Dragon Images // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Social and human service assistants
- Median annual wage: $38,470
- Median hourly wage: $18.50
- Total employment: 80 people (1.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in St. Joseph
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 St. Joseph. 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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Kzenon // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Self-enrichment teachers
- Median annual wage: $38,430
- Median hourly wage: $18.48
- Total employment: 100 people (1.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kanemme6 // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Tire repairers and changers
- Median annual wage: $38,070
- Median hourly wage: $18.30
- Total employment: 70 people (1.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
MAVV // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
- Median annual wage: $37,940
- Median hourly wage: $18.24
- Total employment: 30 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Bus drivers, school
- Median annual wage: $37,890
- Median hourly wage: $18.22
- Total employment: 230 people (4.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $37,270
- Median hourly wage: $17.92
- Total employment: 210 people (3.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
UfaBizPhoto // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Parts salespersons
- Median annual wage: $36,760
- Median hourly wage: $17.67
- Total employment: 100 people (1.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $36,700
- Median hourly wage: $17.64
- Total employment: 230 people (4.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Nursing assistants
- Median annual wage: $36,390
- Median hourly wage: $17.49
- Total employment: 730 people (13.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Tellers
- Median annual wage: $36,270
- Median hourly wage: $17.44
- Total employment: 160 people (3.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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LightField Studios // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Emergency medical technicians
- Median annual wage: $36,200
- Median hourly wage: $17.41
- Total employment: 80 people (1.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Security guards
- Median annual wage: $36,120
- Median hourly wage: $17.36
- Total employment: 250 people (4.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Stockers and order fillers
- Median annual wage: $36,090
- Median hourly wage: $17.35
- Total employment: 1,210 people (22.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Standret // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Counter and rental clerks
- Median annual wage: $35,780
- Median hourly wage: $17.20
- Total employment: 90 people (1.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers
- Median annual wage: $35,240
- Median hourly wage: $16.94
- Total employment: 410 people (7.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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New Africa // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Receptionists and information clerks
- Median annual wage: $35,050
- Median hourly wage: $16.85
- Total employment: 300 people (5.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DSBfoto // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $34,900
- Median hourly wage: $16.78
- Total employment: 690 people (12.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DGLimages // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Healthcare support workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $34,650
- Median hourly wage: $16.66
- Total employment: 80 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Office machine operators, except computer
- Median annual wage: $34,470
- Median hourly wage: $16.57
- Total employment: 30 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Median annual wage: $33,600
- Median hourly wage: $16.16
- Total employment: 130 people (2.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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zhu difeng // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Merchandise displayers and window trimmers
- Median annual wage: $33,570
- Median hourly wage: $16.14
- Total employment: 70 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $33,130
- Median hourly wage: $15.93
- Total employment: 50 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Bakers
- Median annual wage: $32,830
- Median hourly wage: $15.78
- Total employment: 60 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nature's Charm // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Food preparation and serving related workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $32,780
- Median hourly wage: $15.76
- Total employment: 40 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Cooks, restaurant
- Median annual wage: $32,670
- Median hourly wage: $15.71
- Total employment: 430 people (8.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $32,650
- Median hourly wage: $15.70
- Total employment: 340 people (6.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $31,240
- Median hourly wage: $15.02
- Total employment: 170 people (3.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $31,120
- Median hourly wage: $14.96
- Total employment: 1,280 people (23.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Cooks, institution and cafeteria
- Median annual wage: $30,630
- Median hourly wage: $14.73
- Total employment: 190 people (3.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lucky Business // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors
- Median annual wage: $29,970
- Median hourly wage: $14.41
- Total employment: 80 people (1.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Substitute teachers, short-term
- Median annual wage: $29,880
- Median hourly wage: $14.37
- Total employment: 140 people (2.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $29,640
- Median hourly wage: $14.25
- Total employment: 1,830 people (34.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $29,040
- Median hourly wage: $13.96
- Total employment: 150 people (2.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $28,780
- Median hourly wage: $13.84
- Total employment: 1,030 people (19.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $28,670
- Median hourly wage: $13.79
- Total employment: 70 people (1.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $28,660
- Median hourly wage: $13.78
- Total employment: 60 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $28,580
- Median hourly wage: $13.74
- Total employment: 260 people (4.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $28,370
- Median hourly wage: $13.64
- Total employment: 80 people (1.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $28,360
- Median hourly wage: $13.63
- Total employment: 1,430 people (26.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $28,060
- Median hourly wage: $13.49
- Total employment: 80 people (1.42 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: $27,940
- Median hourly wage: $13.43
- Total employment: 700 people (12.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
- Median annual wage: $27,670
- Median hourly wage: $13.30
- Total employment: 110 people (2.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lucky Business // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Sales and related workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $27,500
- Median hourly wage: $13.22
- Total employment: 60 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists
- Median annual wage: $27,430
- Median hourly wage: $13.19
- Total employment: 40 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Library assistants, clerical
- Median annual wage: $27,410
- Median hourly wage: $13.18
- Total employment: 60 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $27,260
- Median hourly wage: $13.11
- Total employment: 300 people (5.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $26,920
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 460 people (8.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Amusement and recreation attendants
- Median annual wage: $26,630
- Median hourly wage: $12.80
- Total employment: 90 people (1.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santypan // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Bartenders
- Median annual wage: $26,580
- Median hourly wage: $12.78
- Total employment: 210 people (3.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Waiters and waitresses
- Median annual wage: $26,190
- Median hourly wage: $12.59
- Total employment: 650 people (12.01 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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