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Orderlies

- Median annual wage: $34,170
- Median hourly wage: $16.43
- Total employment: 180 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Akimov Igor // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Furnace, kiln, oven, drier, and kettle operators and tenders

- Median annual wage: $34,080
- Median hourly wage: $16.38
- Total employment: 60 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#31. Food preparation workers (tie)

- Median annual wage: $34,000
- Median hourly wage: $16.35
- Total employment: 1,700 people (3.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Shakirov Albert // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Floral designers (tie)

- Median annual wage: $34,000
- Median hourly wage: $16.34
- Total employment: 520 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Maids and housekeeping cleaners

- Median annual wage: $33,680
- Median hourly wage: $16.19
- Total employment: 2,810 people (5.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

O.PASH // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Animal trainers

- Median annual wage: $32,680
- Median hourly wage: $15.71
- Total employment: 110 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DGLimages // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Teaching assistants, postsecondary

- Median annual wage: $32,320
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 320 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#26. Retail salespersons (tie)

- Median annual wage: $32,050
- Median hourly wage: $15.41
- Total employment: 12,490 people (22.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists (tie)

- Median annual wage: $32,050
- Median hourly wage: $15.41
- Total employment: 1,030 people (1.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. Substitute teachers, short-term

- Median annual wage: $31,890
- Median hourly wage: $15.33
- Total employment: 590 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks

- Median annual wage: $31,870
- Median hourly wage: $15.32
- Total employment: 670 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Martin Smith // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Parking attendants

- Median annual wage: $31,210
- Median hourly wage: $15.01
- Total employment: 270 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jason Person // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Cooks, short order

- Median annual wage: $31,190
- Median hourly wage: $14.99
- Total employment: 210 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

aboutsung // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers

- Median annual wage: $31,020
- Median hourly wage: $14.92
- Total employment: 1,980 people (3.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Atstock Productions // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Telemarketers

- Median annual wage: $30,890
- Median hourly wage: $14.85
- Total employment: 100 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Virrage Images // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Motor vehicle operators, all other

- Median annual wage: $30,380
- Median hourly wage: $14.61
- Total employment: 180 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

VGstockstudio // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Food servers, nonrestaurant

- Median annual wage: $30,250
- Median hourly wage: $14.54
- Total employment: 1,250 people (2.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Physical therapist aides

- Median annual wage: $30,230
- Median hourly wage: $14.53
- Total employment: 250 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Automotive and watercraft service attendants

- Median annual wage: $29,840
- Median hourly wage: $14.35
- Total employment: 380 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Krysja // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Funeral attendants

- Median annual wage: $29,800
- Median hourly wage: $14.33
- Total employment: 160 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Childcare workers

- Median annual wage: $29,780
- Median hourly wage: $14.32
- Total employment: 1,920 people (3.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Dishwashers

- Median annual wage: $29,460
- Median hourly wage: $14.16
- Total employment: 1,520 people (2.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dean Drobot // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Cashiers

- Median annual wage: $29,360
- Median hourly wage: $14.11
- Total employment: 9,540 people (16.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Alena Veasey // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Cooks, fast food

- Median annual wage: $29,330
- Median hourly wage: $14.10
- Total employment: 1,510 people (2.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Pressmaster // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Animal caretakers

- Median annual wage: $29,120
- Median hourly wage: $14.00
- Total employment: 790 people (1.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Fast food and counter workers

- Median annual wage: $29,020
- Median hourly wage: $13.95
- Total employment: 14,320 people (25.52 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: $28,850
- Median hourly wage: $13.87
- Total employment: 480 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Library technicians

- Median annual wage: $28,330
- Median hourly wage: $13.62
- Total employment: 200 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmytro Sheremeta // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Locker room, coatroom, and dressing room attendants

- Median annual wage: $27,830
- Median hourly wage: $13.38
- Total employment: 80 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Dragon Images // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop

- Median annual wage: $27,810
- Median hourly wage: $13.37
- Total employment: 2,130 people (3.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Carlovis // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Tour and travel guides

- Median annual wage: $26,850
- Median hourly wage: $12.91
- Total employment: 130 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Amusement and recreation attendants

- Median annual wage: $26,420
- Median hourly wage: $12.70
- Total employment: 1,210 people (2.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)