How this list was built
"Best" means nothing until you say by what, so this page ranks two ways and flags the physical load. A job is on the list only if all of this is true in the BLS Employment Projections table for 2025 to 2035 (released August 27, 2026):
- Typical education is no formal credential or a high school diploma.
- Related work experience is "none."
- Training is short-term, on the job.
- BLS projects 100,000 or more openings a year.
Pay is the national median hourly wage (BLS OEWS, May 2025). "Typical" describes the job as a whole. A single ad can ask for more.
Ranked by pay and by openings
Rank 1 is the highest pay or the most openings.
Scroll horizontally to view every column.
| Job | Median an hour (pay rank) | Openings a year (openings rank) | Body |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive | $22.86 (1) | 163,900 (12) | Seated |
| Construction laborers | $22.66 (2) | 120,000 (18) | Heavy |
| Office clerks, general | $21.64 (3) | 249,000 (10) | Seated |
| Light truck drivers | $21.57 (4) | 107,200 (19) | Heavy |
| Customer service representatives | $21.53 (5) | 289,500 (9) | Seated |
| Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand | $19.35 (6) | 340,500 (7) | Heavy |
| Landscaping and groundskeeping workers | $18.82 (7) | 149,500 (15) | Heavy |
| Security guards | $18.28 (8) | 156,000 (13) | Mixed |
| Receptionists and information clerks | $18.27 (9) | 105,100 (21) | Seated |
| Stockers and order fillers | $17.95 (10) | 430,700 (5) | Heavy |
| Janitors and cleaners, except maids and housekeeping cleaners | $17.71 (11) | 321,800 (8) | Heavy |
| Home health and personal care aides | $17.21 (12) | 760,500 (2) | Heavy |
| Maids and housekeeping cleaners | $17.07 (13) | 175,500 (11) | Heavy |
| Retail salespersons | $17.03 (14) | 520,600 (4) | On feet |
| Food preparation workers | $16.98 (15) | 135,700 (16) | Heavy |
| Waiters and waitresses | $16.94 (16) | 423,100 (6) | On feet |
| Childcare workers | $16.82 (17) | 150,300 (14) | Mixed |
| Bartenders | $16.51 (18) | 121,200 (17) | Heavy |
| Cashiers | $15.81 (19) | 521,300 (3) | On feet |
| Amusement and recreation attendants | $15.46 (20) | 100,400 (22) | On feet |
| Fast food and counter workers | $15.00 (21) | 827,400 (1) | Heavy |
| Hosts and hostesses, restaurant, lounge, and coffee shop | $15.00 (21) | 107,100 (20) | On feet |
Sources: BLS Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; BLS OEWS, May 2025. The medians for waiters and bartenders include tips (BLS OEWS FAQ).
How the Body column works:
- Heavy: the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook says the work involves lifting or moving heavy items. For fast food and other food serving jobs, it says up to 50 pounds. For home health aides, it means lifting or turning clients.
- On feet: at least 4 in 10 workers told O*NET they stand continually or almost continually. Waiters: 80%. Cashiers: 51%. Retail salespersons: 46%. The BLS 50-pound line covers the whole food serving group, which includes hosts, but hosts are listed here by standing time. Ask what a host job lifts.
- Seated: at least half told O*NET they sit continually or almost continually. Secretaries: 69%. Customer service representatives: 61%.
- Mixed: neither pattern. 72% of security guards stand about half the time (O*NET, updated 2026). BLS says childcare can be physically demanding.
How to read the ranks
Openings are not growth. Openings include people who leave a job, so a job can shrink and still show many openings. BLS projects cashiers to fall 6.5% by 2035, office clerks and secretaries 6.0%, and customer service representatives 5.3%. All four still rank in the top 12 for openings. Home health aides grow 18.1%, yet pay ranks 12th of 22.
The top-paying jobs are not the easiest to get. BLS rates them as no-experience jobs across the whole field. Office and customer service ads often test typing or computer skills, so read each ad. Construction pays well but has one of the highest injury rates of all jobs (BLS OOH, read October 31, 2026).
