The federal government, in 1938, passed the Fair Labor Standards Act, which among other provisions established a minimum wage to ensure that all working Americans could afford a certain standard of living. The government has increased the minimum wage fairly regularly over the years, but not in nearly a decade. Today, a single parent with a dependent child working full-time in a minimum wage job lives below the poverty line.
While many high-profile companies pay their workers more than the legally mandated minimum, there are companies that pay their entry-level associates minimum wage or close to it. As a result, average salaries at these companies are often less than $40,000.
To identify the 29 lowest paying companies, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the average pay in over 1,200 companies and organizations with operations in the United States. The companies with the lowest average salaries span a range of industries, including restaurants, accommodations, landscaping, and nonprofits.
In many cases, the companies on this list offer low-skilled jobs that require little or no experience or education. Such jobs, like pizza delivery driver for Pizza Hut or cashier at Burger King, are popular among younger Americans and those entering the workforce for the first time.
For those working at some companies on this list, income may not be the most important consideration. A handful of organizations on this list are nonprofits, meaning they exist to serve a social cause, not to make money. Such organizations include Head Start, an early childhood education program run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Youth Villages, a child services group that helps young people with emotional, mental, and behavioral problems. Average annual salaries at these organizations are $35,000 and $37,000, respectively.
While average salaries are low in every company on this list, most of them are not without some well-paying positions. A dozen organizations on this list have at least one position with an average annual salary above $75,000. At G4S Security Services, a company with an average salary of just $21,000 a year, general regional managers earn an average of nearly $110,000 a year.
Source: RiverNorthPhotography / iStock
29. Little Caesars Enterprises, Inc.
> Avg. salary: $38,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: IT business analyst ($69,539)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Pizza store manager ($30,284)
> Industry: Restaurant
Source: Courtesy of Tradesmen International
28. Tradesmen International, Inc.
> Avg. salary: $37,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: General operations manager ($63,379)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Project coordinator, (unknown type / general) ($34,082)
> Industry: Construction
Source: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
27. Liberty Tax Services, Inc.
> Avg. salary: $37,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: General operations manager ($48,688)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Office manager ($28,960)
> Industry: Tax services
Source: Courtesy of Youth Villages Inc.
26. Youth Villages Inc.
> Avg. salary: $37,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Health information manager ($63,531)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Residential youth counselor ($27,226)
> Industry: Nonprofit child services
Source: Public Domain / Wikimedia Commons
25. Burger King Corporation
> Avg. salary: $37,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Director of operations ($86,012)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Cashier ($19,904)
> Industry: Restaurant
Source: Juanmonino / Getty Images
24. Hampton Inn
> Avg. salary: $37,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Chief engineer ($59,640)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Housekeeper ($19,213)
> Industry: Accommodations
[in-text-ad]
Source: William Howard / iStock
23. Pizza Hut, Inc.
> Avg. salary: $37,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Director of operations ($76,484)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Pizza delivery driver ($17,409)
> Industry: Restaurant
Source: Corey Coyle / Wikimedia Commons
22. La Petite Academy, Inc.
> Avg. salary: $36,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Preschool director ($40,592)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Child care director ($38,352)
