ESB Basic // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Customer service representatives
- Median annual wage: $36,410
- Median hourly wage: $17.51
- Total employment: 720 people (15.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Farmington
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 Farmington. 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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worradirek // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Helpers--production workers
- Median annual wage: $36,380
- Median hourly wage: $17.49
- Total employment: 100 people (2.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Milkovasa // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Medical assistants
- Median annual wage: $36,360
- Median hourly wage: $17.48
- Total employment: 380 people (8.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Security guards
- Median annual wage: $36,330
- Median hourly wage: $17.47
- Total employment: 340 people (7.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GagliardiPhotography // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Nursing assistants
- Median annual wage: $35,920
- Median hourly wage: $17.27
- Total employment: 280 people (6.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $35,780
- Median hourly wage: $17.20
- Total employment: 40 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock
7 / 50#43. Bakers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $35,590
- Median hourly wage: $17.11
- Total employment: 40 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $35,590
- Median hourly wage: $17.11
- Total employment: 370 people (8.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Production workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $35,500
- Median hourly wage: $17.07
- Total employment: 40 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $35,280
- Median hourly wage: $16.96
- Total employment: 150 people (3.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Emergency medical technicians
- Median annual wage: $35,120
- Median hourly wage: $16.88
- Total employment: 130 people (2.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ruslan Galiullin // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Office clerks, general
- Median annual wage: $35,090
- Median hourly wage: $16.87
- Total employment: 1,080 people (23.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Standret // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Counter and rental clerks
- Median annual wage: $35,010
- Median hourly wage: $16.83
- Total employment: 120 people (2.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
MAVV // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
- Median annual wage: $34,810
- Median hourly wage: $16.73
- Total employment: 30 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $34,730
- Median hourly wage: $16.70
- Total employment: 240 people (5.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Stockers and order fillers
- Median annual wage: $34,330
- Median hourly wage: $16.50
- Total employment: 800 people (17.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $34,320
- Median hourly wage: $16.50
- Total employment: 140 people (3.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vasin Lee // Shutterstock
18 / 50#32. Residential advisors (tie)
- Median annual wage: $33,990
- Median hourly wage: $16.34
- Total employment: 50 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
New Africa // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Receptionists and information clerks (tie)
- Median annual wage: $33,990
- Median hourly wage: $16.34
- Total employment: 260 people (5.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
zhu difeng // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Merchandise displayers and window trimmers
- Median annual wage: $33,480
- Median hourly wage: $16.10
- Total employment: 60 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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DuxX // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Butchers and meat cutters
- Median annual wage: $32,250
- Median hourly wage: $15.51
- Total employment: 60 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DSBfoto // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $31,780
- Median hourly wage: $15.28
- Total employment: 800 people (17.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $31,760
- Median hourly wage: $15.27
- Total employment: 190 people (4.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $31,260
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 510 people (11.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Cooks, restaurant
- Median annual wage: $30,930
- Median hourly wage: $14.87
- Total employment: 410 people (8.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Waiters and waitresses
- Median annual wage: $30,840
- Median hourly wage: $14.83
- Total employment: 560 people (12.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kanemme6 // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Tire repairers and changers
- Median annual wage: $30,590
- Median hourly wage: $14.71
- Total employment: 150 people (3.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Cooks, institution and cafeteria
- Median annual wage: $30,330
- Median hourly wage: $14.58
- Total employment: 240 people (5.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $30,130
- Median hourly wage: $14.49
- Total employment: 100 people (2.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Median annual wage: $29,910
- Median hourly wage: $14.38
- Total employment: 50 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $29,750
- Median hourly wage: $14.30
- Total employment: 1,360 people (29.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santypan // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Bartenders
- Median annual wage: $29,130
- Median hourly wage: $14.00
- Total employment: 120 people (2.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $29,100
- Median hourly wage: $13.99
- Total employment: 50 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
34 / 50#16. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $29,050
- Median hourly wage: $13.97
- Total employment: 70 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Phlebotomists (tie)
- Median annual wage: $29,050
- Median hourly wage: $13.96
- Total employment: 50 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $28,710
- Median hourly wage: $13.80
- Total employment: 100 people (2.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $28,610
- Median hourly wage: $13.76
- Total employment: 160 people (3.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Automotive and watercraft service attendants
- Median annual wage: $28,510
- Median hourly wage: $13.71
- Total employment: 40 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $28,500
- Median hourly wage: $13.70
- Total employment: 360 people (7.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $28,460
- Median hourly wage: $13.68
- Total employment: 1,210 people (26.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $28,030
- Median hourly wage: $13.48
- Total employment: 220 people (4.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $27,770
- Median hourly wage: $13.35
- Total employment: 160 people (3.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $27,590
- Median hourly wage: $13.26
- Total employment: 90 people (1.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $27,250
- Median hourly wage: $13.10
- Total employment: 200 people (4.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Amusement and recreation attendants
- Median annual wage: $27,110
- Median hourly wage: $13.03
- Total employment: 120 people (2.54 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: $26,910
- Median hourly wage: $12.94
- Total employment: 180 people (3.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $26,620
- Median hourly wage: $12.80
- Total employment: 1,970 people (42.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SviatlanaLaza // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Packers and packagers, hand
- Median annual wage: $26,610
- Median hourly wage: $12.79
- Total employment: 70 people (1.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists
- Median annual wage: $26,420
- Median hourly wage: $12.70
- Total employment: 70 people (1.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $26,370
- Median hourly wage: $12.68
- Total employment: 1,570 people (34.1 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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