Photographee.eu // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Rehabilitation counselors
- Median annual wage: $43,010
- Median hourly wage: $20.68
- Total employment: 40 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lowest-paying jobs in Fond du Lac
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 Fond du Lac. 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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LightField Studios // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Bus drivers, school
- Median annual wage: $42,600
- Median hourly wage: $20.48
- Total employment: 120 people (2.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. First-line supervisors of personal service workers
- Median annual wage: $42,570
- Median hourly wage: $20.47
- Total employment: 90 people (2.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DuxX // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders
- Median annual wage: $41,660
- Median hourly wage: $20.03
- Total employment: 130 people (2.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Library technicians
- Median annual wage: $40,030
- Median hourly wage: $19.25
- Total employment: 60 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Production workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $39,270
- Median hourly wage: $18.88
- Total employment: 80 people (1.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
New Africa // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Receptionists and information clerks
- Median annual wage: $39,070
- Median hourly wage: $18.79
- Total employment: 390 people (8.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
nullplus // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Light truck drivers
- Median annual wage: $38,400
- Median hourly wage: $18.46
- Total employment: 180 people (4.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
zhu difeng // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Merchandise displayers and window trimmers
- Median annual wage: $37,810
- Median hourly wage: $18.18
- Total employment: 40 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers
- Median annual wage: $37,780
- Median hourly wage: $18.16
- Total employment: 400 people (8.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Syda Productions // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Tellers
- Median annual wage: $37,690
- Median hourly wage: $18.12
- Total employment: 140 people (3.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Landscaping and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $37,350
- Median hourly wage: $17.96
- Total employment: 270 people (6.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
UfaBizPhoto // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Sewing machine operators
- Median annual wage: $37,190
- Median hourly wage: $17.88
- Total employment: 30 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Cooks, institution and cafeteria
- Median annual wage: $36,650
- Median hourly wage: $17.62
- Total employment: 170 people (3.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nomad_Soul // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Bakers
- Median annual wage: $36,630
- Median hourly wage: $17.61
- Total employment: 90 people (1.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Cooks, restaurant
- Median annual wage: $36,310
- Median hourly wage: $17.46
- Total employment: 310 people (6.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pearl PhotoPix // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Hairdressers, hairstylists, and cosmetologists
- Median annual wage: $35,920
- Median hourly wage: $17.27
- Total employment: 140 people (3.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SviatlanaLaza // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Packers and packagers, hand
- Median annual wage: $35,550
- Median hourly wage: $17.09
- Total employment: 240 people (5.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paul.J.West // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $35,260
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 360 people (8.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Victor Moussa // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Firefighters
- Median annual wage: $34,890
- Median hourly wage: $16.78
- Total employment: 60 people (1.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Ground Picture // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Stockers and order fillers
- Median annual wage: $34,780
- Median hourly wage: $16.72
- Total employment: 630 people (14.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Security guards
- Median annual wage: $34,670
- Median hourly wage: $16.67
- Total employment: 90 people (2.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Preschool teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $34,510
- Median hourly wage: $16.59
- Total employment: 130 people (3.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VGstockstudio // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Food servers, nonrestaurant
- Median annual wage: $34,220
- Median hourly wage: $16.45
- Total employment: 70 people (1.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kzenon // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Self-enrichment teachers
- Median annual wage: $33,590
- Median hourly wage: $16.15
- Total employment: 60 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $33,380
- Median hourly wage: $16.05
- Total employment: 180 people (4.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DSBfoto // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners
- Median annual wage: $33,280
- Median hourly wage: $16.00
- Total employment: 460 people (10.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lucky Business // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors
- Median annual wage: $32,860
- Median hourly wage: $15.80
- Total employment: 70 people (1.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Retail salespersons
- Median annual wage: $32,460
- Median hourly wage: $15.61
- Total employment: 1,110 people (24.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
- Median annual wage: $31,780
- Median hourly wage: $15.28
- Total employment: 60 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Automotive and watercraft service attendants
- Median annual wage: $31,700
- Median hourly wage: $15.24
- Total employment: 40 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ORION PRODUCTION // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $31,670
- Median hourly wage: $15.23
- Total employment: 40 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Home health and personal care aides
- Median annual wage: $31,370
- Median hourly wage: $15.08
- Total employment: 1,010 people (22.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Food preparation workers
- Median annual wage: $30,160
- Median hourly wage: $14.50
- Total employment: 390 people (8.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dean Drobot // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Cashiers
- Median annual wage: $30,020
- Median hourly wage: $14.43
- Total employment: 1,190 people (26.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
- Median annual wage: $29,950
- Median hourly wage: $14.40
- Total employment: 40 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nejron Photo // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Cleaners of vehicles and equipment
- Median annual wage: $29,120
- Median hourly wage: $14.00
- Total employment: 240 people (5.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Fast food and counter workers
- Median annual wage: $28,530
- Median hourly wage: $13.72
- Total employment: 1,170 people (26.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Waiters and waitresses
- Median annual wage: $28,430
- Median hourly wage: $13.67
- Total employment: 510 people (11.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Recreation workers
- Median annual wage: $28,380
- Median hourly wage: $13.64
- Total employment: 110 people (2.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Alena Veasey // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Cooks, fast food
- Median annual wage: $28,150
- Median hourly wage: $13.54
- Total employment: 220 people (4.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs
- Median annual wage: $27,870
- Median hourly wage: $13.40
- Total employment: 140 people (3.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Animal caretakers
- Median annual wage: $27,860
- Median hourly wage: $13.39
- Total employment: 70 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
- Median annual wage: $27,620
- Median hourly wage: $13.28
- Total employment: 80 people (1.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Childcare workers
- Median annual wage: $26,880
- Median hourly wage: $12.92
- Total employment: 60 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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aboutsung // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
- Median annual wage: $26,170
- Median hourly wage: $12.58
- Total employment: 100 people (2.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Driver/sales workers
- Median annual wage: $25,480
- Median hourly wage: $12.25
- Total employment: 150 people (3.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers
- Median annual wage: $25,430
- Median hourly wage: $12.23
- Total employment: Not available
santypan // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Bartenders
- Median annual wage: $23,080
- Median hourly wage: $11.10
- Total employment: 350 people (7.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Dishwashers
- Median annual wage: $21,470
- Median hourly wage: $10.32
- Total employment: 170 people (3.86 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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