Standret // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Bicycle repairers
- Median annual wage: $39,660
- Median hourly wage: $19.07
- Total employment: 80 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Bend
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 Bend. 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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MAVV // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
- Median annual wage: $39,440
- Median hourly wage: $18.96
- Total employment: 90 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $39,430
- Median hourly wage: $18.96
- Total employment: 1,640 people (15.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Shakirov Albert // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Floral designers
- Median annual wage: $39,310
- Median hourly wage: $18.90
- Total employment: 40 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
New Africa // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Receptionists and information clerks
- Median annual wage: $39,220
- Median hourly wage: $18.86
- Total employment: 1,000 people (9.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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SGr // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Machine feeders and offbearers
- Median annual wage: $39,210
- Median hourly wage: $18.85
- Total employment: 200 people (1.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists
- Median annual wage: $39,030
- Median hourly wage: $18.76
- Total employment: 80 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $39,010
- Median hourly wage: $18.76
- Total employment: 260 people (2.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lucky Business // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Sales and related workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $38,890
- Median hourly wage: $18.70
- Total employment: 40 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aappp // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Aircraft service attendants
- Median annual wage: $38,720
- Median hourly wage: $18.62
- Total employment: 40 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Cooks, restaurant
- Median annual wage: $38,480
- Median hourly wage: $18.50
- Total employment: 1,380 people (12.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $38,460
- Median hourly wage: $18.49
- Total employment: 170 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Emergency medical technicians
- Median annual wage: $38,350
- Median hourly wage: $18.44
- Total employment: 80 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Carlovis // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Tour and travel guides
- Median annual wage: $37,990
- Median hourly wage: $18.26
- Total employment: 60 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Demonstrators and product promoters
- Median annual wage: $37,980
- Median hourly wage: $18.26
- Total employment: 60 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Motortion Films // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Personal care and service workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $37,900
- Median hourly wage: $18.22
- Total employment: 560 people (5.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Helpers--painters, paperhangers, plasterers, and stucco masons
- Median annual wage: $37,830
- Median hourly wage: $18.19
- Total employment: 40 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $37,770
- Median hourly wage: $18.16
- Total employment: 200 people (1.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks
- Median annual wage: $37,620
- Median hourly wage: $18.09
- Total employment: 130 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitreel // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Food batchmakers
- Median annual wage: $37,520
- Median hourly wage: $18.04
- Total employment: 40 people (0.41 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: $37,220
- Median hourly wage: $17.89
- Total employment: 280 people (2.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $37,050
- Median hourly wage: $17.81
- Total employment: 3,290 people (30.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alba_alioth // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Molding, coremaking, and casting machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $37,010
- Median hourly wage: $17.80
- Total employment: 110 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SviatlanaLaza // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Packers and packagers, hand
- Median annual wage: $36,910
- Median hourly wage: $17.74
- Total employment: 260 people (2.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $36,830
- Median hourly wage: $17.71
- Total employment: 360 people (3.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Africa Studio // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Median annual wage: $36,760
- Median hourly wage: $17.67
- Total employment: 170 people (1.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $36,680
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 1,240 people (11.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $36,430
- Median hourly wage: $17.51
- Total employment: 400 people (3.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $36,340
- Median hourly wage: $17.47
- Total employment: 950 people (8.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $36,230
- Median hourly wage: $17.42
- Total employment: 850 people (7.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Wellphoto // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. News analysts, reporters, and journalists
- Median annual wage: $36,210
- Median hourly wage: $17.41
- Total employment: 40 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Bakers
- Median annual wage: $36,180
- Median hourly wage: $17.39
- Total employment: 340 people (3.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $35,960
- Median hourly wage: $17.29
- Total employment: 130 people (1.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $35,490
- Median hourly wage: $17.06
- Total employment: 2,270 people (21.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $35,200
- Median hourly wage: $16.92
- Total employment: 210 people (1.99 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: $35,150
- Median hourly wage: $16.90
- Total employment: 60 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $35,130
- Median hourly wage: $16.89
- Total employment: 390 people (3.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $35,000
- Median hourly wage: $16.83
- Total employment: 310 people (2.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers
- Median annual wage: $34,960
- Median hourly wage: $16.81
- Total employment: 150 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Physical therapist aides
- Median annual wage: $34,680
- Median hourly wage: $16.67
- Total employment: 70 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Amusement and recreation attendants
- Median annual wage: $34,600
- Median hourly wage: $16.64
- Total employment: 510 people (4.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Automotive and watercraft service attendants
- Median annual wage: $34,580
- Median hourly wage: $16.62
- Total employment: 400 people (3.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $34,220
- Median hourly wage: $16.45
- Total employment: 3,750 people (34.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santypan // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Bartenders
- Median annual wage: $33,820
- Median hourly wage: $16.26
- Total employment: 900 people (8.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $32,940
- Median hourly wage: $15.84
- Total employment: 220 people (2.01 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: $32,690
- Median hourly wage: $15.72
- Total employment: 1,630 people (15.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jason Person // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Cooks, short order
- Median annual wage: $32,460
- Median hourly wage: $15.61
- Total employment: 230 people (2.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Educational instruction and library workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $32,420
- Median hourly wage: $15.59
- Total employment: 210 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $32,110
- Median hourly wage: $15.44
- Total employment: 360 people (3.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
- Median annual wage: $31,650
- Median hourly wage: $15.21
- Total employment: 380 people (3.53 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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