Lowest-paying jobs in Boston
If you’ve ever found yourself saying, “I get paid nothing,” then cozy up to your screen with a 15-cent pack of ramen noodles—you won’t want to miss this list.
Unemployment is at its lowest rate since 2000. But having a job, and having a job that pays a living wage, are not necessarily the same. So while 250,000 non-farm jobs were added to the U.S. economy in October, it’s a different dataset entirely to explore which of those jobs actually pay a living wage. How do things shake out in your hometown? To determine which jobs in the U.S. pay the lowest in Boston, Stacker analyzed information from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The data was collected in May 2017 and ranked by average annual salary, with ties being broken by average hourly wage. Aside from the cool fact that the occupation of hand-sewer still exists, the research provides interesting insights as to who truly should get to complain about their wages. Did your job make the list?
RELATED: Highest-paying jobs in Boston
#25. Food preparation workers
Average annual salary: $28,830
Average hourly wage: $13.86
Total employment in Boston: 11,920
#24. Locker room, coat room, and dressing room attendants
Average annual salary: $28,770
Average hourly wage: $13.83
Total employment in Boston: 220
#23. Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials
Average annual salary: $28,720
Average hourly wage: $13.81
Total employment in Boston: 520
#22. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers
Average annual salary: $27,980
Average hourly wage: $13.45
Total employment in Boston: 6,510
#21. Amusement and recreation attendants
Average annual salary: $27,810
Average hourly wage: $13.37
Total employment in Boston: 3,110
#20. Baggage porters and bellhops
Average annual salary: $27,590
Average hourly wage: $13.26
Total employment in Boston: 590
#19. Food servers, non-restaurant
Average annual salary: $27,510
Average hourly wage: $13.23
Total employment in Boston: 3,890
#18. Slaughterers and meat packers
Average annual salary: $27,360
Average hourly wage: $13.15
Total employment in Boston: N/A
#17. Packers and packagers, hand
Average annual salary: $27,210
Average hourly wage: $13.08
Total employment in Boston: 13,920
#16. Material moving workers, all other
Average annual salary: $27,200
Average hourly wage: $13.08
Total employment in Boston: 350
#15. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers
Average annual salary: $27,120
Average hourly wage: $13.04
Total employment in Boston: 2,550
#14. Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop
Average annual salary: $27,050
Average hourly wage: $13.00
Total employment in Boston: 8,260
#13. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers
Average annual salary: $26,840
Average hourly wage: $12.90
Total employment in Boston: 3,930
#12. Food processing workers, all other
Average annual salary: $26,760
Average hourly wage: $12.86
Total employment in Boston: 110
#11. Dishwashers
Average annual salary: $26,720
Average hourly wage: $12.85
Total employment in Boston: 11,110
#10. Manicurists and pedicurists
Average annual salary: $26,580
Average hourly wage: $12.78
Total employment in Boston: 4,210
#9. Graders and sorters, agricultural products
Average annual salary: $26,350
Average hourly wage: $12.67
Total employment in Boston: N/A
#8. Automotive and watercraft service attendants
Average annual salary: $26,340
Average hourly wage: $12.66
Total employment in Boston: N/A
#7. Combined food preparation and serving workers, including fast food
Average annual salary: $26,270
Average hourly wage: $12.63
Total employment in Boston: 47,500
#6. Cooks, fast food
Average annual salary: $26,130
Average hourly wage: $12.56
Total employment in Boston: 4,570
#5. Helpers - painters, paperhangers, plasterers, and stucco masons
Average annual salary: $25,990
Average hourly wage: $12.49
Total employment in Boston: N/A
#4. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers
Average annual salary: $25,660
Average hourly wage: $12.34
Total employment in Boston: 1,850
#3. Counter attendants, cafeteria, food concession, and coffee shop
Average annual salary: $25,390
Average hourly wage: $12.21
Total employment in Boston: 16,890
#2. Cashiers
Average annual salary: $25,240
Average hourly wage: $12.14
Total employment in Boston: 55,760
#1. Shampooers
Average annual salary: $24,470
Average hourly wage: $11.76
Total employment in Boston: 430
