Shakirov Albert // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Floral designers
- Median annual wage: $37,350
- Median hourly wage: $17.96
- Total employment: 110 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Albany
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 Albany. 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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PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $37,180
- Median hourly wage: $17.87
- Total employment: 11,110 people (25.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jason Person // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Cooks, short order
- Median annual wage: $37,170
- Median hourly wage: $17.87
- Total employment: 770 people (1.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $37,050
- Median hourly wage: $17.81
- Total employment: 920 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leika production // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Couriers and messengers
- Median annual wage: $37,020
- Median hourly wage: $17.80
- Total employment: 240 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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DSBfoto // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $36,960
- Median hourly wage: $17.77
- Total employment: 8,770 people (19.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Baggage porters and bellhops
- Median annual wage: $36,840
- Median hourly wage: $17.71
- Total employment: 70 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks
- Median annual wage: $36,670
- Median hourly wage: $17.63
- Total employment: 170 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Physical therapist aides
- Median annual wage: $36,580
- Median hourly wage: $17.59
- Total employment: 70 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $36,220
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 6,840 people (15.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Library technicians
- Median annual wage: $35,730
- Median hourly wage: $17.18
- Total employment: 200 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $35,720
- Median hourly wage: $17.17
- Total employment: 570 people (1.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Pharmacy aides
- Median annual wage: $35,670
- Median hourly wage: $17.15
- Total employment: 180 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Financial clerks, all other
- Median annual wage: $35,500
- Median hourly wage: $17.07
- Total employment: 130 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lucky Business // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Sales and related workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $35,490
- Median hourly wage: $17.06
- Total employment: 150 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Pressmaster // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $35,460
- Median hourly wage: $17.05
- Total employment: 820 people (1.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $35,450
- Median hourly wage: $17.04
- Total employment: 880 people (1.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Atstock Productions // Shutterstock
18 / 50#32. Telemarketers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $35,360
- Median hourly wage: $17.00
- Total employment: 60 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $35,360
- Median hourly wage: $17.00
- Total employment: 2,060 people (4.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $35,310
- Median hourly wage: $16.98
- Total employment: 1,880 people (4.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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guteksk7 // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing
- Median annual wage: $35,270
- Median hourly wage: $16.96
- Total employment: 150 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
- Median annual wage: $35,250
- Median hourly wage: $16.95
- Total employment: 930 people (2.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $35,230
- Median hourly wage: $16.94
- Total employment: 2,290 people (5.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $35,160
- Median hourly wage: $16.91
- Total employment: 1,770 people (4.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $35,040
- Median hourly wage: $16.85
- Total employment: 11,600 people (26.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $34,800
- Median hourly wage: $16.73
- Total employment: 890 people (2.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Richard Thornton // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. School bus monitors
- Median annual wage: $34,750
- Median hourly wage: $16.71
- Total employment: 780 people (1.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
shocky // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers
- Median annual wage: $34,710
- Median hourly wage: $16.69
- Total employment: 110 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SviatlanaLaza // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Packers and packagers, hand
- Median annual wage: $34,670
- Median hourly wage: $16.67
- Total employment: 420 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Anna Jurkovska // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Orderlies
- Median annual wage: $34,520
- Median hourly wage: $16.60
- Total employment: 140 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $34,440
- Median hourly wage: $16.56
- Total employment: 740 people (1.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Barbers
- Median annual wage: $34,330
- Median hourly wage: $16.51
- Total employment: 50 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $34,170
- Median hourly wage: $16.43
- Total employment: 8,050 people (18.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Motor vehicle operators, all other
- Median annual wage: $34,020
- Median hourly wage: $16.35
- Total employment: 410 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Ambulance drivers and attendants, except emergency medical technicians
- Median annual wage: $33,740
- Median hourly wage: $16.22
- Total employment: 50 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Robert Przybysz // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials
- Median annual wage: $33,690
- Median hourly wage: $16.20
- Total employment: 80 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $33,680
- Median hourly wage: $16.19
- Total employment: 480 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists
- Median annual wage: $33,590
- Median hourly wage: $16.15
- Total employment: 650 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $33,500
- Median hourly wage: $16.10
- Total employment: 8,430 people (19.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers
- Median annual wage: $32,870
- Median hourly wage: $15.80
- Total employment: 210 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $32,640
- Median hourly wage: $15.69
- Total employment: 1,520 people (3.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers
- Median annual wage: $32,460
- Median hourly wage: $15.61
- Total employment: 470 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Carlovis // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Tour and travel guides
- Median annual wage: $32,410
- Median hourly wage: $15.58
- Total employment: 70 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Martin Smith // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Parking attendants
- Median annual wage: $32,220
- Median hourly wage: $15.49
- Total employment: 390 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Religious workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $31,840
- Median hourly wage: $15.31
- Total employment: Not available
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Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Amusement and recreation attendants
- Median annual wage: $31,740
- Median hourly wage: $15.26
- Total employment: 820 people (1.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Finist4 // Shutterstock
47 / 50#1. Manicurists and pedicurists (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 610 people (1.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Sheremeta // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. Locker room, coatroom, and dressing room attendants (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 40 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Cameris // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Taxi drivers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 50 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Cooks, fast food (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 1,440 people (3.24 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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