Lowest-paying jobs in Greensboro

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 Greensboro. 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

1 / 50

#50. Security guards

- Median annual wage: $33,600
- Median hourly wage: $16.15
- Total employment: 2,480 people (6.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Cooks, institution and cafeteria

- Median annual wage: $33,380
- Median hourly wage: $16.05
- Total employment: 1,120 people (3.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Africa Studio // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs

- Median annual wage: $33,280
- Median hourly wage: $16.00
- Total employment: 410 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

encierro // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals

- Median annual wage: $33,180
- Median hourly wage: $15.95
- Total employment: 40 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vasin Lee // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Residential advisors

- Median annual wage: $33,120
- Median hourly wage: $15.92
- Total employment: 220 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Demonstrators and product promoters

- Median annual wage: $33,010
- Median hourly wage: $15.87
- Total employment: 70 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

adriaticfoto // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Miscellaneous construction and related workers

- Median annual wage: $32,880
- Median hourly wage: $15.81
- Total employment: 90 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SviatlanaLaza // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Packers and packagers, hand

- Median annual wage: $32,840
- Median hourly wage: $15.79
- Total employment: 2,410 people (6.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

VGstockstudio // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Food servers, nonrestaurant

- Median annual wage: $32,650
- Median hourly wage: $15.70
- Total employment: 620 people (1.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Richard Thornton // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. School bus monitors

- Median annual wage: $32,610
- Median hourly wage: $15.68
- Total employment: 110 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Robert Przybysz // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials

- Median annual wage: $31,540
- Median hourly wage: $15.16
- Total employment: 80 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DSBfoto // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners

- Median annual wage: $31,420
- Median hourly wage: $15.10
- Total employment: 4,270 people (11.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Automotive and watercraft service attendants

- Median annual wage: $31,410
- Median hourly wage: $15.10
- Total employment: 160 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Flamingo Images // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Concierges

- Median annual wage: $31,250
- Median hourly wage: $15.03
- Total employment: 40 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

shocky // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers

- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 70 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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UfaBizPhoto // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Sewing machine operators

- Median annual wage: $31,160
- Median hourly wage: $14.98
- Total employment: 1,660 people (4.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Substitute teachers, short-term

- Median annual wage: $30,890
- Median hourly wage: $14.85
- Total employment: 950 people (2.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#32. Bakers (tie)

- Median annual wage: $30,770
- Median hourly wage: $14.79
- Total employment: 500 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Martin Smith // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Parking attendants (tie)

- Median annual wage: $30,770
- Median hourly wage: $14.79
- Total employment: 130 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Carlovis // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Tour and travel guides

- Median annual wage: $30,680
- Median hourly wage: $14.75
- Total employment: 80 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Recreation workers

- Median annual wage: $30,300
- Median hourly wage: $14.57
- Total employment: 530 people (1.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Nejron Photo // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment

- Median annual wage: $30,090
- Median hourly wage: $14.47
- Total employment: 780 people (2.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Food preparation workers

- Median annual wage: $29,840
- Median hourly wage: $14.35
- Total employment: 1,540 people (4.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks

- Median annual wage: $29,690
- Median hourly wage: $14.27
- Total employment: 590 people (1.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

santypan // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Bartenders

- Median annual wage: $29,510
- Median hourly wage: $14.19
- Total employment: 1,140 people (3.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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rawpixel.com // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. Preschool teachers, except special education

- Median annual wage: $29,460
- Median hourly wage: $14.16
- Total employment: 1,370 people (3.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Pressmaster // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Baggage porters and bellhops

- Median annual wage: $29,320
- Median hourly wage: $14.10
- Total employment: 40 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Maids and housekeeping cleaners

- Median annual wage: $29,300
- Median hourly wage: $14.09
- Total employment: 2,630 people (7.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Atstock Productions // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Telemarketers

- Median annual wage: $29,230
- Median hourly wage: $14.05
- Total employment: Not available

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Retail salespersons

- Median annual wage: $29,070
- Median hourly wage: $13.98
- Total employment: 9,560 people (26.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Home health and personal care aides

- Median annual wage: $29,000
- Median hourly wage: $13.94
- Total employment: 4,890 people (13.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Waiters and waitresses

- Median annual wage: $28,940
- Median hourly wage: $13.92
- Total employment: 4,870 people (13.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers

- Median annual wage: $28,890
- Median hourly wage: $13.89
- Total employment: 440 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Pressmaster // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Animal caretakers

- Median annual wage: $28,760
- Median hourly wage: $13.83
- Total employment: 660 people (1.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Fast food and counter workers

- Median annual wage: $28,250
- Median hourly wage: $13.58
- Total employment: 6,400 people (17.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Childcare workers

- Median annual wage: $28,160
- Median hourly wage: $13.54
- Total employment: 840 people (2.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Dishwashers

- Median annual wage: $27,980
- Median hourly wage: $13.45
- Total employment: 840 people (2.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dean Drobot // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Cashiers

- Median annual wage: $27,880
- Median hourly wage: $13.40
- Total employment: 8,480 people (23.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paul.J.West // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary

- Median annual wage: $27,590
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 2,000 people (5.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Alena Veasey // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Cooks, fast food

- Median annual wage: $27,370
- Median hourly wage: $13.16
- Total employment: 7,850 people (21.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers

- Median annual wage: $27,300
- Median hourly wage: $13.13
- Total employment: 480 people (1.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

aboutsung // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers

- Median annual wage: $27,230
- Median hourly wage: $13.09
- Total employment: 680 people (1.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Nature's Charm // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Food preparation and serving related workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $27,040
- Median hourly wage: $13.00
- Total employment: 340 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers

- Median annual wage: $26,940
- Median hourly wage: $12.95
- Total employment: 240 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Virrage Images // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Motor vehicle operators, all other

- Median annual wage: $26,880
- Median hourly wage: $12.92
- Total employment: 150 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stokkete // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Information and record clerks, all other

- Median annual wage: $26,770
- Median hourly wage: $12.87
- Total employment: 610 people (1.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dragon Images // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop

- Median annual wage: $26,590
- Median hourly wage: $12.79
- Total employment: 790 people (2.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

NIKCOA // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Medical transcriptionists

- Median annual wage: $25,060
- Median hourly wage: $12.05
- Total employment: Not available

Suteren // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. Dietetic technicians

- Median annual wage: $24,130
- Median hourly wage: $11.60
- Total employment: 200 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. Amusement and recreation attendants

- Median annual wage: $22,760
- Median hourly wage: $10.94
- Total employment: 830 people (2.32 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.