Lowest-paying jobs in Reno

Uncertainty clouds the current job market. On one hand, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports at 4.2% as of May 2025鈥攁nd that hasn't changed much in the past year, a typical indicator of a. 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 , according to the Economic Policy Institute. While states can opt to have higher minimum wages, 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 . Meanwhile, April 2025 BLS data shows that ' 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, used to find the 50 lowest-paying jobs in Reno. 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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Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Automotive and watercraft service attendants

- Median annual wage: $37,280
- Median hourly wage: $17.92
- Total employment: 40 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

KarepaStock // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Grounds maintenance workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $37,210
- Median hourly wage: $17.89
- Total employment: Not available

ORION PRODUCTION // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Veterinary assistants and laboratory animal caretakers

- Median annual wage: $37,130
- Median hourly wage: $17.85
- Total employment: 320 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Africa Studio // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Shuttle drivers and chauffeurs

- Median annual wage: $36,620
- Median hourly wage: $17.61
- Total employment: 340 people (1.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

shocky // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Meat, poultry, and fish cutters and trimmers

- Median annual wage: $36,610
- Median hourly wage: $17.60
- Total employment: 120 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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MAVV // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Farmworkers and laborers, crop, nursery, and greenhouse

- Median annual wage: $36,330
- Median hourly wage: $17.47
- Total employment: 120 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrei Zveaghintev // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Gambling service workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $36,300
- Median hourly wage: $17.45
- Total employment: 200 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Motortion Films // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Personal care and service workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $35,990
- Median hourly wage: $17.30
- Total employment: 140 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

kanemme6 // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Tire repairers and changers

- Median annual wage: $35,780
- Median hourly wage: $17.20
- Total employment: 240 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmytro Sheremeta // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Locker room, coatroom, and dressing room attendants

- Median annual wage: $35,710
- Median hourly wage: $17.17
- Total employment: 40 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Finist4 // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Manicurists and pedicurists

- Median annual wage: $35,690
- Median hourly wage: $17.16
- Total employment: 120 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kzenon // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Self-enrichment teachers

- Median annual wage: $35,600
- Median hourly wage: $17.11
- Total employment: 210 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Lucky Business // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Sales and related workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $35,490
- Median hourly wage: $17.06
- Total employment: 110 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Retail salespersons

- Median annual wage: $35,460
- Median hourly wage: $17.05
- Total employment: 6,540 people (23.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rawpixel.com // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Preschool teachers, except special education

- Median annual wage: $35,290
- Median hourly wage: $16.97
- Total employment: 540 people (1.97 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: $35,260
- Median hourly wage: $16.95
- Total employment: 4,500 people (16.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

alexdov // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood

- Median annual wage: $35,200
- Median hourly wage: $16.92
- Total employment: 40 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Yevgen Belich // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Gambling cage workers

- Median annual wage: $35,010
- Median hourly wage: $16.83
- Total employment: 230 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

encierro // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Farmworkers, farm, ranch, and aquacultural animals

- Median annual wage: $34,800
- Median hourly wage: $16.73
- Total employment: 30 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Laundry and dry-cleaning workers

- Median annual wage: $34,490
- Median hourly wage: $16.58
- Total employment: 460 people (1.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Atstock Productions // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Telemarketers

- Median annual wage: $34,360
- Median hourly wage: $16.52
- Total employment: 140 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gabriel Georgescu // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks

- Median annual wage: $33,780
- Median hourly wage: $16.24
- Total employment: 460 people (1.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Home health and personal care aides

- Median annual wage: $33,280
- Median hourly wage: $16.00
- Total employment: 2,210 people (8.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Food preparation workers

- Median annual wage: $33,040
- Median hourly wage: $15.89
- Total employment: 1,280 people (4.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Robert Przybysz // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Pressers, textile, garment, and related materials

- Median annual wage: $32,250
- Median hourly wage: $15.51
- Total employment: 80 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Nick_Nick // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. Gambling and sports book writers and runners

- Median annual wage: $31,680
- Median hourly wage: $15.23
- Total employment: 140 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Dishwashers

- Median annual wage: $31,420
- Median hourly wage: $15.10
- Total employment: 1,050 people (3.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

VGstockstudio // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Food servers, nonrestaurant

- Median annual wage: $31,320
- Median hourly wage: $15.06
- Total employment: 310 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

BlueSkyImage // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Fast food and counter workers

- Median annual wage: $31,300
- Median hourly wage: $15.05
- Total employment: 6,580 people (24.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#19. Tutors (tie)

- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 210 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Pressmaster // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#19. Animal caretakers (tie)

- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 520 people (1.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers (tie)

- Median annual wage: $31,200
- Median hourly wage: $15.00
- Total employment: 320 people (1.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Childcare workers

- Median annual wage: $30,900
- Median hourly wage: $14.86
- Total employment: 840 people (3.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Martin Smith // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#16. Parking attendants (tie)

- Median annual wage: $30,570
- Median hourly wage: $14.70
- Total employment: 130 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paul.J.West // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Teaching assistants, except postsecondary (tie)

- Median annual wage: $30,570
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 1,180 people (4.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Dean Drobot // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Cashiers

- Median annual wage: $30,480
- Median hourly wage: $14.66
- Total employment: 4,930 people (18.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Nature's Charm // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Food preparation and serving related workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $30,160
- Median hourly wage: $14.50
- Total employment: 170 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

grivet // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Gambling change persons and booth cashiers

- Median annual wage: $29,910
- Median hourly wage: $14.38
- Total employment: 310 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Alena Veasey // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Cooks, fast food

- Median annual wage: $29,820
- Median hourly wage: $14.34
- Total employment: 1,080 people (3.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

PeopleImages.com - Yuri A // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Physical therapist aides

- Median annual wage: $29,430
- Median hourly wage: $14.15
- Total employment: 150 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Ushers, lobby attendants, and ticket takers

- Median annual wage: $29,330
- Median hourly wage: $14.10
- Total employment: 310 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oksana Shufrych // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Recreation workers

- Median annual wage: $29,130
- Median hourly wage: $14.00
- Total employment: 980 people (3.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Alexander Oganezov // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Amusement and recreation attendants

- Median annual wage: $28,420
- Median hourly wage: $13.66
- Total employment: 900 people (3.29 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: $27,680
- Median hourly wage: $13.31
- Total employment: 820 people (2.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Entertainment attendants and related workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $27,070
- Median hourly wage: $13.01
- Total employment: 40 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Pressmaster // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Baggage porters and bellhops

- Median annual wage: $26,110
- Median hourly wage: $12.56
- Total employment: 110 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

aboutsung // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Dining room and cafeteria attendants and bartender helpers

- Median annual wage: $24,590
- Median hourly wage: $11.82
- Total employment: 1,390 people (5.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

santypan // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Bartenders

- Median annual wage: $24,330
- Median hourly wage: $11.70
- Total employment: 2,030 people (7.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. Waiters and waitresses

- Median annual wage: $24,150
- Median hourly wage: $11.61
- Total employment: 4,290 people (15.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

antoniodiaz // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. Gambling dealers

- Median annual wage: $22,610
- Median hourly wage: $10.87
- Total employment: 1,180 people (4.33 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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