73% of these careers already have a full profile page; the rest publish with the next tranche and show the same bank data here in the meantime.
30 Jobs That Pay $20 to $25 an Hour, Ranked by Annual Openings (2026)
Customer Service Representative tops this list at $44,770 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), with -5.5% projected employment change over 2024–2034. Below are 30 careers that meet the criteria, each with its real median wage, outlook and entry requirement.
Occupations whose BLS median hourly wage is at least $20.00 and under $25.00, ranked by projected annual openings so the list leads with the work that exists in volume at this rate. The hourly figure is the one BLS publishes in the OEWS release, not an annual salary divided by 2,080; occupations OEWS reports on an annual basis only, which is most teaching and airline flight-crew work, carry no hourly wage to test and are left off rather than converted. The band has an upper end so that each rate gets its own list rather than four copies of the same one; jobs paying above $25 an hour are on the higher lists.
- Careers on this list
- 30
- Median pay on the list
- $45,930
- Projected to grow
- 21 of 30
- Openings a year
- 3,178,700
From 923 in the bank
BLS OEWS, May 2025
BLS EP, 2024–2034
Combined, BLS EP
How we built this list
- Included when the BLS OEWS published median hourly wage is at least $20.00 and under $25.00.
- The hourly figure is the median hourly wage BLS itself publishes, never an annual salary divided by 2,080. Occupations BLS reports on an annual basis only are left out rather than converted.
- Ranked by projected annual openings from BLS Employment Projections, so the list leads with work that actually exists in volume at this pay rate rather than with the rare job that happens to clear the floor.
- BLS publishes one wage per occupation code, and several O*NET job titles can share a code. Only one title per code is listed, so the same wage does not appear over and over.
- Occupations with no BLS wage or projection data are excluded rather than estimated.
- The list is regenerated from source data on every bank refresh. It is not hand-picked and no editorial ranking is applied.
The top 30 jobs that pay $20 an hour
Office and Administrative Support
- Median pay
- $44,770
- Growth
- -5.5%
- Openings / yr
- 341,700
- Education
- High school
Interact with customers to provide basic or scripted information in response to routine inquiries about products and services.
Office and Administrative Support
- Median pay
- $45,010
- Growth
- -6.7%
- Openings / yr
- 282,400
- Education
- High school
Perform duties too varied and diverse to be classified in any specific office clerical occupation, requiring knowledge of office systems and procedures.
Healthcare Support
- Median pay
- $42,260
- Growth
- +2.3%
- Openings / yr
- 204,100
- Education
- Certificate
Provide or assist with basic care or support under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff.
Office and Administrative Support
- Median pay
- $47,540
- Growth
- -1.6%
- Openings / yr
- 202,800
- Education
- High school
Perform routine administrative functions such as drafting correspondence, scheduling appointments, organizing and maintaining paper and electronic files, or providing information to callers.
5. First-Line Supervisor of Food Preparation and Serving Workers
Food Preparation and Serving Related
- Median pay
- $44,080
- Growth
- +6.0%
- Openings / yr
- 183,900
- Education
- High school
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of workers engaged in preparing and serving food.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Office and Administrative Support
- Median pay
- $50,670
- Growth
- -5.8%
- Openings / yr
- 170,000
- Education
- Some college
Compute, classify, and record numerical data to keep financial records complete.
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
- Median pay
- $49,590
- Growth
- +3.8%
- Openings / yr
- 159,800
- Education
- High school
Perform work involving the skills of two or more maintenance or craft occupations to keep machines, mechanical equipment, or the structure of a building in repair.
Production
- Median pay
- $44,650
- Growth
- -0.1%
- Openings / yr
- 156,300
- Education
- High school
Work as part of a team having responsibility for assembling an entire product or component of a product.
Construction and Extraction
- Median pay
- $47,120
- Growth
- +7.3%
- Openings / yr
- 129,400
- Education
- No formal credential
Perform tasks involving physical labor at construction sites.
10. First-Line Supervisor of Retail Sales Workers
Sales and Related
- Median pay
- $48,520
- Growth
- -5.0%
- Openings / yr
- 125,100
- Education
- High school
Directly supervise and coordinate activities of retail sales workers in an establishment or department.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Transportation and Material Moving
- Median pay
- $44,860
- Growth
- +7.3%
- Openings / yr
- 120,200
- Education
- High school
Drive a light vehicle, such as a truck or van, with a capacity of less than 26,001 pounds Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW), primarily to pick up merchandise or packages from a distribution center and deliver.
Healthcare Support
- Median pay
- $45,690
- Growth
- +12.5%
- Openings / yr
- 112,300
- Education
- Certificate
Perform administrative and certain clinical duties under the direction of a physician.
Office and Administrative Support
- Median pay
- $45,930
- Growth
- +4.2%
- Openings / yr
- 85,900
- Education
- High school
Perform secretarial duties using specific knowledge of medical terminology and hospital, clinic, or laboratory procedures.
Transportation and Material Moving
- Median pay
- $46,420
- Growth
- +1.1%
- Openings / yr
- 76,400
- Education
- No formal credential
Operate industrial trucks or tractors equipped to move materials around a warehouse, storage yard, factory, construction site, or similar location.
Personal Care and Service
- Median pay
- $47,160
- Growth
- +11.9%
- Openings / yr
- 74,200
- Education
- High school
Instruct or coach groups or individuals in exercise activities for the primary purpose of personal fitness.
Installation, Maintenance, and Repair
- Median pay
- $50,620
- Growth
- +4.2%
- Openings / yr
- 70,000
- Education
- Certificate
Diagnose, adjust, repair, or overhaul automotive vehicles.
