Syda Productions // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Tellers
- Median annual wage: $36,010
- Median hourly wage: $17.31
- Total employment: 140 people (2.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Morgantown
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 Morgantown. 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.
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Interviewers, except eligibility and loan
- Median annual wage: $35,930
- Median hourly wage: $17.28
- Total employment: 300 people (4.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ruslan Galiullin // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Office clerks, general
- Median annual wage: $35,910
- Median hourly wage: $17.26
- Total employment: 900 people (13.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
nullplus // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Light truck drivers
- Median annual wage: $35,900
- Median hourly wage: $17.26
- Total employment: 180 people (2.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $35,220
- Median hourly wage: $16.94
- Total employment: 120 people (1.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Bakers
- Median annual wage: $34,980
- Median hourly wage: $16.82
- Total employment: 90 people (1.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Weerayuth Kanchanacharoen // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand
- Median annual wage: $34,070
- Median hourly wage: $16.38
- Total employment: 850 people (12.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
New Africa // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Receptionists and information clerks
- Median annual wage: $33,870
- Median hourly wage: $16.28
- Total employment: 650 people (9.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers
- Median annual wage: $33,580
- Median hourly wage: $16.14
- Total employment: 630 people (9.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $33,270
- Median hourly wage: $16.00
- Total employment: 90 people (1.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
zhu difeng // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Merchandise displayers and window trimmers
- Median annual wage: $32,260
- Median hourly wage: $15.51
- Total employment: 60 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Emergency medical technicians
- Median annual wage: $31,700
- Median hourly wage: $15.24
- Total employment: 50 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists
- Median annual wage: $31,670
- Median hourly wage: $15.23
- Total employment: 170 people (2.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
- Median annual wage: $31,080
- Median hourly wage: $14.94
- Total employment: 110 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $31,010
- Median hourly wage: $14.91
- Total employment: 340 people (5.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Stockers and order fillers
- Median annual wage: $31,000
- Median hourly wage: $14.90
- Total employment: 1,040 people (15.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Standret // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Counter and rental clerks
- Median annual wage: $30,800
- Median hourly wage: $14.81
- Total employment: 170 people (2.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vasin Lee // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Residential advisors
- Median annual wage: $30,710
- Median hourly wage: $14.76
- Total employment: 110 people (1.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
UfaBizPhoto // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Parts salespersons
- Median annual wage: $30,300
- Median hourly wage: $14.57
- Total employment: 110 people (1.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Indypendenz // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service
- Median annual wage: $30,270
- Median hourly wage: $14.55
- Total employment: 30 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $30,260
- Median hourly wage: $14.55
- Total employment: 260 people (3.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santypan // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Bartenders
- Median annual wage: $30,250
- Median hourly wage: $14.55
- Total employment: 370 people (5.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Waiters and waitresses
- Median annual wage: $30,060
- Median hourly wage: $14.45
- Total employment: 1,110 people (16.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $30,010
- Median hourly wage: $14.43
- Total employment: 360 people (5.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DSBfoto // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $29,860
- Median hourly wage: $14.36
- Total employment: 820 people (12.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kanemme6 // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Tire repairers and changers
- Median annual wage: $29,810
- Median hourly wage: $14.33
- Total employment: 30 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Cooks, institution and cafeteria
- Median annual wage: $29,750
- Median hourly wage: $14.31
- Total employment: 330 people (4.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Cooks, restaurant
- Median annual wage: $29,430
- Median hourly wage: $14.15
- Total employment: 750 people (11.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $28,850
- Median hourly wage: $13.87
- Total employment: 100 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Bus drivers, school
- Median annual wage: $28,820
- Median hourly wage: $13.85
- Total employment: 280 people (4.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Production workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $28,450
- Median hourly wage: $13.68
- Total employment: 80 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $28,410
- Median hourly wage: $13.66
- Total employment: 750 people (11.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $28,360
- Median hourly wage: $13.64
- Total employment: 90 people (1.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $28,170
- Median hourly wage: $13.55
- Total employment: 1,970 people (29.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $28,110
- Median hourly wage: $13.52
- Total employment: 160 people (2.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Median annual wage: $27,890
- Median hourly wage: $13.41
- Total employment: 90 people (1.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $27,810
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 370 people (5.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jason Person // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Cooks, short order
- Median annual wage: $27,480
- Median hourly wage: $13.21
- Total employment: 80 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $27,470
- Median hourly wage: $13.21
- Total employment: 160 people (2.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
40 / 50#10. Fast food and counter workers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $27,300
- Median hourly wage: $13.13
- Total employment: 720 people (10.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Childcare workers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $27,300
- Median hourly wage: $13.13
- Total employment: 130 people (2.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $27,050
- Median hourly wage: $13.01
- Total employment: 120 people (1.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $26,490
- Median hourly wage: $12.73
- Total employment: 190 people (2.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $26,400
- Median hourly wage: $12.69
- Total employment: 170 people (2.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Amusement and recreation attendants
- Median annual wage: $25,210
- Median hourly wage: $12.12
- Total employment: 50 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $24,480
- Median hourly wage: $11.77
- Total employment: 1,320 people (19.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $24,380
- Median hourly wage: $11.72
- Total employment: 1,060 people (15.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Automotive and watercraft service attendants
- Median annual wage: $23,800
- Median hourly wage: $11.44
- Total employment: 30 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
- Median annual wage: $23,470
- Median hourly wage: $11.29
- Total employment: 190 people (2.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $23,390
- Median hourly wage: $11.25
- Total employment: 1,230 people (18.39 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.
