Gallup, a U.S.-based polling company, found 30% of adults in America - a nation with nearly 256 million people over age 18 - reported seeing their jobs or finances affected by the epidemic.
Ten percent said they had been temporarily laid off – but 85% of those believed they would get their jobs back - a quarter suffered a loss of income, and one in six had hours reduced.
Among less affluent people, 4% lost their job permanently, compared with 2% of adults overall, according to Gallup, as the number of known infections in the United States topped 970,000 with more than 55,000 deaths.
Among people earning less than $36,000 a year, 14% were laid off and 32% had a loss of income.
"These impacts have been more pronounced among those in lower-income brackets," the researchers said.
The poll was the latest study to show low income workers being hit hardest by the coronavirus, with a Pew Research Center report last week finding people of color and those without a college degree were more likely to report a job loss or pay cut.
Business shutdowns have led to a record 26.5 million Americans filing for unemployment benefits since mid-March with forecasts by the Trump administration that the jobless rate would likely hit 16% or more in April.
The Gallup poll was conducted online between April 13-19 among a random sample of 5,725 U.S. adults.
