Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Bakers
- Median annual wage: $37,020
- Median hourly wage: $17.80
- Total employment: 150 people (1.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Binghamton
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 Binghamton. 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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Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Automotive and watercraft service attendants
- Median annual wage: $36,880
- Median hourly wage: $17.73
- Total employment: 40 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Substitute teachers, short-term
- Median annual wage: $36,850
- Median hourly wage: $17.72
- Total employment: 570 people (5.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Cooks, restaurant
- Median annual wage: $36,820
- Median hourly wage: $17.70
- Total employment: 660 people (6.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
New Africa // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Receptionists and information clerks
- Median annual wage: $36,650
- Median hourly wage: $17.62
- Total employment: 720 people (7.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $36,340
- Median hourly wage: $17.47
- Total employment: 210 people (2.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Photographers
- Median annual wage: $36,330
- Median hourly wage: $17.46
- Total employment: Not available
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $36,260
- Median hourly wage: $17.43
- Total employment: 400 people (4.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alba_alioth // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $36,200
- Median hourly wage: $17.40
- Total employment: 110 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Office machine operators, except computer
- Median annual wage: $36,080
- Median hourly wage: $17.35
- Total employment: 60 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Shakirov Albert // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Floral designers
- Median annual wage: $36,030
- Median hourly wage: $17.32
- Total employment: 40 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $35,930
- Median hourly wage: $17.28
- Total employment: 190 people (2.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SviatlanaLaza // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Packers and packagers, hand
- Median annual wage: $35,830
- Median hourly wage: $17.23
- Total employment: 240 people (2.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $35,790
- Median hourly wage: $17.21
- Total employment: 260 people (2.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $35,750
- Median hourly wage: $17.19
- Total employment: 290 people (3.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Couriers and messengers
- Median annual wage: $35,720
- Median hourly wage: $17.18
- Total employment: 120 people (1.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ORION PRODUCTION // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $35,670
- Median hourly wage: $17.15
- Total employment: 50 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stoyan Yotov // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Coil winders, tapers, and finishers
- Median annual wage: $35,570
- Median hourly wage: $17.10
- Total employment: 40 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $35,510
- Median hourly wage: $17.07
- Total employment: 150 people (1.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Library assistants, clerical
- Median annual wage: $35,250
- Median hourly wage: $16.95
- Total employment: 50 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Martin Smith // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Parking attendants
- Median annual wage: $35,210
- Median hourly wage: $16.93
- Total employment: 40 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $34,930
- Median hourly wage: $16.79
- Total employment: 620 people (6.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
zhu difeng // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Merchandise displayers and window trimmers
- Median annual wage: $34,870
- Median hourly wage: $16.76
- Total employment: 110 people (1.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DSBfoto // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $34,690
- Median hourly wage: $16.68
- Total employment: 1,980 people (20.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
- Median annual wage: $34,540
- Median hourly wage: $16.61
- Total employment: 210 people (2.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Stokkete // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. File clerks
- Median annual wage: $34,250
- Median hourly wage: $16.47
- Total employment: 40 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $34,220
- Median hourly wage: $16.45
- Total employment: 540 people (5.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jason Person // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Cooks, short order
- Median annual wage: $34,160
- Median hourly wage: $16.42
- Total employment: 210 people (2.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $34,100
- Median hourly wage: $16.39
- Total employment: 2,490 people (25.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $34,060
- Median hourly wage: $16.37
- Total employment: 130 people (1.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Production workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $33,940
- Median hourly wage: $16.32
- Total employment: 70 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kelvn // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Passenger attendants
- Median annual wage: $33,800
- Median hourly wage: $16.25
- Total employment: 60 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $33,530
- Median hourly wage: $16.12
- Total employment: 200 people (2.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
MAVV // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
- Median annual wage: $33,300
- Median hourly wage: $16.01
- Total employment: 40 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $33,240
- Median hourly wage: $15.98
- Total employment: 130 people (1.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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shocky // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers
- Median annual wage: $32,800
- Median hourly wage: $15.77
- Total employment: 40 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Korotkov // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Crossing guards and flaggers
- Median annual wage: $32,030
- Median hourly wage: $15.40
- Total employment: 90 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
38 / 50#12. Fast food and counter workers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,950
- Median hourly wage: $15.36
- Total employment: 2,430 people (25.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,950
- Median hourly wage: $15.36
- Total employment: 200 people (2.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $31,880
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 1,840 people (19.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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aboutsung // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $31,750
- Median hourly wage: $15.26
- Total employment: 550 people (5.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Richard Thornton // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. School bus monitors
- Median annual wage: $31,720
- Median hourly wage: $15.25
- Total employment: 170 people (1.79 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: $31,630
- Median hourly wage: $15.21
- Total employment: 80 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $31,450
- Median hourly wage: $15.12
- Total employment: 230 people (2.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $31,280
- Median hourly wage: $15.04
- Total employment: 2,350 people (24.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock
46 / 50#1. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 220 people (2.32 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: 110 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. Dishwashers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 370 people (3.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
49 / 50#1. Amusement and recreation attendants (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 170 people (1.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Robert Przybysz // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 50 people (0.49 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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