Hourly PayJobs that pay under $15 an hour: 1 occupations, May 2025
Occupations in the United States whose median hourly wage was under $15 an hour in May 2025, with the range from the lowest-paid tenth to the highest-paid tenth. Together they hold 641,070 jobs, about 0% of all jobs counted.
No occupation in this pay band matches.
| Occupation | Median an hour | Lowest 10% below | Top 10% above | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cooks, Fast Food | $14.85 | $10.86 | $20.63 | 641,070 |
In short
- The occupations with the most jobs in this band are Cooks, Fast Food (641,070 jobs, $14.85 an hour).
- The median for all occupations in the country was $24.51 an hour.
- A median is the middle: in every occupation here, half the workers earn more than the figure shown and half earn less, so the columns for the lowest and top tenth matter as much as the median.
- Sorted by number of jobs, largest first.
Why this list is so short
Only one occupation in the national figures has a median under $15 an hour: Cooks, Fast Food. For Cooks, Fast Food, the lowest-paid tenth earn under $10.86 an hour and the highest-paid tenth over $20.63; a full-time year of 2,080 hours at the median of $14.85 comes to $30,888 before tax.
That does not mean few people earn under $15 an hour. A band holds occupations by their middle wage, and many large occupations have a median only just above this line while a good part of their workers earn below it. The lowest-paid tenth of every occupation named below earn less than the median shown, in most cases less than $15 an hour.
The occupations just above the line
- Fast Food and Counter Workers: median $15.00 an hour, lowest tenth under $10.98, 3,854,050 jobs
- Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop: median $15.00 an hour, lowest tenth under $10.74, 432,690 jobs
- Amusement and Recreation Attendants: median $15.46 an hour, lowest tenth under $10.75, 397,830 jobs
- Shampooers: median $15.67 an hour, lowest tenth under $11.11, 8,070 jobs
- Entertainment Attendants and Related Workers, All Other: median $15.69 an hour, lowest tenth under $11.21, 7,060 jobs
- Cashiers: median $15.81 an hour, lowest tenth under $11.79, 3,089,410 jobs
- Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers: median $15.82 an hour, lowest tenth under $11.33, 121,770 jobs
- Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers: median $16.14 an hour, lowest tenth under $12.40, 157,550 jobs
All of these are in the next band, $15 to $20 an hour, where the full list has the pay range of each.
Other bands: $15 to $20 an hour, $20 to $25 an hour, $25 to $30 an hour, $30 to $40 an hour, $40 to $50 an hour, $50 to $75 an hour, over $75 an hour.
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; checked in November 2026. Figures are for employees, before tax, and leave out overtime pay. Official statistics, not advice or a pay offer; original tables at bls.gov/oes.