Highest-paying jobs without a degree
Find occupations that typically do not require an associate’s, bachelor’s, or graduate degree.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment ProjectionsPeriod: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wagesRetrieved 2026-10-05T08:25:31+00:00
Includes no formal educational credential, high school diploma, some college with no degree, and postsecondary nondegree award. Excludes associate’s degrees as well as bachelor’s and graduate degrees. Certificates, apprenticeships, and experience may still be required. National BLS detailed occupations only. Wages are median annual employee wages, not starting salaries or self-employed earnings. Missing wages are excluded from pay rankings. A “+” means a lower bound, not an exact wage; equal reported bounds share a rank. Education describes the typical entry requirement, not a guarantee of eligibility. Training, licensing, and experience may still be needed.
| Rank | Name | Typical education | Median annual wage | Projected growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 351 | Woodworking machine setters, operators, and tenders, except sawing DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $43,380 | -2.5% |
| 352 | Gambling surveillance officers and gambling investigators DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: Less than 5 years. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $43,370 | -1.8% |
| 353 | Tutors DetailsEducation: Some college, no degree. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Some college, no degree | $43,350 | -0.2% |
| 354 | Etchers and engravers DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $43,310 | -0.7% |
| 355 | Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $43,220 | 4.1% |
| 356 | Tellers DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $43,030 | -13.2% |
| 357 | Bicycle repairers DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $42,780 | -5.7% |
| 358 | Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $42,770 | -1.0% |
| 359 | Helpers--electricians DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $42,670 | 0.6% |
| 359 | Helpers, construction trades, all other DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $42,670 | -1.0% |
| 361 | Grinding and polishing workers, hand DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $42,660 | -19.2% |
| 362 | Protective service workers, all other DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $42,540 | 3.0% |
| 363 | Conveyor operators and tenders DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $42,420 | -2.6% |
| 364 | Helpers--pipelayers, plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $42,360 | 2.4% |
| 365 | Food batchmakers DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $42,290 | 6.5% |
| 365 | Print binding and finishing workers DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $42,290 | -17.5% |
| 367 | Nursing assistants DetailsEducation: Postsecondary nondegree award. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Postsecondary nondegree award | $42,260 | 2.6% |
| 368 | Residential advisors DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $42,240 | 3.5% |
| 369 | Taxi drivers DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $42,100 | 11.5% |
| 370 | Material moving workers, all other DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $41,800 | 2.7% |
| 371 | Telephone operators DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $41,740 | -27.6% |
| 372 | Agricultural equipment operators DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $41,730 | 8.6% |
| 373 | Tailors, dressmakers, and custom sewers DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $41,640 | -8.8% |
| 374 | Personal care and service workers, all other DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $41,600 | 5.9% |
| 374 | Painting, coating, and decorating workers DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $41,600 | 1.3% |
| 376 | Food cooking machine operators and tenders DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $41,590 | -0.3% |
| 377 | Door-to-door sales workers, news and street vendors, and related workers DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $41,380 | -10.4% |
| 378 | Data entry keyers DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $41,340 | -25.5% |
| 379 | Cooling and freezing equipment operators and tenders DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $41,330 | 5.9% |
| 380 | Counter and rental clerks DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $41,300 | 3.0% |
| 381 | Machine feeders and offbearers DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $41,220 | -13.1% |
| 382 | Office machine operators, except computer DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $40,960 | -14.9% |
| 383 | Umpires, referees, and other sports officials DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $40,710 | 5.2% |
| 384 | Photographic process workers and processing machine operators DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $40,610 | -5.6% |
| 385 | Helpers--painters, paperhangers, plasterers, and stucco masons DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $40,470 | 1.5% |
| 386 | Aircraft service attendants DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $40,450 | 5.6% |
| 387 | Medical transcriptionists DetailsEducation: Postsecondary nondegree award. Experience: None. Training: None. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | Postsecondary nondegree award | $40,410 | -4.4% |
| 388 | Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $40,240 | 1.8% |
| 389 | Butchers and meat cutters DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $40,140 | 2.4% |
| 390 | Slaughterers and meat packers DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $40,130 | 2.0% |
| 391 | Production workers, all other DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $40,110 | 0.8% |
| 392 | Animal trainers DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $39,990 | 4.2% |
| 393 | Agricultural workers, all other DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $39,850 | 3.8% |
| 394 | Food processing workers, all other DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $39,680 | 5.5% |
| 395 | Helpers--installation, maintenance, and repair workers DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $39,630 | 5.3% |
| 396 | Textile knitting and weaving machine setters, operators, and tenders DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $39,530 | -13.7% |
| 397 | Ophthalmic laboratory technicians DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Moderate-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $39,460 | 2.2% |
| 398 | Merchandise displayers and window trimmers DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $39,390 | 2.7% |
| 399 | Demonstrators and product promoters DetailsEducation: No formal educational credential. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | No formal educational credential | $39,320 | 0.2% |
| 400 | Mail clerks and mail machine operators, except postal service DetailsEducation: High school diploma or equivalent. Experience: None. Training: Short-term on-the-job training. Source period: 2025–2035 projections · 2025 median annual wages | High school diploma or equivalent | $39,280 | -7.2% |
Wages marked + are top-coded: the published figure is the lower bound of the capped wage.
487 ranked entries.