> Industry: Child care and education
Source: Matt Sullivan / Getty Images
21. Bojangles, Inc.
> Avg. salary: $36,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Accounts payable manager ($59,493)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Fast food assistant manager ($29,830)
> Industry: Restaurant
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: RiverNorthPhotography / Getty Images
20. Holiday Inn Express
> Avg. salary: $36,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Director of operations ($74,320)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Executive housekeeper ($28,802)
> Industry: Accommodations
Source: Courtesy of Gray Television
19. Gray Communications
> Avg. salary: $36,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: News anchor ($55,424)
> Position with lowest avg. salary News reporter ($27,224)
> Industry: Broadcast television
[in-text-ad]
Source: aimintang / Getty Images
18. Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches
> Avg. salary: $36,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Director of operations ($96,779)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Assistant manager, fast food ($23,708)
> Industry: Restaurant
Source: expresspros / Flickr
17. Express Employment Professionals
> Avg. salary: $35,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Staffing manager ($49,244)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Recruitment consultant ($26,890)
> Industry: Staffing
Source: Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
16. Head Start
> Avg. salary: $35,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Human resources director ($70,248)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Teacher aide ($18,306)
> Industry: Nonprofit, early childhood education
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: OlegAlbinsky / Getty Images
15. First United Methodist Church
> Avg. salary: $35,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Executive pastor ($72,630)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Church organist ($17,807)
> Industry: Nonprofit
Source: signarama-crystal / Flickr
14. Primrose Schools
> Avg. salary: $34,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Executive director ($82,321)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Teacher assistant ($21,247)
> Industry: Education
[in-text-ad]
Source: Michael Rivera / Wikimedia Commons
13. Subway
> Avg. salary: $34,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Marketing director ($76,538)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Cashier ($20,080)
> Industry: Restaurant
Source: AMAPO / Wikimedia Commons
12. Comfort Inn and Suites
> Avg. salary: $34,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Chief engineer ($49,014)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Housekeeper ($17,628)
> Industry: Accommodations
Source: IlliniGradResearch / Wikimedia Commons
11. Fastenal Company
> Avg. salary: $33,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: IT project manager ($89,496)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Sales support associate ($29,281)
> Industry: Industrial supply company
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Catrin Haze / iStock
10. Anytime Fitness, Inc.
> Avg. salary: $32,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Operations manager ($48,443)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Membership manager ($27,030)
> Industry: Fitness center
Source: toddmedia / Getty Images
9. Days Inn
> Avg. salary: $31,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Director of sales and marketing ($65,213)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Front desk clerk ($22,220)
> Industry: Accommodations
[in-text-ad]
Source: August0802 / Getty Images
8. Quality Inn & Suites
> Avg. salary: $31,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Operations manager ($47,879)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Night auditor ($20,136)
> Industry: Accommodations
24/7 Wall St.
Source: Courtesy of Acres Group
7. Acres Group
> Avg. salary: $28,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: N/A
> Position with lowest avg. salary N/A
> Industry: Landscaping
Source: Corey Coyle / Wikimedia Commons
6. Great Clips, Inc.
> Avg. salary: $27,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Director of communications ($94,255)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Cosmetologist ($22,728)
> Industry: Hair salon
[in-text-ad-2]
Source: Courtesy of TruGreen
5. Trugreen Landcare
> Avg. salary: $26,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Payroll director ($98,480)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Outside sales representative ($32,075)
> Industry: Landscaping
Source: southbeachcars / Flickr
4. Massage Envy
> Avg. salary: $26,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Director of operations ($76,393)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Esthetician ($23,934)
> Industry: Spa
[in-text-ad]
Source: Courtesy of Allied Universal Corporation
3. Allied Universal Corporation
> Avg. salary: $22,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Engineering project manager ($79,531)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Security officer ($30,454)
> Industry: Water treatment
Source: Courtesy of Securitas Security Services
2. Securitas Security Services USA, Inc.
> Avg. salary: $22,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: Regional human resources manager ($79,221)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Security officer ($26,621)
> Industry: Security
Source: Courtesy of G4S Security Services
1. G4S Security Services
> Avg. salary: $21,000
> Position with highest avg. salary: General manager, regional ($109,749)
> Position with lowest avg. salary Security officer ($25,987)
> Industry: Security
Methodology
To identify the 29 lowest paying companies, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the average salary in each of the over 1,200 companies listed on PayScale, a compensation data company. Companies were ranked based on average salary for all employees. Because the average salary at each company is rounded to the nearest thousand dollars, there are multiple ties. We used the average reported salary for the lowest paying job within a company to break those ties, favoring companies with higher salary floors. We only considered positions with multiple entries on PayScale for highest and lowest paid job titles.
Sponsored: Want to Retire Early? Here’s a Great First Step
Want retirement to come a few years earlier than you’d planned? Or are you ready to retire now, but want an extra set of eyes on your finances?
Now you can speak with up to 3 financial experts in your area for FREE. By simply clicking here you can begin to match with financial professionals who can help you build your plan to retire early. And the best part? The first conversation with them is free.
Click here to match with up to 3 financial pros who would be excited to help you make financial decisions.
Thank you for reading! Have some feedback for us?
Contact the 24/7 Wall St. editorial team.
Editors' Picks