Do the math on your real hours. Federal taxes only, single filer, standard W-4, paid weekly:
Scroll horizontally to view every column.
| Job at its median | Hours | Weekly gross | Take-home |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast food, $15.00 | 25 | $375.00 | $339.77 |
| Stocker, $17.95 | 30 | $538.50 | $474.41 |
| Customer service, $21.53 | 40 | $861.20 | $733.90 |
| Construction laborer, $22.66 | 40 | $906.40 | $770.22 |
Take-home subtracts 7.65% for Social Security and Medicare (IRS Topic 751) and federal withholding (IRS Publication 15-T, 2026). Most states take more. See your first paycheck explained. Your metro may pay above or below these medians: check pay benchmarks.
If you ... start here
Scroll horizontally to view every column.
| If you | Start here | Go deeper | The catch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Have no car | Store and food jobs on a bus line, or remote support | Retail with no experience, remote customer service | Remote needs your own quiet space and often a computer. Work-from-home scams are an FTC warning |
| Cannot lift | Cashier, receptionist, customer service | Customer service jobs, retail with no experience | Cashiers stand long hours. Do not say you can lift what you cannot. If a disability is the reason, ask about an accommodation |
| Need nights | Warehouse overnight, security, cleaning | Night shift warehouse jobs, warehouse night shift openings | Extra pay for nights is not required by federal law (U.S. DOL). Ask for the differential in writing |
| Need to start this week | Parcel, warehouse and seasonal work | Seasonal jobs, fast-hiring warehouse, fast-hiring retail | Fast start often means few set hours and an end date |
| Are under 18 | Food, stores and movie theaters | Jobs that hire at 16, jobs for 14 and 15 year olds | Some work is off limits by law. Driving on the job is on the federal hazardous list for under 18 (29 CFR Part 570) |
| Have a record | Warehouse, food, construction | Second chance jobs, background checks explained | Security, childcare and home care jobs often require a background check, per BLS |
What "no experience" still asks of you
No experience does not mean no screening. Expect some of this:
- Background check and drug test. Amazon's pre-hire checklist covers "background check and drug test results" before the formal offer (Amazon, read October 31, 2026).
- Lifting rules in the ad. A UPS package handler posting in Laurel, MD says lift, lower and carry packages up to 70 pounds (read October 31, 2026). Read the number before you apply. More: UPS seasonal jobs.
- Licenses and training. Most states require security guards to be 18, pass a background check, and complete training. Many states license childcare centers and require staff background checks. Some states require home health aides to be certified. All delivery drivers need a driver's license. Construction employers often require OSHA safety training (BLS OOH, read October 31, 2026). Details: caregiver jobs with no experience and your first construction laborer job.
- Injury risk. BLS says hand laborers, construction laborers and light truck drivers have some of the highest injury and illness rates of all jobs (BLS OOH, read October 31, 2026). Before you take one, ask how the employer trains new hires to lift.
- Odd hours. Cashiers may work early mornings, late evenings, weekends and holidays (BLS OOH).
Nobody honest charges you for the promise of a job (FTC, updated August 13, 2026). See job scam warning signs.
What to say when you have no experience
Do not invent any. Use this structure, and swap in what is true for you:
"I have not done this job yet. I learn fast: (your own example, such as caring for a family member or a school project with a deadline). I can work (days and hours). I can start (date). I can lift (the amount you really can)."
For your resume, see resume with no experience.
Small steps that raise pay
Two jobs sit under the 100,000 openings line but pay more, with the same BLS entry rule. Industrial truck and tractor operators earn $22.32, with 64,700 openings a year. School bus drivers earn $23.04, with 56,500 openings (BLS, May 2025 and 2025 to 2035). Forklift work needs employer certification: see forklift certification. All bus drivers need a CDL, though some earn it in on-the-job training (BLS OOH). More: jobs that pay $20 an hour with no degree.
Current openings
Browse warehouse jobs, warehouse jobs with no experience, retail jobs and general labor jobs. By city: warehouse in Dallas, retail in Orlando. "No experience" in a listing is the employer's wording. Read the requirements in the source posting.
More warehouse openings
Current source-linked listings could not be confirmed in this sample. Check the category search and each original posting for availability.
How to verify a listing
Every opening on JobPin links to its source posting. Open it, check the date, and confirm the pay, lifting rule and screening steps on the employer's own site. Honest employers never ask you to pay to get a job, and never send a check for you to deposit and send part back (FTC, updated August 13, 2026). More: how JobPin verifies listings.
How JobPin dates and sources listings: How JobPin verifies listings and events. Report a listing.