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1 / 50#50. Pharmacy aides
- Median annual wage: $29,820
- Median hourly wage: $14.34
- Total employment: 280 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Cleveland
The U.S. may be one of the wealthiest countries in the world, but financial inequality prevails within its borders. That divide is growing, especially between the poorest and richest U.S. residents.
The middle class is shrinking. In 2021, just half of adults lived in a middle-income household, a huge drop from 61% in the 70s. This dip meant some middle-class adults broke into the high-income bracket. At the same time, the share of lower-income residents is growing: 29% of adults lived in low-income households in 2021, compared to 25% in 1971.
Wages over this period grew at all income levels, but the rich got significantly higher bumps. Pew Charitable Trusts found that high incomes grew 69% over the past 50 years, while low incomes grew just 45%. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated and further exposed these harsh financial gaps.
The difference in pay for the highest- and lowest-paying jobs in the U.S. last year was over eightfold: from about $28,000 for entertainment attendants to over $251,000 for physicians. Nationally, most of the lowest-paying jobs are in the leisure and accommodation fields: think folks who work in food establishments, at hotels, at recreational facilities like pools and amusement parks, and other service jobs.
Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the 50 lowest-paying jobs in Cleveland. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2022. Any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.
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2 / 50#49. Floral designers
- Median annual wage: $29,780
- Median hourly wage: $14.32
- Total employment: 260 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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3 / 50#47. Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals (tie)
- Median annual wage: $29,530
- Median hourly wage: $14.20
- Total employment: 120 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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4 / 50#47. Security guards (tie)
- Median annual wage: $29,530
- Median hourly wage: $14.20
- Total employment: 8,320 people (8.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Martin Smith // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Parking attendants
- Median annual wage: $29,520
- Median hourly wage: $14.19
- Total employment: 830 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Atstock Productions // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Telemarketers
- Median annual wage: $29,450
- Median hourly wage: $14.16
- Total employment: 700 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Etchers and engravers
- Median annual wage: $29,400
- Median hourly wage: $14.14
- Total employment: 140 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Substitute teachers, short-term
- Median annual wage: $29,390
- Median hourly wage: $14.13
- Total employment: 820 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Finist4 // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Manicurists and pedicurists
- Median annual wage: $29,350
- Median hourly wage: $14.11
- Total employment: 890 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $29,300
- Median hourly wage: $14.09
- Total employment: 19,910 people (20.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $29,290
- Median hourly wage: $14.08
- Total employment: 2,910 people (2.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $29,120
- Median hourly wage: $14.00
- Total employment: 3,320 people (3.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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13 / 50#38. Library assistants, clerical
- Median annual wage: $28,960
- Median hourly wage: $13.92
- Total employment: 440 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Median annual wage: $28,660
- Median hourly wage: $13.78
- Total employment: 1,580 people (1.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers
- Median annual wage: $28,600
- Median hourly wage: $13.75
- Total employment: 820 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $28,550
- Median hourly wage: $13.73
- Total employment: 2,120 people (2.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $28,310
- Median hourly wage: $13.61
- Total employment: 1,550 people (1.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
O.PASH // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Animal trainers
- Median annual wage: $28,190
- Median hourly wage: $13.55
- Total employment: 80 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $28,120
- Median hourly wage: $13.52
- Total employment: 2,180 people (2.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $28,080
- Median hourly wage: $13.50
- Total employment: 4,130 people (4.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $28,060
- Median hourly wage: $13.49
- Total employment: 3,730 people (3.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $27,890
- Median hourly wage: $13.41
- Total employment: 810 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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23 / 50#28. Models
- Median annual wage: $27,840
- Median hourly wage: $13.39
- Total employment: 60 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Motortion Films // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Personal care and service workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $27,800
- Median hourly wage: $13.36
- Total employment: 270 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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25 / 50#26. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $27,730
- Median hourly wage: $13.33
- Total employment: 17,040 people (17.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $27,720
- Median hourly wage: $13.33
- Total employment: 1,520 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $27,680
- Median hourly wage: $13.31
- Total employment: 1,340 people (1.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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28 / 50#23. Demonstrators and product promoters
- Median annual wage: $27,620
- Median hourly wage: $13.28
- Total employment: 150 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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29 / 50#22. Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials
- Median annual wage: $27,520
- Median hourly wage: $13.23
- Total employment: 180 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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30 / 50#21. Crossing guards and flaggers
- Median annual wage: $27,470
- Median hourly wage: $13.21
- Total employment: 490 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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PR Image Factory // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers
- Median annual wage: $27,320
- Median hourly wage: $13.13
- Total employment: 40 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Sheremeta // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Locker room, coatroom, and dressing room attendants
- Median annual wage: $27,300
- Median hourly wage: $13.13
- Total employment: 60 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Cameris // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Taxi drivers
- Median annual wage: $27,060
- Median hourly wage: $13.01
- Total employment: 60 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $26,950
- Median hourly wage: $12.96
- Total employment: 2,560 people (2.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $26,520
- Median hourly wage: $12.75
- Total employment: 20,780 people (21.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Virrage Images // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Motor vehicle operators, all other
- Median annual wage: $26,330
- Median hourly wage: $12.66
- Total employment: 450 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aappp // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Aircraft service attendants
- Median annual wage: $26,140
- Median hourly wage: $12.57
- Total employment: 100 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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38 / 50#13. Tour and travel guides
- Median annual wage: $25,840
- Median hourly wage: $12.42
- Total employment: 130 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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39 / 50#12. Shampooers
- Median annual wage: $25,720
- Median hourly wage: $12.36
- Total employment: 60 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jason Person // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Cooks, short order
- Median annual wage: $25,590
- Median hourly wage: $12.30
- Total employment: 2,230 people (2.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50#10. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $25,410
- Median hourly wage: $12.22
- Total employment: 2,310 people (2.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $25,170
- Median hourly wage: $12.10
- Total employment: 4,960 people (5.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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43 / 50#8. Bartenders
- Median annual wage: $24,250
- Median hourly wage: $11.66
- Total employment: 4,210 people (4.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $23,790
- Median hourly wage: $11.44
- Total employment: 23,070 people (23.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
NIKCOA // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Medical transcriptionists
- Median annual wage: $23,410
- Median hourly wage: $11.25
- Total employment: 360 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Waiters and waitresses
- Median annual wage: $23,200
- Median hourly wage: $11.15
- Total employment: 12,730 people (12.89 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: $22,490
- Median hourly wage: $10.81
- Total employment: 2,630 people (2.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Amusement and recreation attendants
- Median annual wage: $22,430
- Median hourly wage: $10.78
- Total employment: 1,930 people (1.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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49 / 50#2. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers
- Median annual wage: $21,610
- Median hourly wage: $10.39
- Total employment: 780 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Dven // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Motorboat operators
- Median annual wage: $21,240
- Median hourly wage: $10.21
- Total employment: 30 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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