Lucky Business // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors
- Median annual wage: $34,730
- Median hourly wage: $16.70
- Total employment: 460 people (1.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Winston-Salem
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 Winston-Salem. 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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Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Cooks, restaurant
- Median annual wage: $34,510
- Median hourly wage: $16.59
- Total employment: 2,760 people (10.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Pharmacy aides
- Median annual wage: $34,320
- Median hourly wage: $16.50
- Total employment: 90 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Akimov Igor // Shutterstock
4 / 50#46. Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic (tie)
- Median annual wage: $34,100
- Median hourly wage: $16.39
- Total employment: 40 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Carlovis // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Tour and travel guides (tie)
- Median annual wage: $34,100
- Median hourly wage: $16.40
- Total employment: 70 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kzenon // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Self-enrichment teachers
- Median annual wage: $34,090
- Median hourly wage: $16.39
- Total employment: 370 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Stockers and order fillers
- Median annual wage: $33,940
- Median hourly wage: $16.32
- Total employment: 4,740 people (17.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
MAVV // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
- Median annual wage: $33,860
- Median hourly wage: $16.28
- Total employment: 80 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kanemme6 // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Tire repairers and changers
- Median annual wage: $33,790
- Median hourly wage: $16.24
- Total employment: 140 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SviatlanaLaza // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Packers and packagers, hand
- Median annual wage: $33,400
- Median hourly wage: $16.06
- Total employment: 2,070 people (7.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Shakirov Albert // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Floral designers
- Median annual wage: $32,440
- Median hourly wage: $15.60
- Total employment: 50 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $32,290
- Median hourly wage: $15.52
- Total employment: 420 people (1.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Bakers
- Median annual wage: $32,110
- Median hourly wage: $15.44
- Total employment: 380 people (1.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Flamingo Images // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Concierges
- Median annual wage: $31,440
- Median hourly wage: $15.11
- Total employment: 50 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Automotive and watercraft service attendants
- Median annual wage: $30,990
- Median hourly wage: $14.90
- Total employment: 270 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Library assistants, clerical
- Median annual wage: $30,740
- Median hourly wage: $14.78
- Total employment: 140 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DSBfoto // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $30,670
- Median hourly wage: $14.74
- Total employment: 2,910 people (10.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jason Person // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Cooks, short order
- Median annual wage: $30,350
- Median hourly wage: $14.59
- Total employment: Not available
Suteren // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Dietetic technicians
- Median annual wage: $30,320
- Median hourly wage: $14.58
- Total employment: 210 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
UfaBizPhoto // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Sewing machine operators
- Median annual wage: $30,100
- Median hourly wage: $14.47
- Total employment: 570 people (2.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Africa Studio // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Median annual wage: $29,970
- Median hourly wage: $14.41
- Total employment: 260 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $29,850
- Median hourly wage: $14.35
- Total employment: 280 people (1.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Substitute teachers, short-term
- Median annual wage: $29,610
- Median hourly wage: $14.23
- Total employment: 1,800 people (6.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $29,590
- Median hourly wage: $14.23
- Total employment: 330 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $29,390
- Median hourly wage: $14.13
- Total employment: 890 people (3.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $29,160
- Median hourly wage: $14.02
- Total employment: 6,940 people (25.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $29,120
- Median hourly wage: $14.00
- Total employment: 4,860 people (17.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $29,100
- Median hourly wage: $13.99
- Total employment: 3,000 people (10.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $28,780
- Median hourly wage: $13.84
- Total employment: 850 people (3.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers
- Median annual wage: $28,660
- Median hourly wage: $13.78
- Total employment: 390 people (1.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $28,600
- Median hourly wage: $13.75
- Total employment: 320 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $28,540
- Median hourly wage: $13.72
- Total employment: 1,090 people (3.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santypan // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Bartenders
- Median annual wage: $28,490
- Median hourly wage: $13.70
- Total employment: 1,000 people (3.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $28,440
- Median hourly wage: $13.67
- Total employment: 600 people (2.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $28,330
- Median hourly wage: $13.62
- Total employment: 700 people (2.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Pressmaster // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $28,100
- Median hourly wage: $13.51
- Total employment: 590 people (2.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Real estate sales agents
- Median annual wage: $27,940
- Median hourly wage: $13.43
- Total employment: 360 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $27,680
- Median hourly wage: $13.31
- Total employment: 6,370 people (23.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $27,540
- Median hourly wage: $13.24
- Total employment: 7,270 people (26.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $27,210
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 2,340 people (8.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Virrage Images // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Motor vehicle operators, all other
- Median annual wage: $26,590
- Median hourly wage: $12.78
- Total employment: Not available
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers
- Median annual wage: $24,440
- Median hourly wage: $11.75
- Total employment: 190 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Amusement and recreation attendants
- Median annual wage: $23,740
- Median hourly wage: $11.41
- Total employment: 500 people (1.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Information and record clerks, all other
- Median annual wage: $22,980
- Median hourly wage: $11.05
- Total employment: 190 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $22,850
- Median hourly wage: $10.99
- Total employment: 540 people (1.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Martin Smith // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Parking attendants
- Median annual wage: $22,590
- Median hourly wage: $10.86
- Total employment: 520 people (1.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Waiters and waitresses
- Median annual wage: $22,580
- Median hourly wage: $10.86
- Total employment: 3,970 people (14.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
- Median annual wage: $22,420
- Median hourly wage: $10.78
- Total employment: 730 people (2.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $21,340
- Median hourly wage: $10.26
- Total employment: 840 people (3.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nature's Charm // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Food preparation and serving related workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $21,080
- Median hourly wage: $10.14
- Total employment: 230 people (0.85 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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