UfaBizPhoto // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Parts salespersons
- Median annual wage: $34,430
- Median hourly wage: $16.56
- Total employment: 130 people (2.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Wheeling
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 Wheeling. 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#49. Interviewers, except eligibility and loan
- Median annual wage: $34,400
- Median hourly wage: $16.54
- Total employment: 110 people (1.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
zhu difeng // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Merchandise displayers and window trimmers
- Median annual wage: $33,700
- Median hourly wage: $16.20
- Total employment: 70 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
4 / 50#46. First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $33,580
- Median hourly wage: $16.15
- Total employment: 630 people (10.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Emergency medical technicians (tie)
- Median annual wage: $33,580
- Median hourly wage: $16.14
- Total employment: 120 people (1.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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New Africa // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Receptionists and information clerks
- Median annual wage: $33,220
- Median hourly wage: $15.97
- Total employment: 540 people (9.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $32,840
- Median hourly wage: $15.79
- Total employment: 400 people (6.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Security guards
- Median annual wage: $31,270
- Median hourly wage: $15.04
- Total employment: 340 people (5.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Standret // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Counter and rental clerks
- Median annual wage: $31,000
- Median hourly wage: $14.91
- Total employment: 130 people (2.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vasin Lee // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Residential advisors
- Median annual wage: $30,400
- Median hourly wage: $14.61
- Total employment: 50 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Krysja // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Funeral attendants
- Median annual wage: $30,370
- Median hourly wage: $14.60
- Total employment: 50 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists
- Median annual wage: $30,350
- Median hourly wage: $14.59
- Total employment: 230 people (3.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Median annual wage: $30,330
- Median hourly wage: $14.58
- Total employment: 70 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Bus drivers, school
- Median annual wage: $29,930
- Median hourly wage: $14.39
- Total employment: 140 people (2.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DuxX // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Butchers and meat cutters
- Median annual wage: $29,840
- Median hourly wage: $14.35
- Total employment: 70 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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DSBfoto // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $29,710
- Median hourly wage: $14.29
- Total employment: 1,010 people (17.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Cooks, restaurant
- Median annual wage: $29,420
- Median hourly wage: $14.14
- Total employment: 670 people (11.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $29,350
- Median hourly wage: $14.11
- Total employment: 140 people (2.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $29,240
- Median hourly wage: $14.06
- Total employment: 100 people (1.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Waiters and waitresses
- Median annual wage: $29,170
- Median hourly wage: $14.02
- Total employment: 900 people (15.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Cooks, institution and cafeteria
- Median annual wage: $29,110
- Median hourly wage: $14.00
- Total employment: 300 people (5.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $28,940
- Median hourly wage: $13.91
- Total employment: 120 people (2.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $28,850
- Median hourly wage: $13.87
- Total employment: 90 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $28,760
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 360 people (6.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. First-line supervisors of entertainment and recreation workers, except gambling services
- Median annual wage: $28,660
- Median hourly wage: $13.78
- Total employment: 50 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $28,330
- Median hourly wage: $13.62
- Total employment: 1,100 people (18.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $28,250
- Median hourly wage: $13.58
- Total employment: 230 people (3.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Library assistants, clerical
- Median annual wage: $28,120
- Median hourly wage: $13.52
- Total employment: 60 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
29 / 50#21. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks (tie)
- Median annual wage: $28,100
- Median hourly wage: $13.51
- Total employment: 150 people (2.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aboutsung // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $28,100
- Median hourly wage: $13.51
- Total employment: 120 people (1.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
31 / 50#19. Retail salespersons (tie)
- Median annual wage: $27,950
- Median hourly wage: $13.44
- Total employment: 2,010 people (34.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Bakers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $27,950
- Median hourly wage: $13.44
- Total employment: 90 people (1.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santypan // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Bartenders
- Median annual wage: $27,920
- Median hourly wage: $13.43
- Total employment: 370 people (6.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $27,910
- Median hourly wage: $13.42
- Total employment: 120 people (1.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jason Person // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Cooks, short order
- Median annual wage: $27,780
- Median hourly wage: $13.36
- Total employment: 70 people (1.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $27,630
- Median hourly wage: $13.28
- Total employment: 260 people (4.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Indypendenz // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service
- Median annual wage: $27,330
- Median hourly wage: $13.14
- Total employment: 80 people (1.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ibnu alias // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Coin, vending, and amusement machine servicers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $27,320
- Median hourly wage: $13.13
- Total employment: 60 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $27,300
- Median hourly wage: $13.12
- Total employment: 410 people (6.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $26,840
- Median hourly wage: $12.91
- Total employment: 140 people (2.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $26,630
- Median hourly wage: $12.80
- Total employment: 90 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $26,540
- Median hourly wage: $12.76
- Total employment: 170 people (2.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $25,890
- Median hourly wage: $12.45
- Total employment: 1,760 people (29.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers
- Median annual wage: $24,350
- Median hourly wage: $11.71
- Total employment: 80 people (1.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $24,090
- Median hourly wage: $11.58
- Total employment: 1,460 people (24.78 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: $23,710
- Median hourly wage: $11.40
- Total employment: 120 people (1.96 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: $23,320
- Median hourly wage: $11.21
- Total employment: 180 people (3.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $23,210
- Median hourly wage: $11.16
- Total employment: 900 people (15.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Carlovis // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Tour and travel guides
- Median annual wage: $21,960
- Median hourly wage: $10.56
- Total employment: 60 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
grivet // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Gambling change persons and booth cashiers
- Median annual wage: $21,690
- Median hourly wage: $10.43
- Total employment: 120 people (2.02 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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