Most everybody thinks they’re underpaid for what they do. But in reality, there are a handful of select jobs where this claim is especially true. Here’s my take on the 10 most underpaid jobs. Unless otherwise noted, annual income figures are based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
After reading this list, if you think I’ve overlooked a particular job (like yours), please leave a comment and let me have it with both barrels. Just keep the profanity and ad hominems to a minimum.
10. Janitor
Average Annual Income: $23,500
Annual Income If It Were Up to Me: $45,000
Appreciation Meter: Office outcasts rarely invited to workplace birthday celebrations and promotion parties.
Why They’re Underpaid: In office buildings and schools all over the world, janitors quietly go about their job of picking up everybody’s mess. Their work is usually done behind the scenes, so it’s easy to overlook the fact that they often have to deal with some really messy clean-ups like throw-up and excrement. When they leave work the place is spotless. They do this knowing the next day they’ll just have to it clean up all over again. Talk about a sisyphean challenge.
9. Youth Sports Referee/Umpire
Average Annual Income: $28,330
Annual Income If It Were Up to Me: $50,000
Public Appreciation Meter: Slightly above the small pox virus, but one notch below dog poop. Okay, okay – two notches.
Why They’re Underpaid: Without these extremely tolerant men and women, there would be no organized sports leagues for our kids. Despite that fact, the next time you want to pick-up a few fresh insult lines that would make a sailor blush, stop by your local park and take in a youth sports competition. When you consider all the abuse that these referees and umpires take on a daily basis, it is a wonder that anybody actually aspires to be in such a position in the first place.
8. Little League President / Board Member
Average Annual Income: $0
Annual Income If It Were Up to Me: $35,000
Public Appreciation Meter: More likely to be approached by folks carrying pitchforks & torches than “thank you” letters.
Why They’re Underpaid: I was a Little League President for two years, so I know what I am talking about here. For a volunteer, the hours are extremely long – upwards of 40 per week. Everybody is always upset at you, calling at all hours of the night to complain about trivial things. And when you’re not acting as the League’s pin cushion you’re playing psychologist, soothing the bruised egos of parents who all think their kid is the second coming of Derek Jeter. Good times.
7. Nurse
Average Annual Income: $65,130
Annual Income If It Were Up to Me: $150,000
Public Appreciation Meter: Not too bad, actually.
Why They’re Underpaid: This job often requires a cast-iron stomach and entails very long hours with sometimes-grumpy and uncooperative patients. I say anybody who has to assist with surgeries, change bedpans, insert catheters, give injections and sponge baths, and provide other general care and comfort to the sick and injured on a daily basis is almost by definition, underpaid.
6. Exterminator
Average Annual Income: $31,210
Annual Income If It Were Up to Me: $125,000
Public Appreciation Meter: Exterminated.
Why They’re Underpaid: Exterminators often have to work in dark and tight places. They’re often required to work with hazardous chemicals too. The worst part though is they’re constantly at risk of being bit or stung, or contracting rabies, hepatitis, or other diseases from vermin that most of us would just as soon never even have to look at: poisonous snakes, rats, black widow spiders, rabid raccoons, skunks, bats, gators, bees, mice, cockroaches, and rats. “Uh, Len, you said ‘rats’ twice.” I know – that’s because I really hate rats.
5. Septic Tank Servicer
Average Annual Income: $35,550
Annual Income If It Were Up to Me: $135,000
Public Appreciation Meter: “You mean somebody actually has to clean those things out?”
Why They’re Underpaid: Their job description stinks – and I mean literally: Clean and repair septic tanks, sewer lines, or related structures. Clean and disinfect domestic basements and other areas flooded by sewer stoppages. Withdraw cables from pipes and examine them for evidence of mud, roots, grease, and other deposits indicating broken or clogged sewer lines. By the way, I’ll give you two guesses what “other deposits” could be, and the first one doesn’t count.
