Comments on: The Quick 10: The 10 Worst-Paying Jobs in America

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Sun, 15 Jun 2008 05:49:15 +0000

I actually have to assume this list doesn’t include tips, Miss Cellania. That tax credit law is not in effect in all states. I’m not sure which ones, but I know for a fact that the minimum wage in Washington state is 8.07 an hour, and they cannot apply a tax credit to tipped employees.

Also, I happen to know a ton of poker and blackjack dealers, and they make a LOT more than this list claims they do. However, in some states they don’t have to claim their tips, or they only have to claim a portion, so that could be accounting for the number listed here.

By: heather

heather — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:27:40 +0000

You forgot retail. Walmart pays m=barely decent and works their employees (oh, wait. I mean ‘associates’) like hell with little training. Truckloads of fun, I tell ya.

By: Josiah

Josiah — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:58:23 +0000

As people mentioned above jobs that include tips really change the total. Some bartenders can make several hundred a night just from them. Still that doesn’t really effect the top 5,so nice list :D

By: Andy

Andy — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:41:59 +0000

Add retail to the list..Sears pays well below the poverty level with horrible health insurance(that you don’t keep when you retire)

By: Miss Cellania

Miss Cellania — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 01:22:09 +0000

I suppose those incomes do include tips. The federal minimum wage (which is $5.85 an hour) has an exemption for those who make tips. An employer only has to pay them $2.13 an hour if they make enough in tips to get them UP to minimum wage.

A person working full time all year at minimum wage would make $12,168 a year. An awful lot of people live on that, or slightly more. When you see statistics about the low number of people who make minimum wage, they aren’t counting waitresses and the huge number of folks who make $6 an hour.

By: Fruppi

Fruppi — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 00:17:36 +0000

I want to see teaching assistants on that list…I made much less than any of those average amounts doing that job. I had benefits, yes, but made less actual currency than any of these jobs.

@ Johnny Cat – The average teaching salary is about $47,000 a year. Thank goodness I finally got a teaching job and got to drop the aide thing!

By: Johnny Cat

Johnny Cat — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 23:23:58 +0000

I wonder where teachers would fall in this list…

By: Sara

Sara — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:12:16 +0000

Florida: a shampooer is the person that washes your hair at a salon before passing you off to the stylist for the actual hair cut.

By: molly

molly — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:44:53 +0000

yea the server thing…you figure a lot of people make good money serving, but a lot of people dont. A server working at a 5 star restruant is going to make a lot more than a person working at waffle house…another thing to take into account is how many servers actually claim all of their tips? you cannot have accurate data when inaccurate numbers are punched into the calculator.

By: Brandy

Brandy — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 21:03:21 +0000

No wonder why I got out of that field.