America’s undervalued workforce: How essential workers keep cities running amid stark pay gaps

The American workforce is undergoing a profound transformation. Once defined by white-collar stability, it now rests on the shoulders of nearly four million health and personal care aides—the nation’s most common job with a median wage of $34,000. Data from CNBC Make It reveals a stark portrait of modern labor: a widening wage divide where essential workers sustain America’s cities but remain chronically undervalued.