- Median pay
- $48,570
- Growth
- 0.0%
- Openings / yr
- 69,900
- Education
- High school
Inspect, test, sort, sample, or weigh nonagricultural raw materials or processed, machined, fabricated, or assembled parts or products for defects, wear, and deviations from specifications.
Office and Administrative Support
- Median pay
- $45,260
- Growth
- -7.7%
- Openings / yr
- 69,300
- Education
- High school
Verify and maintain records on incoming and outgoing shipments involving inventory.
19. Substitute Teacher, Short-Term
Educational Instruction and Library
- Median pay
- $41,670
- Growth
- +1.6%
- Openings / yr
- 61,100
- Education
- Bachelor's
Teach students on a short-term basis as a temporary replacement for a regular classroom teacher, typically using the regular teacher's lesson plan.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Transportation and Material Moving
- Median pay
- $47,920
- Growth
- +0.2%
- Openings / yr
- 61,000
- Education
- High school
Drive a school bus to transport students.
Healthcare Support
- Median pay
- $48,070
- Growth
- +6.4%
- Openings / yr
- 52,900
- Education
- Certificate
Perform limited clinical duties under the direction of a dentist.
22. Self-Enrichment Teacher
Educational Instruction and Library
- Median pay
- $46,800
- Growth
- +3.7%
- Openings / yr
- 51,400
- Education
- High school
Teach or instruct individuals or groups for the primary purpose of self-enrichment or recreation, rather than for an occupational objective, educational attainment, competition, or fitness.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Community and Social Service
- Median pay
- $45,930
- Growth
- +6.4%
- Openings / yr
- 50,600
- Education
- High school
Assist other social and human service providers in providing client services in a wide variety of fields, such as psychology, rehabilitation, or social work, including support for families.
Healthcare Practitioners and Technical
- Median pay
- $45,750
- Growth
- +6.4%
- Openings / yr
- 49,000
- Education
- High school
Prepare medications under the direction of a pharmacist.
25. Packaging and Filling Machine Operator and Tender
Production
- Median pay
- $43,220
- Growth
- +4.5%
- Openings / yr
- 45,300
- Education
- High school
Operate or tend machines to prepare industrial or consumer products for storage or shipment.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Office and Administrative Support
- Median pay
- $48,500
- Growth
- -0.4%
- Openings / yr
- 42,200
- Education
- High school
Compile, compute, and record billing, accounting, statistical, and other numerical data for billing purposes.
Educational Instruction and Library
- Median pay
- $43,350
- Growth
- +0.6%
- Openings / yr
- 37,100
- Education
- Some college
Instruct individual students or small groups of students in academic subjects to support formal class instruction or to prepare students for standardized or admissions tests.
28. First-Line Supervisor of Housekeeping and Janitorial Workers
Building and Grounds Cleaning and Maintenance
- Median pay
- $49,100
- Growth
- +2.5%
- Openings / yr
- 33,000
- Education
- High school
Directly supervise and coordinate work activities of cleaning personnel in hotels, hospitals, offices, and other establishments.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
29. Electrical and Electronic Equipment Assembler
Production
- Median pay
- $45,930
- Growth
- +4.1%
- Openings / yr
- 30,700
- Education
- N/A
Assemble or modify electrical or electronic equipment, such as computers, test equipment telemetering systems, electric motors, and batteries.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
30. Electromechanical Equipment Assembler
Production
- Median pay
- $45,930
- Growth
- +4.1%
- Openings / yr
- 30,700
- Education
- N/A
Assemble or modify electromechanical equipment or devices, such as servomechanisms, gyros, dynamometers, magnetic drums, tape drives, brakes, control linkage, actuators, and appliances.
Profile coming in the next tranche.
Jobs That Pay $20 an Hour: FAQ
What is the top career on the jobs that pay $20 an hour list?
Customer Service Representative leads the list with a median wage of $44,770 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025) and projected employment change of -5.5% over 2024–2034. Typical entry-level education is high school.
How was this list put together?
Occupations whose BLS median hourly wage is at least $20.00 and under $25.00, ranked by projected annual openings so the list leads with the work that exists in volume at this rate. The hourly figure is the one BLS publishes in the OEWS release, not an annual salary divided by 2,080; occupations OEWS reports on an annual basis only, which is most teaching and airline flight-crew work, carry no hourly wage to test and are left off rather than converted. The band has an upper end so that each rate gets its own list rather than four copies of the same one; jobs paying above $25 an hour are on the higher lists. Included when the BLS OEWS published median hourly wage is at least $20.00 and under $25.00. The hourly figure is the median hourly wage BLS itself publishes, never an annual salary divided by 2,080. Occupations BLS reports on an annual basis only are left out rather than converted. Ranked by projected annual openings from BLS Employment Projections, so the list leads with work that actually exists in volume at this pay rate rather than with the rare job that happens to clear the floor. BLS publishes one wage per occupation code, and several O*NET job titles can share a code. Only one title per code is listed, so the same wage does not appear over and over. Every figure comes from BLS OEWS May 2025, BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 and O*NET 30.3 Database.
How much do jobs that pay $20 an hour pay?
Across the 30 careers on this list the middle occupation pays $45,930 a year, from $41,670 at the bottom to $50,670 at the top (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The median across all US occupations is $50,980.
How many of these careers can you enter without a degree?
29 of the 30 careers on this list have a typical entry requirement below an associate's degree: a high school diploma, a postsecondary certificate, or no formal credential (BLS Employment Projections, 2024–2034).