Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Computer numerically controlled tool programmers
- Median annual wage: $60,410
- Median hourly wage: $29.04
- Total employment: 70 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Birmingham that don't require a college degree
Gen Z has figured out that college isn't the only way to land a high-paying job. According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 2 in 5 (38.6%) of recent high school graduates opted out of college in 2023, up from 33.8% in 2019.
This shift comes at a good time for high school grads, as companies face labor shortages for many jobs that don't require a college degree. Baby boomers retiring and a trend to reopen factories in the United States have both driven demand for young talent. A July 2024 Intelligent report found that 1 in 3 companies have already dropped bachelor's degree requirements across entry-level, mid-tier, and even senior positions to attract more employees.
The need for skilled workers, regardless of educational attainment, means better pay. Median wages for those with a high school degree are at their highest since 1990, according to the New York Federal Reserve.
At $40,000 on average, these wages are still $20,000 lower than those of a college grad. Yet nearly 1 in 5 workers who opt out of college earn more than employees with bachelor's degrees. Two million high school grads across the U.S. make six-figure annual salaries—without the financial burden of attending a four-year university. As of 2025, the average annual cost of college is more than $38,200 per student, and the average college graduate has more than $39,000 in student debt. It's little wonder that, according to a May 2024 survey from Pew Research, 29% of Americans think attending college is not worthwhile.
However, not every career field pays high school grads equally well, and understanding what the good jobs are is the first step to landing one. Stacker ranked the 50 highest-paying jobs that don't require a college degree in Birmingham using annual compensation data from the BLS. The analysis included jobs that listed a high school diploma, a postsecondary nondegree award, or had no formal education requirements for entry-level positions. Jobs are ranked by their median annual pay as of May 2024, so any jobs without annual compensation figures available were excluded from this analysis.
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Carolina K. Smith MD // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Transportation security screeners
- Median annual wage: $60,510
- Median hourly wage: $29.09
- Total employment: 100 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SatawatK // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Median annual wage: $60,680
- Median hourly wage: $29.17
- Total employment: 990 people (1.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Meter readers, utilities
- Median annual wage: $60,830
- Median hourly wage: $29.24
- Total employment: 50 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $61,050
- Median hourly wage: $29.35
- Total employment: 3,140 people (6.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Joey Chung // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $61,160
- Median hourly wage: $29.40
- Total employment: 3,420 people (6.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $61,190
- Median hourly wage: $29.42
- Total employment: 910 people (1.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GolF2532 // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Security and fire alarm systems installers
- Median annual wage: $61,250
- Median hourly wage: $29.45
- Total employment: 540 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rlat // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $61,630
- Median hourly wage: $29.63
- Total employment: 290 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $62,000
- Median hourly wage: $29.81
- Total employment: 1,030 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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prochasson frederic // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Boilermakers
- Median annual wage: $62,400
- Median hourly wage: $30.00
- Total employment: 60 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $62,600
- Median hourly wage: $30.10
- Total employment: 3,000 people (5.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pixel B // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Tool and die makers
- Median annual wage: $62,700
- Median hourly wage: $30.15
- Total employment: 240 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Chefs and head cooks
- Median annual wage: $62,800
- Median hourly wage: $30.19
- Total employment: 260 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $62,960
- Median hourly wage: $30.27
- Total employment: 270 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Median annual wage: $62,980
- Median hourly wage: $30.28
- Total employment: 90 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
manine99 // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Maintenance workers, machinery
- Median annual wage: $63,170
- Median hourly wage: $30.37
- Total employment: 80 people (0.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
O.PASH // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Animal trainers
- Median annual wage: $63,330
- Median hourly wage: $30.45
- Total employment: 40 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment
- Median annual wage: $63,450
- Median hourly wage: $30.50
- Total employment: 130 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $64,040
- Median hourly wage: $30.79
- Total employment: 6,230 people (12.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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welcomia // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $64,750
- Median hourly wage: $31.13
- Total employment: 1,020 people (1.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vadim Ratnikov // Shutterstock
22 / 50#28. Earth drillers, except oil and gas (tie)
- Median annual wage: $64,800
- Median hourly wage: $31.16
- Total employment: 50 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products (tie)
- Median annual wage: $64,800
- Median hourly wage: $31.15
- Total employment: 5,900 people (11.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $64,810
- Median hourly wage: $31.16
- Total employment: 320 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santi lumubol // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $65,970
- Median hourly wage: $31.71
- Total employment: Not available
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Jat306 // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Millwrights
- Median annual wage: $66,360
- Median hourly wage: $31.91
- Total employment: 450 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $68,650
- Median hourly wage: $33.01
- Total employment: 3,910 people (7.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $70,450
- Median hourly wage: $33.87
- Total employment: 3,130 people (6.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $72,230
- Median hourly wage: $34.73
- Total employment: 940 people (1.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $74,050
- Median hourly wage: $35.60
- Total employment: 3,010 people (5.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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ITisha // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Court reporters and simultaneous captioners
- Median annual wage: $74,660
- Median hourly wage: $35.90
- Total employment: 30 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $75,000
- Median hourly wage: $36.06
- Total employment: 3,160 people (6.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $76,450
- Median hourly wage: $36.75
- Total employment: 610 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prath // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $76,580
- Median hourly wage: $36.82
- Total employment: 230 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $76,700
- Median hourly wage: $36.87
- Total employment: 150 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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BearFotos // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. First-line supervisors of protective service workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $78,960
- Median hourly wage: $37.96
- Total employment: 40 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Median annual wage: $81,520
- Median hourly wage: $39.19
- Total employment: 70 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $81,980
- Median hourly wage: $39.41
- Total employment: 110 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $82,210
- Median hourly wage: $39.53
- Total employment: 350 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Christian Lagerek // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Gas plant operators
- Median annual wage: $82,620
- Median hourly wage: $39.72
- Total employment: 70 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $83,460
- Median hourly wage: $40.12
- Total employment: 1,760 people (3.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $90,200
- Median hourly wage: $43.36
- Total employment: 470 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ken Wolter // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Median annual wage: $92,580
- Median hourly wage: $44.51
- Total employment: 60 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Suwin // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay
- Median annual wage: $92,850
- Median hourly wage: $44.64
- Total employment: 100 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $95,140
- Median hourly wage: $45.74
- Total employment: 590 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Skycolors // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $97,690
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 160 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Washburn HM // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Transportation inspectors
- Median annual wage: $99,470
- Median hourly wage: $47.82
- Total employment: 40 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $101,250
- Median hourly wage: $48.68
- Total employment: 260 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
michaeljung // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Power plant operators
- Median annual wage: $103,640
- Median hourly wage: $49.83
- Total employment: 270 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lovely Bird // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Power distributors and dispatchers
- Median annual wage: $134,020
- Median hourly wage: $64.43
- Total employment: 110 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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