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The 10 Lowest Paying Jobs In Iowa For 2019

By Chris Kolmar
May. 17, 2019

Find a Job You Really Want In

Back in high school I had the best job you could have in high school, I worked at the local movie theater for minimum wage plus free popcorn and movies. I was happy to make minimum wage back then, but now I couldn’t imagine living on the $5.86/hr I was making.

All of this reminiscing got me wondering, who gets paid the least in Iowa?

So to piggy-backing on our research into the highest paying jobs in Iowa, we decided to use data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics to identify the lowest paying jobs.

After combing through the Bureau of Labor Statistics, we discovered that Motion Picture Projectionists are the lowest paid people in Iowa.

Here’s a quick look at the 10 lowest paying jobs in Iowa:

  1. Motion Picture Projectionists
  2. Locker Room, Coatroom, and Dressing Room Attendants
  3. Gaming Dealers
  4. Dishwashers
  5. Dining Room and Cafeteria Attendants and Bartender Helpers
  6. Hosts and Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, and Coffee Shop
  7. Ushers, Lobby Attendants, and Ticket Takers
  8. Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, and Other Recreational Protective Service Workers
  9. Cooks, Fast Food
  10. Amusement and Recreation Attendants

For more information on how much the lowest paying jobs pay, read on, or check out this other reading on Iowa:

If you’re interested, you can read more about the Iowa job scene here:

How we determined the lowest paid jobs in Iowa

We looked at the BLS’s data set for all 663 job classifications in Iowa in order to identify those that get paid the least.

We will update the data annually as it becomes available from the BLS. The most recent data is as of May 2018.

For more reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Lowest Paying Jobs In Iowa