4. Embalmer
Average Annual Income: $39,320
Annual Income If It Were Up to Me: $150,000
Public Appreciation Meter: Better than some professions, but not as good as most.
Why They’re Underpaid: When I was growing up I lived next door to a mortician. I still remember the empty industrial-sized containers of embalming powder he kept in his garage to store everyday stuff. My family became close with his and we did a lot of things together. Uncle Chuck was such a funny and easy going guy, which always amazed me considering his very somber duties at the mortuary, stories of which he shared freely with us kids as we became teenagers. One of his duties was embalming; it is a difficult and surprisingly physically demanding job. To this day I still remain amazed at how Uncle Chuck could be so easy going and carefree at home considering all the sadness and heartache he encountered on a daily basis at work.
3. Lineman
Average Annual Income: $54,300
Annual Income If It Were Up to Me: $200,000
Public Appreciation Meter: Only when the local power goes out.
Why They’re Underpaid: Not too surprisingly, this job regularly ranks among those with the ten highest fatality rates. This job is much worse than that of a professional tight-rope walker, as it combines nerve-wracking heights with extremely high electrical currents. If that doesn’t convince you, maybe this will. And if you have a few extra minutes, maybe even this.
2. Trauma Scene Clean-up Worker
Average Annual Income: $35,000 (according to answerbag.com)
Annual Income If It Were Up to Me: $250,000
Public Appreciation Meter: Dead on arrival.
Why They’re Underpaid: Did you ever wonder who goes in and cleans up the blood, guts and random body parts after major car accidents, homicides and other similar tragedies? I don’t think most people do – they just figure a site magically cleans itself up after the authorities leave the scene. I once spoke to a guy who used to do this for a living and he said the job is absolutely horrific and often requires superhuman intestinal fortitude and emotional control. Here’s a chilling job description that warns potential job applicants what to expect and here are some common tools of their trade.
1. Military Soldier/Sailor
Average Annual Income: $16,794 (First-year, enlisted)
Annual Income If It Were Up to Me: $1,000,000
Public Appreciation Meter: Getting better, but still not enough.
Why They’re Underpaid: The job of a soldier is, without a doubt, the most underpaid job in the world. In addition to being charged with putting their lives on the line on a daily basis in order to protect us and our way of life, the soldier’s job description also entails many of the difficult jobs previously mentioned. On top of that, they often have to do their jobs with minimal sleep, rations, and almost impossible living conditions. The freshest US recruits have to do all that for a base salary of just over $16,000 per year. We should all keep that in mind the next time we think we’re underpaid for what we do. 
So there you have it: the 10 most underpaid jobs. If you’re interested, you might also want to check out my list of the 10 most overpaid jobs - I’m sure that’s going to ruffle a few feathers out there. ;-)
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I can totally relate to job number 5, Septic Tank Servicer.
When I was 16, my uncle got me a job at Stinky Incorporated, over in Montclair. I was a minor, so I wasn’t allowed near any chemicals or excrement. So, I was basically the yard-dog and designated digger. I dug up septic tanks, washed the trucks and picked up after the guard dog.
Talk about a cr@ppy job, this was definitely it. No benefits, no future and a high probability of catching hepatitis. Two of my coworkers crashed in a pumper truck over the side of Mt. Baldy road carrying a full load. What a terrible way for these men to die.
I only lasted about six months.
Wow, Bret. Very sorry to hear about your coworkers; what a sad story.
I hope you got at least a little more than minimum wage for your efforts. Your experience makes my first real job as a grocery store box-boy seem like a real luxury job in comparison.
No, minimum wage was all and I worked pretty hard for it. Luckily, it only lasted a couple of months.
My second job I was a box-boy too and that was a luxury. Union pay, nice benefits and upward mobility to checker. I rode that job well into college. I guess I got a little smarter the second time around.
lol Len your posts crack me up.
