Ground Picture // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Social science research assistants
- Median annual wage: $30,320
- Median hourly wage: $14.58
- Total employment: Not available
Lowest-paying jobs in Huntington
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 Huntington. 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.
ORION PRODUCTION // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $30,010
- Median hourly wage: $14.43
- Total employment: 110 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kanemme6 // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Tire repairers and changers
- Median annual wage: $29,950
- Median hourly wage: $14.40
- Total employment: 100 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Korotkov // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Crossing guards and flaggers
- Median annual wage: $29,840
- Median hourly wage: $14.35
- Total employment: 70 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers
- Median annual wage: $29,710
- Median hourly wage: $14.28
- Total employment: 1,470 people (10.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists
- Median annual wage: $29,690
- Median hourly wage: $14.27
- Total employment: 150 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
UfaBizPhoto // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Parts salespersons
- Median annual wage: $29,310
- Median hourly wage: $14.09
- Total employment: 330 people (2.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DSBfoto // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $29,190
- Median hourly wage: $14.04
- Total employment: 1,850 people (13.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Library technicians
- Median annual wage: $29,090
- Median hourly wage: $13.99
- Total employment: 130 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Atstock Productions // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Telemarketers
- Median annual wage: $29,070
- Median hourly wage: $13.97
- Total employment: 120 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Robert Przybysz // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials
- Median annual wage: $28,980
- Median hourly wage: $13.93
- Total employment: 30 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vasin Lee // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Residential advisors
- Median annual wage: $28,800
- Median hourly wage: $13.85
- Total employment: 300 people (2.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DuxX // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Butchers and meat cutters
- Median annual wage: $28,770
- Median hourly wage: $13.83
- Total employment: 100 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $28,740
- Median hourly wage: $13.82
- Total employment: 490 people (3.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krysja // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Funeral attendants
- Median annual wage: $28,720
- Median hourly wage: $13.81
- Total employment: 50 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Median annual wage: $28,650
- Median hourly wage: $13.77
- Total employment: 130 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Automotive and watercraft service attendants
- Median annual wage: $28,610
- Median hourly wage: $13.76
- Total employment: 40 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
18 / 50#32. Cooks, institution and cafeteria (tie)
- Median annual wage: $28,590
- Median hourly wage: $13.74
- Total employment: 1,010 people (7.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Recreation workers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $28,590
- Median hourly wage: $13.75
- Total employment: 220 people (1.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
20 / 50#30. Cooks, restaurant (tie)
- Median annual wage: $28,580
- Median hourly wage: $13.74
- Total employment: 1,160 people (8.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santypan // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Bartenders (tie)
- Median annual wage: $28,580
- Median hourly wage: $13.74
- Total employment: 540 people (3.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
MarijaBazarova // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Skincare specialists
- Median annual wage: $28,490
- Median hourly wage: $13.70
- Total employment: 40 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $28,430
- Median hourly wage: $13.67
- Total employment: 180 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
UfaBizPhoto // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Sewing machine operators
- Median annual wage: $28,420
- Median hourly wage: $13.66
- Total employment: 40 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $28,410
- Median hourly wage: $13.66
- Total employment: 870 people (6.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Educational instruction and library workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $28,040
- Median hourly wage: $13.48
- Total employment: 180 people (1.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $27,970
- Median hourly wage: $13.45
- Total employment: 270 people (1.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $27,750
- Median hourly wage: $13.34
- Total employment: 170 people (1.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jason Person // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Cooks, short order
- Median annual wage: $27,460
- Median hourly wage: $13.20
- Total employment: 100 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Waiters and waitresses
- Median annual wage: $27,410
- Median hourly wage: $13.18
- Total employment: 1,740 people (12.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $27,360
- Median hourly wage: $13.15
- Total employment: 3,930 people (28.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $27,330
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 1,210 people (8.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $26,770
- Median hourly wage: $12.87
- Total employment: 200 people (1.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $26,480
- Median hourly wage: $12.73
- Total employment: 3,960 people (28.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Martin Smith // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Parking attendants
- Median annual wage: $26,470
- Median hourly wage: $12.73
- Total employment: 50 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Shakirov Albert // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Floral designers
- Median annual wage: $26,130
- Median hourly wage: $12.56
- Total employment: 60 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $25,360
- Median hourly wage: $12.19
- Total employment: 370 people (2.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Library assistants, clerical
- Median annual wage: $25,200
- Median hourly wage: $12.11
- Total employment: 60 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $24,820
- Median hourly wage: $11.93
- Total employment: 160 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $23,910
- Median hourly wage: $11.50
- Total employment: 2,550 people (18.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $23,570
- Median hourly wage: $11.33
- Total employment: 420 people (2.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers
- Median annual wage: $23,500
- Median hourly wage: $11.30
- Total employment: 90 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $23,340
- Median hourly wage: $11.22
- Total employment: 3,550 people (25.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Amusement and recreation attendants
- Median annual wage: $23,090
- Median hourly wage: $11.10
- Total employment: 180 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitreel // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Food batchmakers
- Median annual wage: $23,010
- Median hourly wage: $11.06
- Total employment: 60 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $22,750
- Median hourly wage: $10.94
- Total employment: 760 people (5.42 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: $22,740
- Median hourly wage: $10.93
- Total employment: 320 people (2.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Carlovis // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Tour and travel guides
- Median annual wage: $22,730
- Median hourly wage: $10.93
- Total employment: 40 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $22,370
- Median hourly wage: $10.76
- Total employment: 2,790 people (19.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers
- Median annual wage: $21,150
- Median hourly wage: $10.17
- Total employment: 90 people (0.63 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.
