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SalaryTruthBLS DATA
SnapshotUpdated April 2026

Most Underpaid Professions

High-employment jobs with the lowest median pay

Welder is among the most underpaid professions, earning $57K median despite 112,560 workers nationwide.

#NameMetric
1Welder
$57K median, 112,560 employed nationwide
56,534
2Automotive Technician
$57K median, 250,390 employed nationwide
56,837
3Carpenter
$62K median, 283,690 employed nationwide
62,464
4Clinical Laboratory Technologist
$66K median, 140,220 employed nationwide
65,767
5Graphic Designer
$67K median, 105,110 employed nationwide
66,852
6Paralegal
$69K median, 191,690 employed nationwide
68,717
7Plumber
$71K median, 182,540 employed nationwide
70,862
8Electrician
$73K median, 301,510 employed nationwide
73,317
9Elementary School Teacher
$74K median, 538,340 employed nationwide
73,584
10Public Relations Specialist
$74K median, 147,800 employed nationwide
74,078

Welder is among the most underpaid professions, earning $57K median despite 112,560 workers nationwide.

, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) (April 2026)

Frequently Asked Questions

This report is auto-generated from real public data sources. Entities are ranked by their key metrics and the most notable changes and extremes are highlighted.

The underlying data is refreshed on a regular schedule. This report was generated from the most recent available data (last updated April 2026).

The primary metric varies by report type. It may represent a score, dollar amount, rate, or count depending on what the report is measuring.