Anucha Cheechang // Shutterstock
1 / 50#49. Switchboard operators, including answering service (tie)
- Median annual wage: $36,760
- Median hourly wage: $17.67
- Total employment: 30 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Utica
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 Utica. 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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Stokkete // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. File clerks (tie)
- Median annual wage: $36,760
- Median hourly wage: $17.67
- Total employment: 40 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragana Gordic // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Pharmacy technicians
- Median annual wage: $36,390
- Median hourly wage: $17.50
- Total employment: 360 people (3.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $36,350
- Median hourly wage: $17.48
- Total employment: 210 people (1.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $36,340
- Median hourly wage: $17.47
- Total employment: 6,170 people (52.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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ORION PRODUCTION // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $36,260
- Median hourly wage: $17.43
- Total employment: 70 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
New Africa // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Receptionists and information clerks
- Median annual wage: $36,200
- Median hourly wage: $17.41
- Total employment: 850 people (7.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Pharmacy aides
- Median annual wage: $36,030
- Median hourly wage: $17.32
- Total employment: 50 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
guteksk7 // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing
- Median annual wage: $35,710
- Median hourly wage: $17.17
- Total employment: 40 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
10 / 50#40. Automotive and watercraft service attendants (tie)
- Median annual wage: $35,680
- Median hourly wage: $17.15
- Total employment: 60 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Martin Smith // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Parking attendants (tie)
- Median annual wage: $35,680
- Median hourly wage: $17.15
- Total employment: 40 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SviatlanaLaza // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Packers and packagers, hand
- Median annual wage: $35,650
- Median hourly wage: $17.14
- Total employment: 220 people (1.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Library technicians
- Median annual wage: $35,580
- Median hourly wage: $17.11
- Total employment: 80 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DSBfoto // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $35,300
- Median hourly wage: $16.97
- Total employment: 2,040 people (17.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kuznetsov Dmitriy // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Molders, shapers, and casters, except metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $35,210
- Median hourly wage: $16.93
- Total employment: 60 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Physical therapist aides
- Median annual wage: $35,000
- Median hourly wage: $16.83
- Total employment: 30 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krysja // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Funeral attendants
- Median annual wage: $34,920
- Median hourly wage: $16.79
- Total employment: 60 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
- Median annual wage: $34,850
- Median hourly wage: $16.76
- Total employment: 240 people (2.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Bakers
- Median annual wage: $34,820
- Median hourly wage: $16.74
- Total employment: 220 people (1.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Anna Jurkovska // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Orderlies
- Median annual wage: $34,590
- Median hourly wage: $16.63
- Total employment: 40 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $34,580
- Median hourly wage: $16.63
- Total employment: 200 people (1.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $34,550
- Median hourly wage: $16.61
- Total employment: 660 people (5.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
shocky // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers
- Median annual wage: $34,520
- Median hourly wage: $16.60
- Total employment: 40 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Richard Thornton // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. School bus monitors
- Median annual wage: $34,470
- Median hourly wage: $16.57
- Total employment: 170 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $34,340
- Median hourly wage: $16.51
- Total employment: 180 people (1.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Roman Korotkov // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Crossing guards and flaggers
- Median annual wage: $34,260
- Median hourly wage: $16.47
- Total employment: 70 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $34,220
- Median hourly wage: $16.45
- Total employment: 570 people (4.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
UfaBizPhoto // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Sewing machine operators
- Median annual wage: $34,040
- Median hourly wage: $16.37
- Total employment: 70 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $34,010
- Median hourly wage: $16.35
- Total employment: 250 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $33,960
- Median hourly wage: $16.33
- Total employment: 3,000 people (25.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Africa Studio // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Median annual wage: $33,840
- Median hourly wage: $16.27
- Total employment: 150 people (1.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $33,720
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 1,840 people (15.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
worradirek // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Helpers--production workers
- Median annual wage: $33,690
- Median hourly wage: $16.20
- Total employment: 100 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leika production // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Couriers and messengers
- Median annual wage: $33,670
- Median hourly wage: $16.19
- Total employment: 90 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers
- Median annual wage: $33,500
- Median hourly wage: $16.11
- Total employment: 40 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $33,470
- Median hourly wage: $16.09
- Total employment: 610 people (5.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksander Krsmanovic // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Health information technologists and medical registrars
- Median annual wage: $33,370
- Median hourly wage: $16.04
- Total employment: 30 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jason Person // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Cooks, short order
- Median annual wage: $33,250
- Median hourly wage: $15.99
- Total employment: Not available
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Library assistants, clerical
- Median annual wage: $32,800
- Median hourly wage: $15.77
- Total employment: 70 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $32,670
- Median hourly wage: $15.71
- Total employment: 410 people (3.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $32,650
- Median hourly wage: $15.70
- Total employment: 400 people (3.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $32,240
- Median hourly wage: $15.50
- Total employment: 2,500 people (21.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $31,850
- Median hourly wage: $15.31
- Total employment: 160 people (1.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $31,630
- Median hourly wage: $15.21
- Total employment: 830 people (7.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
45 / 50#1. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 60 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Finist4 // Shutterstock
46 / 50#1. Manicurists and pedicurists (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 200 people (1.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
47 / 50#1. Cooks, fast food (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 210 people (1.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
48 / 50#1. Cashiers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 2,780 people (23.7 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: 150 people (1.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 90 people (0.79 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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