Shakirov Albert // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Floral designers
- Median annual wage: $34,050
- Median hourly wage: $16.37
- Total employment: 70 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Scranton
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 Scranton. 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: $34,040
- Median hourly wage: $16.36
- Total employment: 2,120 people (8.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Anucha Cheechang // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Switchboard operators, including answering service
- Median annual wage: $33,430
- Median hourly wage: $16.07
- Total employment: 40 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
MAVV // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
- Median annual wage: $33,310
- Median hourly wage: $16.02
- Total employment: 110 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $32,950
- Median hourly wage: $15.84
- Total employment: 480 people (1.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kzenon // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Self-enrichment teachers
- Median annual wage: $32,940
- Median hourly wage: $15.84
- Total employment: 360 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SGr // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Machine feeders and offbearers
- Median annual wage: $32,740
- Median hourly wage: $15.74
- Total employment: 210 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
shocky // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers
- Median annual wage: $31,960
- Median hourly wage: $15.37
- Total employment: 80 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Atstock Productions // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Telemarketers
- Median annual wage: $31,920
- Median hourly wage: $15.35
- Total employment: 60 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Flamingo Images // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Word processors and typists
- Median annual wage: $31,780
- Median hourly wage: $15.28
- Total employment: 90 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $31,730
- Median hourly wage: $15.25
- Total employment: 1,040 people (4.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Flamingo Images // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Concierges
- Median annual wage: $31,250
- Median hourly wage: $15.02
- Total employment: 30 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
13 / 50#36. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 550 people (2.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
14 / 50#36. Substitute teachers, short-term (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 710 people (2.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Robert Przybysz // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials (tie)
- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 50 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Leika production // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Couriers and messengers
- Median annual wage: $31,050
- Median hourly wage: $14.93
- Total employment: 100 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $30,980
- Median hourly wage: $14.90
- Total employment: 470 people (1.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Physical therapist aides
- Median annual wage: $30,930
- Median hourly wage: $14.87
- Total employment: 80 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $30,030
- Median hourly wage: $14.44
- Total employment: 640 people (2.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $29,940
- Median hourly wage: $14.40
- Total employment: 1,190 people (4.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Automotive and watercraft service attendants
- Median annual wage: $29,810
- Median hourly wage: $14.33
- Total employment: 70 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Martin Smith // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Parking attendants
- Median annual wage: $29,570
- Median hourly wage: $14.22
- Total employment: 140 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock
23 / 50#27. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists (tie)
- Median annual wage: $29,550
- Median hourly wage: $14.21
- Total employment: 710 people (2.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Preschool teachers, except special education (tie)
- Median annual wage: $29,550
- Median hourly wage: $14.21
- Total employment: 740 people (2.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $29,410
- Median hourly wage: $14.14
- Total employment: 290 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
26 / 50#24. Retail salespersons (tie)
- Median annual wage: $29,250
- Median hourly wage: $14.06
- Total employment: 6,700 people (26.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks (tie)
- Median annual wage: $29,250
- Median hourly wage: $14.06
- Total employment: 380 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Library assistants, clerical
- Median annual wage: $29,210
- Median hourly wage: $14.05
- Total employment: 130 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Suteren // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Dietetic technicians
- Median annual wage: $28,970
- Median hourly wage: $13.93
- Total employment: 60 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $28,890
- Median hourly wage: $13.89
- Total employment: 9,340 people (36.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Carlovis // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Tour and travel guides
- Median annual wage: $28,850
- Median hourly wage: $13.87
- Total employment: 50 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Waiters and waitresses
- Median annual wage: $28,790
- Median hourly wage: $13.84
- Total employment: 3,360 people (13.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $28,600
- Median hourly wage: $13.75
- Total employment: 750 people (2.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $28,280
- Median hourly wage: $13.60
- Total employment: 740 people (2.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $28,260
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 1,840 people (7.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $28,220
- Median hourly wage: $13.57
- Total employment: 1,020 people (4.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santypan // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Bartenders
- Median annual wage: $27,820
- Median hourly wage: $13.38
- Total employment: 1,500 people (5.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $27,800
- Median hourly wage: $13.37
- Total employment: 770 people (3.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $27,770
- Median hourly wage: $13.35
- Total employment: 5,900 people (23.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $27,360
- Median hourly wage: $13.15
- Total employment: 620 people (2.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dragon Images // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
- Median annual wage: $27,320
- Median hourly wage: $13.13
- Total employment: 540 people (2.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $27,290
- Median hourly wage: $13.12
- Total employment: 5,220 people (20.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
hedgehog94 // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Shampooers
- Median annual wage: $25,650
- Median hourly wage: $12.33
- Total employment: Not available
Finist4 // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Manicurists and pedicurists
- Median annual wage: $25,640
- Median hourly wage: $12.33
- Total employment: 240 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers
- Median annual wage: $23,960
- Median hourly wage: $11.52
- Total employment: 130 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Amusement and recreation attendants
- Median annual wage: $22,690
- Median hourly wage: $10.91
- Total employment: 530 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers
- Median annual wage: $21,860
- Median hourly wage: $10.51
- Total employment: 160 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Motortion Films // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Personal care and service workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $21,750
- Median hourly wage: $10.46
- Total employment: 80 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tong_stocker // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Helpers--carpenters
- Median annual wage: $21,740
- Median hourly wage: $10.45
- Total employment: Not available
Jason Person // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Cooks, short order
- Median annual wage: $18,100
- Median hourly wage: $8.70
- Total employment: 150 people (0.6 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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