santypan // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Bartenders
- Median annual wage: $46,790
- Median hourly wage: $22.50
- Total employment: 330 people (6.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Mount Vernon
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 Mount Vernon. 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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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
2 / 50#48. Interviewers, except eligibility and loan (tie)
- Median annual wage: $46,770
- Median hourly wage: $22.48
- Total employment: 70 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SGr // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Machine feeders and offbearers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $46,770
- Median hourly wage: $22.49
- Total employment: 50 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Tellers
- Median annual wage: $46,550
- Median hourly wage: $22.38
- Total employment: 140 people (2.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Fusionstudio // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks
- Median annual wage: $46,490
- Median hourly wage: $22.35
- Total employment: 200 people (3.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Finist4 // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Manicurists and pedicurists
- Median annual wage: $46,470
- Median hourly wage: $22.34
- Total employment: 50 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Library assistants, clerical
- Median annual wage: $46,390
- Median hourly wage: $22.30
- Total employment: 100 people (1.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $46,020
- Median hourly wage: $22.13
- Total employment: 480 people (9.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $45,840
- Median hourly wage: $22.04
- Total employment: 170 people (3.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Coaches and scouts
- Median annual wage: $45,830
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 110 people (2.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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UfaBizPhoto // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Parts salespersons
- Median annual wage: $45,380
- Median hourly wage: $21.82
- Total employment: 150 people (2.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Self-enrichment teachers
- Median annual wage: $45,000
- Median hourly wage: $21.63
- Total employment: 180 people (3.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Standret // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Counter and rental clerks
- Median annual wage: $44,920
- Median hourly wage: $21.60
- Total employment: 170 people (3.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $44,810
- Median hourly wage: $21.54
- Total employment: 1,250 people (24.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ORION PRODUCTION // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $44,600
- Median hourly wage: $21.44
- Total employment: 130 people (2.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Nataliia Maksymenko // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Slaughterers and meat packers
- Median annual wage: $44,060
- Median hourly wage: $21.19
- Total employment: 50 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DSBfoto // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $44,030
- Median hourly wage: $21.17
- Total employment: 680 people (13.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
zhu difeng // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Merchandise displayers and window trimmers
- Median annual wage: $43,770
- Median hourly wage: $21.04
- Total employment: 30 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Weerayuth Kanchanacharoen // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
- Median annual wage: $43,720
- Median hourly wage: $21.02
- Total employment: 760 people (14.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
New Africa // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Receptionists and information clerks
- Median annual wage: $43,410
- Median hourly wage: $20.87
- Total employment: 460 people (8.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Cooks, restaurant
- Median annual wage: $43,320
- Median hourly wage: $20.83
- Total employment: 630 people (12.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
MAVV // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse
- Median annual wage: $43,310
- Median hourly wage: $20.82
- Total employment: 70 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
worradirek // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Helpers--production workers
- Median annual wage: $42,390
- Median hourly wage: $20.38
- Total employment: 40 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $41,590
- Median hourly wage: $20.00
- Total employment: 170 people (3.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Stockers and order fillers
- Median annual wage: $40,350
- Median hourly wage: $19.40
- Total employment: 930 people (17.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kitreel // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Food batchmakers
- Median annual wage: $40,040
- Median hourly wage: $19.25
- Total employment: 60 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Automotive and watercraft service attendants
- Median annual wage: $39,800
- Median hourly wage: $19.13
- Total employment: 90 people (1.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Median annual wage: $39,450
- Median hourly wage: $18.97
- Total employment: 50 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $39,360
- Median hourly wage: $18.93
- Total employment: 330 people (6.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SviatlanaLaza // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Packers and packagers, hand
- Median annual wage: $39,110
- Median hourly wage: $18.81
- Total employment: 190 people (3.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $38,910
- Median hourly wage: $18.71
- Total employment: 200 people (3.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $38,490
- Median hourly wage: $18.51
- Total employment: 70 people (1.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Bakers
- Median annual wage: $38,480
- Median hourly wage: $18.50
- Total employment: 130 people (2.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $38,290
- Median hourly wage: $18.41
- Total employment: 50 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
shocky // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers
- Median annual wage: $37,860
- Median hourly wage: $18.20
- Total employment: 230 people (4.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $37,800
- Median hourly wage: $18.18
- Total employment: 80 people (1.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $37,700
- Median hourly wage: $18.13
- Total employment: 1,700 people (32.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $37,680
- Median hourly wage: $18.12
- Total employment: 130 people (2.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $37,600
- Median hourly wage: $18.08
- Total employment: 140 people (2.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $37,540
- Median hourly wage: $18.05
- Total employment: 190 people (3.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $37,370
- Median hourly wage: $17.97
- Total employment: 1,220 people (23.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $37,360
- Median hourly wage: $17.96
- Total employment: 180 people (3.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $37,230
- Median hourly wage: $17.90
- Total employment: 40 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $36,880
- Median hourly wage: $17.73
- Total employment: 330 people (6.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vasin Lee // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Residential advisors
- Median annual wage: $36,870
- Median hourly wage: $17.73
- Total employment: 60 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers
- Median annual wage: $36,680
- Median hourly wage: $17.63
- Total employment: 60 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $36,610
- Median hourly wage: $17.60
- Total employment: 190 people (3.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $36,190
- Median hourly wage: $17.40
- Total employment: 120 people (2.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $36,010
- Median hourly wage: $17.31
- Total employment: 1,480 people (28.7 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: $35,760
- Median hourly wage: $17.19
- Total employment: 150 people (2.91 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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