
Highest-paying jobs in El Centro that don't require a college degree
Highest-paying jobs in El Centro that don't require a college degree
From the moment they arrive on campus, today’s high school students are inundated with messages about the importance of receiving a college education. They hear it from their guidance counselors, teachers, parents, family members, neighbors, and coaches. While graduation from a four-year college can certainly work wonders for students’ future careers, it’s not necessary for all fields — something admissions officers and guidance counselors sometimes fail to mention.
To find the highest paying jobs that don’t require a college degree, Stacker consulted the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook to compile a list of all jobs that don’t require higher education. All professions that listed a high school diploma, some college education (without a degree conferred), postsecondary nondegree award, or no formal education requirements for entry-level positions were considered. Jobs that didn’t list any entry-level education requirement were excluded, as were job titles that grouped several positions together. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.
Keep reading to discover the highest paying jobs in El Centro, CA that don’t require a college degree.
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#50. Bus drivers, school
- Annual mean salary: $47,010
- #34 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $38,750
- Employment: 361,420
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Elkhart-Goshen, IN ($55,400)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($55,150)
--- Bremerton-Silverdale, WA ($53,770)
#49. Dental assistants
- Annual mean salary: $47,100
- #48 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140
National
- Annual mean salary: $42,510
- Employment: 347,170
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($55,150)
--- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI ($55,020)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($54,590)
#48. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians
- Annual mean salary: $47,850
- #98 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,250
- Employment: 35,030
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($61,910)
--- Bellingham, WA ($61,210)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($60,760)
#47. Surgical technologists
- Annual mean salary: $48,840
- #186 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,590
- Employment: 109,060
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($80,450)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($80,170)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($77,460)
#46. Cement masons and concrete finishers
- Annual mean salary: $49,340
- #161 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,900
- Employment: 186,600
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New Bedford, MA ($90,980)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($82,820)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($79,650)
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#45. Firefighters
- Annual mean salary: $49,570
- #186 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170
National
- Annual mean salary: $55,290
- Employment: 317,310
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($114,210)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($98,150)
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($97,470)
#44. First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers
- Annual mean salary: $49,620
- #51 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $45,100
- Employment: 153,640
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($60,770)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($60,250)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($59,160)

#43. First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers
- Annual mean salary: $49,770
- #142 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,450
- Employment: 25,770
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Longview, WA ($74,500)
--- Redding, CA ($72,680)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($71,740)
#42. Eligibility interviewers, government programs
- Annual mean salary: $49,910
- #105 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170
National
- Annual mean salary: $48,570
- Employment: 151,340
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($75,570)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($67,900)
--- New Haven, CT ($63,790)

#41. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Annual mean salary: $49,930
- #109 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $48,290
- Employment: 397,600
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($72,500)
--- Anchorage, AK ($71,840)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($66,920)
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#40. Construction laborers
- Annual mean salary: $50,220
- #63 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 300
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,130
- Employment: 968,760
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($65,910)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($64,590)
--- Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ ($63,820)
#39. Opticians, dispensing
- Annual mean salary: $50,270
- #36 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,060
- Employment: 73,270
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($70,300)
--- New Haven, CT ($69,460)
--- Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT ($65,010)

#38. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Annual mean salary: $50,310
- #213 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,270
- Employment: 116,380
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Madera, CA ($76,040)
--- Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT ($74,800)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($73,360)
#37. Automotive service technicians and mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $50,570
- #70 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 250
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,990
- Employment: 629,780
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($62,810)
--- Fairbanks, AK ($62,690)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($61,350)
#36. Painters, construction and maintenance
- Annual mean salary: $51,630
- #53 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,140
- Employment: 214,220
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($62,490)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($62,380)
--- Champaign-Urbana, IL ($62,380)
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#35. Public safety telecommunicators
- Annual mean salary: $52,760
- #64 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,030
- Employment: 97,050
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($97,380)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($92,790)
--- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA ($76,950)

#34. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance
- Annual mean salary: $52,780
- #21 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,650
- Employment: 194,330
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($64,140)
--- Decatur, IL ($60,740)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($58,620)

#33. Postal service mail carriers
- Annual mean salary: $55,200
- #52 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,370
- Employment: 335,540
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Modesto, CA ($57,160)
--- Bismarck, ND ($57,090)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($56,820)