Rank Job Title Average Salary Entry Level Salary # Of People
1 Motion Picture Projectionists $18,390 $16,080 100
2 Locker Room, Coatroom, And Dressing Room Attendants $18,640 $15,960 220
3 Gaming Dealers $19,040 $16,280 1,340
4 Dishwashers $19,900 $16,400 3,460
5 Dining Room And Cafeteria Attendants And Bartender Helpers $20,000 $16,460 3,000
6 Hosts And Hostesses, Restaurant, Lounge, And Coffee Shop $20,010 $16,510 3,890
7 Ushers, Lobby Attendants, And Ticket Takers $20,110 $16,540 940
8 Lifeguards, Ski Patrol, And Other Recreational Protective Service Workers $20,330 $16,640 1,850
9 Cooks, Fast Food $20,500 $16,310 3,680
10 Amusement And Recreation Attendants $20,880 $16,310 2,470
11 Counter Attendants, Cafeteria, Food Concession, And Coffee Shop $21,090 $16,680 6,450
12 Bartenders $21,220 $16,490 8,370
13 Combined Food Preparation And Serving Workers, Including Fast Food $21,290 $16,620 39,190
14 Childcare Workers $21,540 $16,510 8,770
15 Cashiers $21,810 $16,810 45,450
16 Cooks, Short Order $21,810 $17,130 1,350
17 Waiters And Waitresses $21,850 $16,410 23,550
18 Baggage Porters And Bellhops $22,010 $16,700 180
19 Hotel, Motel, And Resort Desk Clerks $22,180 $17,440 3,840
20 Food Preparation Workers $22,930 $17,240 6,370
21 Maids And Housekeeping Cleaners $23,070 $17,320 9,510
22 Parking Lot Attendants $23,460 $17,220 850
23 Food Servers, Nonrestaurant $23,870 $18,000 3,170
24 Pressers, Textile, Garment, And Related Materials $23,910 $18,310 250
25 Nonfarm Animal Caretakers $24,080 $16,890 2,070
26 Food Preparation And Serving Related Workers, All Other $24,370 $17,580 340
27 Counter And Rental Clerks $24,400 $16,740 5,520
28 Laundry And Dry-Cleaning Workers $24,510 $18,690 2,470
29 Cooks, Restaurant $24,700 $17,670 11,670
30 Personal Care And Service Workers, All Other $24,910 $17,100 380
31 Library Assistants, Clerical $24,930 $16,860 1,640
32 Personal Care Aides $25,050 $20,220 18,520
33 Tour And Travel Guides $25,140 $17,100 230
34 Teacher Assistants $25,320 $17,560 19,890
35 Taxi Drivers And Chauffeurs $25,600 $18,300 1,520
36 Cleaners Of Vehicles And Equipment $26,170 $17,730 4,420
37 Textile Knitting And Weaving Machine Setters, Operators, And Tenders $26,230 $16,830 30
38 Demonstrators And Product Promoters $26,250 $19,400 1,070
39 Floral Designers $26,250 $18,710 660
40 Pharmacy Aides $26,260 $18,410 310
41 Bakers $26,380 $17,250 2,020
42 Ambulance Drivers And Attendants, Except Emergency Medical Technicians $26,400 $17,210 230
43 Butchers And Meat Cutters $26,460 $20,020 3,230
44 Woodworkers, All Other $26,800 $20,470 110
45 Residential Advisors $26,830 $18,110 890
46 Dietetic Technicians $26,870 $20,350 460
47 Retail Salespersons $26,870 $17,090 45,080
48 Recreation Workers $26,920 $17,620 3,680
49 Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education $27,030 $17,910 4,770
50 Cooks, Institution And Cafeteria $27,110 $19,970 6,580
51 Gaming Change Persons And Booth Cashiers $27,490 $18,810 370
52 Telemarketers $27,510 $20,600 2,220
53 Physical Therapist Aides $27,580 $18,300 320
54 Cooks, All Other $27,590 $20,670 80
55 Couriers And Messengers $27,730 $19,960 560
56 Bicycle Repairers $27,920 $18,280 140
57 Gaming Cage Workers $27,940 $20,800 260
58 Janitors And Cleaners, Except Maids And Housekeeping Cleaners $28,030 $18,640 24,730
59 Concierges $28,050 $20,760 130
60 Sewing Machine Operators $28,320 $19,330 720
61 Hairdressers, Hairstylists, And Cosmetologists $28,360 $17,160 3,590
62 Forest And Conservation Workers $28,400 $20,810 150
63 Veterinary Assistants And Laboratory Animal Caretakers $28,410 $18,250 1,000
64 Tellers $28,480 $21,610 6,810
65 Stock Clerks And Order Fillers $28,740 $18,260 19,420
66 Switchboard Operators, Including Answering Service $28,850 $20,090 320
67 Funeral Attendants $28,880 $21,350 820
68 Security Guards $28,890 $19,430 6,530
69 Building Cleaning Workers, All Other $28,910 $20,910 60
70 Driver/sales Workers $29,010 $16,900 4,670
71 Helpers–Extraction Workers $29,050 $17,470 30
72 Nursing Assistants $29,120 $22,330 20,890
73 Packers And Packagers, Hand $29,150 $21,680 3,790
74 Photographic Process Workers And Processing Machine Operators $29,150 $19,100 180
75 Umpires, Referees, And Other Sports Officials $29,250 $16,730 240
76 Helpers–Carpenters $29,290 $24,420 190
77 Religious Workers, All Other $29,290 $16,180 60
78 Receptionists And Information Clerks $29,410 $19,740 8,350
79 Proofreaders And Copy Markers $29,490 $16,850 310
80 Merchandise Displayers And Window Trimmers $29,520 $18,120 1,040
81 Helpers–Installation, Maintenance, And Repair Workers $29,620 $19,670 790
82 Landscaping And Groundskeeping Workers $29,760 $19,000 8,100
83 Gaming Service Workers, All Other $29,820 $21,840 80
84 Telephone Operators $29,880 $19,380 80
85 Automotive And Watercraft Service Attendants $29,970 $19,460 660
86 Transportation Workers, All Other $30,070 $19,180 100
87 Orderlies $30,100 $22,640 270
88 Mail Clerks And Mail Machine Operators, Except Postal Service $30,130 $19,670 1,550
89 Helpers–Production Workers $30,160 $21,560 8,320
90 Photographers $30,180 $16,860 510
91 Crossing Guards $30,260 $19,000 660
92 Home Health Aides $30,320 $22,270 3,940
93 Substitute Teachers $30,360 $25,330 9,810
94 Skincare Specialists $30,370 $19,620 200
95 Agricultural Workers, All Other $30,430 $20,580 430
96 Textile, Apparel, And Furnishings Workers, All Other $30,630 $18,030 80
97 Farmworkers And Laborers, Crop, Nursery, And Greenhouse $30,630 $18,150 1,330
98 Phlebotomists $30,760 $23,780 1,250
99 Tire Repairers And Changers $30,820 $20,680 1,510
100 Occupational Therapy Aides $30,900 $23,880 70
Never miss an opportunity that’s right for you.

Author

Chris Kolmar

Chris Kolmar is a co-founder of Zippia and the editor-in-chief of the Zippia career advice blog. He has hired over 50 people in his career, been hired five times, and wants to help you land your next job. His research has been featured on the New York Times, Thrillist, VOX, The Atlantic, and a host of local news. More recently, he's been quoted on USA Today, BusinessInsider, and CNBC.

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