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1 / 50#50. Coaches and scouts
- Median annual wage: $34,680
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 1,780 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Austin
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 Austin. 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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O.PASH // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Animal trainers
- Median annual wage: $34,410
- Median hourly wage: $16.54
- Total employment: 70 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Joseph Sohm // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Umpires, referees, and other sports officials
- Median annual wage: $34,390
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 130 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Flamingo Images // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Concierges
- Median annual wage: $34,290
- Median hourly wage: $16.49
- Total employment: 200 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Substitute teachers, short-term
- Median annual wage: $34,270
- Median hourly wage: $16.48
- Total employment: 2,300 people (1.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dmytro Sheremeta // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Locker room, coatroom, and dressing room attendants
- Median annual wage: $34,260
- Median hourly wage: $16.47
- Total employment: 80 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Cooks, all other
- Median annual wage: $34,100
- Median hourly wage: $16.39
- Total employment: 740 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ruwan Muhandiramge // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Textile cutting machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Median annual wage: $33,840
- Median hourly wage: $16.27
- Total employment: 30 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
create jobs 51 // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Legislators
- Median annual wage: $33,790
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 140 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ORION PRODUCTION // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $33,750
- Median hourly wage: $16.22
- Total employment: 850 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists
- Median annual wage: $33,630
- Median hourly wage: $16.17
- Total employment: 2,710 people (2.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $33,310
- Median hourly wage: $16.01
- Total employment: 10,020 people (7.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krysja // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Funeral attendants
- Median annual wage: $33,230
- Median hourly wage: $15.97
- Total employment: 80 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
UfaBizPhoto // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Sewing machine operators
- Median annual wage: $33,070
- Median hourly wage: $15.90
- Total employment: 310 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $32,900
- Median hourly wage: $15.82
- Total employment: 2,130 people (1.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $32,640
- Median hourly wage: $15.69
- Total employment: 3,850 people (3.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Tutors
- Median annual wage: $32,520
- Median hourly wage: $15.64
- Total employment: 1,050 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Anucha Cheechang // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Switchboard operators, including answering service
- Median annual wage: $32,220
- Median hourly wage: $15.49
- Total employment: 180 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $32,050
- Median hourly wage: $15.41
- Total employment: 3,510 people (2.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Richard Thornton // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. School bus monitors
- Median annual wage: $31,790
- Median hourly wage: $15.28
- Total employment: 370 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $31,680
- Median hourly wage: $15.23
- Total employment: 29,580 people (23.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $31,650
- Median hourly wage: $15.22
- Total employment: 6,090 people (4.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $31,580
- Median hourly wage: $15.18
- Total employment: 2,150 people (1.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SviatlanaLaza // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Packers and packagers, hand
- Median annual wage: $31,480
- Median hourly wage: $15.14
- Total employment: 2,660 people (2.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $31,360
- Median hourly wage: $15.08
- Total employment: 2,670 people (2.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Pressmaster // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Baggage porters and bellhops
- Median annual wage: $31,290
- Median hourly wage: $15.05
- Total employment: 230 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Atstock Productions // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Telemarketers
- Median annual wage: $30,980
- Median hourly wage: $14.90
- Total employment: 850 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jason Person // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Cooks, short order
- Median annual wage: $30,970
- Median hourly wage: $14.89
- Total employment: 300 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
29 / 50#21. Physical therapist aides (tie)
- Median annual wage: $30,700
- Median hourly wage: $14.76
- Total employment: 590 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Animal caretakers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $30,700
- Median hourly wage: $14.76
- Total employment: 2,710 people (2.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $30,380
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 8,280 people (6.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
shocky // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers
- Median annual wage: $30,330
- Median hourly wage: $14.58
- Total employment: 140 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $30,280
- Median hourly wage: $14.56
- Total employment: 1,380 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santypan // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Bartenders
- Median annual wage: $30,160
- Median hourly wage: $14.50
- Total employment: 5,950 people (4.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $30,110
- Median hourly wage: $14.48
- Total employment: 20,270 people (16.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $29,950
- Median hourly wage: $14.40
- Total employment: 5,240 people (4.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $29,850
- Median hourly wage: $14.35
- Total employment: 2,750 people (2.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $29,830
- Median hourly wage: $14.34
- Total employment: 4,190 people (3.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Waiters and waitresses
- Median annual wage: $29,740
- Median hourly wage: $14.30
- Total employment: 19,930 people (15.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Robert Przybysz // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials
- Median annual wage: $29,600
- Median hourly wage: $14.23
- Total employment: 200 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50#10. Parking attendants
- Median annual wage: $29,520
- Median hourly wage: $14.19
- Total employment: 790 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
NIKCOA // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Medical transcriptionists
- Median annual wage: $29,500
- Median hourly wage: $14.19
- Total employment: 570 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $28,920
- Median hourly wage: $13.90
- Total employment: 36,210 people (28.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Amusement and recreation attendants
- Median annual wage: $28,790
- Median hourly wage: $13.84
- Total employment: 2,460 people (1.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers
- Median annual wage: $28,540
- Median hourly wage: $13.72
- Total employment: 1,600 people (1.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Carlovis // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Tour and travel guides
- Median annual wage: $28,360
- Median hourly wage: $13.63
- Total employment: 330 people (0.26 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: $28,230
- Median hourly wage: $13.57
- Total employment: 3,490 people (2.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
MAVV // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
- Median annual wage: $27,780
- Median hourly wage: $13.36
- Total employment: 280 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $27,760
- Median hourly wage: $13.35
- Total employment: 12,070 people (9.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Electronic equipment installers and repairers, motor vehicles
- Median annual wage: $27,130
- Median hourly wage: $13.05
- Total employment: 130 people (0.1 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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