To find the highest-paying jobs that do not require a college degree, Stacker analyzed the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Outlook Handbook to identify all jobs that do not require a bachelor’s degree.
To be considered, occupations had to list a high school diploma, some college education (without a degree), a postsecondary non-degree award, or no formal education requirements for entry-level positions.
| Rank | Job Title | Annual Mean Salary |
|---|---|---|
| 25 | Electrical power-line installers and repairers | $65,750 |
| 24 | First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers | $65,880 |
| 23 | Crane and tower operators | $66,300 |
| 22 | Insurance appraisers, auto damage | $66,520 |
| 21 | Construction and building inspectors | $67,010 |
| 20 | Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators | $67,590 |
| 19 | Flight attendants | $67,620 |
| 18 | Insurance sales agents | $68,130 |
| 17 | Food service managers | $68,190 |
| 16 | Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels | $71,350 |
| 15 | Detectives and criminal investigators | $71,930 |
| 14 | Power plant operators | $72,400 |
| 13 | Property, real estate, and community association managers | $74,030 |
| 12 | Power distributors and dispatchers | $76,670 |
| 11 | Aircraft mechanics and service technicians | $77,430 |
| 10 | First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers | $79,080 |
| 9 | Elevator and escalator installers and repairers | $81,580 |
| 8 | Transportation inspectors | $83,810 |
| 7 | Lodging managers | $86,080 |
| 6 | First-line supervisors of police and detectives | $86,300 |
| 5 | First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers | $87,480 |
| 4 | Postmasters and mail superintendents | $89,800 |
| 3 | Transportation, storage, and distribution managers | $103,400 |
| 2 | Commercial pilots | $113,520 |
| 1 | Athletes and sports competitors | $153,220 |
