The most-common jobs in Ohio don’t pay enough to meet expenses, report says

A new report has found that four of the 10 most-common occupations in Ohio — which employ 510,000 Ohioans — pay so poorly that a full-time worker supporting a family of three would qualify for federal food assistance. That means such families are trying to survive on less than $35,000 a year.

Perhaps more strikingly, it found that median wages for 84.5% of all jobs in the Buckeye State pay less than the estimated cost of living for a family of three. In the Canton/Massillon area, annual cost of living is about $81,000, according to the Economic Policy Institute’s Family Budget Calculator.

The analysis by Policy Matters Ohio also found that after decades of massive tax cuts weighted heavily toward corporations and the wealthy, wages for nine of the 10 most-common occupations dropped relative to the federal poverty level between 2024 and 2025.

The study “finds that Ohio’s long-running tax-cut strategy has failed to deliver the broadly shared prosperity its proponents promised,” Policy Matters said in a written statement. “In the 20 years since Ohio legislators began a campaign of tax cuts that now cost the state an estimated $17 billion annually, Ohio’s job growth has slowed dramatically, and a smaller share of Ohio’s population is employed today than before the tax-cut era began.”

The report is the latest edition of Still Working for Too Little in Ohio. Earlier annual versions also showed a retreat for Ohioans in the most-common occupations. They’ve come amid tax cutting over the past 20 years in which the richest 20% have gotten 74% of the benefit, the report said.

To produce the report, Policy Matters analyzed May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

It found that only two of the 10 most-common jobs in Ohio — general and operations managers and registered nurses — paid median wages that are more than double the poverty level for a family of three. They paid $98,000 and $83,000 a year, respectively.

The next-closest occupation — assemblers and fabricators — paid a median wage of just $46,000, or 172% of poverty for a family of three.

The analysis also found that the jobs landscape has changed.

“Between 2024 and 2025, the number of jobs in Ohio’s 10 most common occupations grew by 35,050,” the report said. “Retail salespeople experienced the most growth, adding 10,300 jobs — an increase of 8.1%. Fast Food and Counter Workers remained the state’s most common occupation, despite losing 4,090 jobs. Cashiers suffered the greatest reduction, losing 9,630 jobs.”

For each of those occupations, a median-wage earner supporting a family of three would qualify for federal food assistance, meaning she makes less than $35,000 a year.

To address the problem, Policy Matters proposed four initiatives:

• Raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour and index it to inflation
• Strengthen union protections
• Institute progressive tax policies “where the wealthiest Ohioans and corporations pay their fair share”
• Fully fund programs that boost shared prosperity such as education, childcare, healthcare and unemployment benefits

Heather Smith, a researcher at Policy Matters, called on lawmakers to act.

“Twenty years of tax cuts have not solved the fundamental problem facing working people in Ohio: Employers pay too little,” Smith said in a written statement. “As always, lawmakers can build a stronger economy by requiring higher wages and protecting workers’ ability to organize. They should also reverse course on their failed tax-cut campaign by raising more revenue from the wealthy and corporations. Doing so would allow the state to support the public services that help families and communities thrive.”