One suggestion, can I put myself on the list? No evidence. I’m just convinced I’m underpaid
How can you leave out teachers?! ~$30k for a job that requires AT LEAST a bachelor’s and often a master’s degree, plus usually extra classes and ongoing training to keep certification! And now that teacher’s planning periods are going the way of the dodo, the workload outside of school has increased even more making for VERY long hours without overtime. Plus, there’s the stress of all the changing requirements, the politics, the out-of-pocket expenses for class supplies, and having to deal with students that are often times not only annoying but even dangerous! And of course, everyone seems to think that they know more about education than their kid’s teacher and many will flat out say, “I pay taxes. That means I’m your boss.” And, my favorite, “Teachers don’t need to be paid more. That’s what they have husbands for.” (I am NOT making this up, either. These are only some of the reasons I decided to not become a teacher after all.)
@Bret: You know, the union bennies and pay were great back then, but have since come back down to earth. I made $14,000 when I was 18, as a part time checker – that’s roughly $35,000 in today’s dollars, not bad for a teenager. The worst part of being a box boy was going out into the rain to get shopping carts, and cleaning up really messy stuff like syrup (back when stuff was still stored in glass).
@Jae: Yes, Jae, you can put yourself on the list. For a job that pays more than yours, may I suggest you try your hand at becoming a professional Ponzi schemer – I hear they make a lot of money!
@Meg: Teachers weren’t on the list because this article only considered the top 10 underpaid jobs. I lost my research notes for this article, but I if I remember correctly, teachers and Jae were tied for 11th place.
When you consider that they cook, clean, run errands and do other duties I think stay at home moms need to be included on your list!
You know, Marcie, the Honeybee is a stay at home mom – so don’t think I didn’t take that into consideration!
There is no doubt that stay at home moms (or dads) deserve our respect. My mom did it all when I was a kid, cleaning, cooking, shopping and other errands, home improvement tasks, etc. – she often was even pressed into service doing the lawn work when my dad was out working long extra hours and I was still too young to do it myself.
That being said, however, you’ve got to admit there are some real perks to the job. In the end I didn’t include them on the list because I thought the other 10 jobs I listed had it just a bit tougher, in my opinion – and that pushed the moms into a tie at number 11 with teachers and Jae (whatever he does). lol
I know someone who was a trauma scene clean-up worker. She’s been called to at least one scene where someone committed suicide with a shotgun. So she had to hunt down about 1000 pieces of buckshot that carried brain into/through the ceiling and walls. Then she had to clean up around five kilograms of human head that had been aerosolized and strewn about the room.
She doesn’t do that anymore
I don’t blame her, JJ. I truly do not know how people do that job, considering what they are paid.
Interesting article here, and it’s definitely a shame that so many of those jobs, especially soldier, are so underpaid. Janitor too, as I always feel bad for those guys (and girls) having to clean up all that nasty stuff, only to get it get nastified again the very next day.
You are a complete idiot.
Annual Income for you if it were up to me: $0.00
Uncle Sam: Get in line. You’re not the only one who thinks that way.
Nice post. Totally agree with you.
Thank you for making the American soldier the #1 underpaid job. I would say they are not respected nearly enough. My husband is a 100% disabled vet, awarded a purple heart and Distinguished Service Cross for his valor (just beneath the medal of honor for those who don’t know – he entered a burning building 5 times to pull guys out, took over a dozen rounds). If you want to help a soldier, please don’t say, “if there’s anything I can do let me know.” It’s insulting, 99% of people don’t mean it. Do something: offer to babysit if they have kids so they can have date with their spouse before deployment, write letters, cook a meal, repair something around the house. You think active duty guys have it bad. It took the VA over a year to process my husband, until then it was 70% of his base pay – about 600$ after health insurance. BTW we have to pay for health insurance and copays for his combat related care! Sorry if this has turned into rambling, but all soldiers, especially those wounded in combat, deserve the highest respect.
You’re very welcome, Meghan. I want to give a big thank you to your husband for his service and sacrifice. I also appreciate those terrific tips for ways we can all help our brave servicemen and women make their lives just a little bit easier. All the best to you and your husband.
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