#32. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Annual mean salary: $55,500
- #78 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,220
- Employment: 367,200
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Idaho Falls, ID ($74,970)
--- Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI ($71,160)
--- Bremerton-Silverdale, WA ($67,140)
#31. Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining
- Annual mean salary: $56,320
- #38 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $49,850
- Employment: 35,720
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($87,740)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($86,630)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($83,090)
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#30. Maintenance workers, machinery
- Annual mean salary: $57,780
- #49 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,570
- Employment: 57,660
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Savannah, GA ($76,260)
--- Cedar Rapids, IA ($70,980)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($69,980)

#29. Postal service clerks
- Annual mean salary: $58,330
- #4 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,210
- Employment: 79,320
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Houma-Thibodaux, LA ($59,410)
--- Florence, SC ($59,360)
--- Monroe, MI ($59,320)

#28. Food service managers
- Annual mean salary: $58,380
- #263 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $63,970
- Employment: 210,680
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Trenton, NJ ($91,320)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($89,860)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($87,750)
#27. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $58,680
- #211 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 510
National
- Annual mean salary: $63,380
- Employment: 1,443,630
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($82,050)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($79,520)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($78,430)
#26. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Annual mean salary: $58,970
- #60 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 250
National
- Annual mean salary: $51,850
- Employment: 641,240
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Napa, CA ($76,890)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($75,880)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($75,410)
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#25. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $59,220
- #272 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $69,340
- Employment: 422,600
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($104,230)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($103,470)
--- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($95,620)

#24. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
- Annual mean salary: $59,240
- #70 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,690
- Employment: 356,960
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($78,020)
--- Fairbanks, AK ($76,750)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($71,710)

#23. Computer user support specialists
- Annual mean salary: $59,900
- #67 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,650
- Employment: 654,310
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($90,480)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($76,920)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($76,510)

#22. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $60,620
- #127 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $58,780
- Employment: 373,090
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($85,900)
--- Lake Charles, LA ($85,360)
--- Anchorage, AK ($82,890)

#21. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $60,960
- #276 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 240
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,110
- Employment: 1,026,390
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($103,810)
--- Boulder, CO ($101,630)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($97,360)
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#20. Carpenters
- Annual mean salary: $61,680
- #47 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
National
- Annual mean salary: $55,190
- Employment: 668,060
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($81,730)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($78,680)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($78,280)

#19. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $62,310
- #122 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200
National
- Annual mean salary: $56,280
- Employment: 404,820
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($92,910)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($91,860)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($91,120)
#18. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $63,640
- #98 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $66,870
- Employment: 466,910
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($94,590)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($87,760)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($87,420)

#17. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Annual mean salary: $64,310
- #39 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,280
- Employment: 145,230
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($86,740)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($82,520)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($79,470)

#16. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $65,410
- #112 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $63,350
- Employment: 417,620
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($94,580)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($89,500)
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($89,190)
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#15. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Annual mean salary: $66,000
- #133 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $70,030
- Employment: 234,680
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($109,540)
--- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO ($106,420)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($103,610)

#14. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $67,670
- #422 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $92,320
- Employment: 243,920
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Portland-South Portland, ME ($129,860)
--- Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ($121,360)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($121,250)

#13. Power plant operators
- Annual mean salary: $68,270
- #130 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130
National
- Annual mean salary: $83,740
- Employment: 28,960
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fresno, CA ($129,650)
--- Wenatchee, WA ($123,180)
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($114,660)

#12. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $68,630
- #135 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 190
National
- Annual mean salary: $67,330
- Employment: 629,420
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($98,170)
--- Lake Charles, LA ($97,910)
--- Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI ($90,410)

#11. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $69,230
- #73 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130
National
- Annual mean salary: $63,310
- Employment: 650,580
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($93,900)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($91,090)
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($86,600)
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#10. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Annual mean salary: $70,980
- #22 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,320
- Employment: 121,150
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($93,980)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($92,370)
--- Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV ($87,990)

#9. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $71,700
- #128 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 320
National
- Annual mean salary: $72,390
- Employment: 1,242,490
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($102,280)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($92,660)
--- Napa, CA ($92,620)

#8. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Annual mean salary: $72,820
- #13 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $60,350
- Employment: 172,830
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Anchorage, AK ($88,140)
--- Fairbanks, AK ($84,690)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($80,570)

#7. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $76,300
- #92 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
National
- Annual mean salary: $73,590
- Employment: 526,240
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bremerton-Silverdale, WA ($93,830)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($93,030)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($92,870)

#6. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $79,130
- #79 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130
National
- Annual mean salary: $75,060
- Employment: 665,870
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($112,020)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($103,820)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($101,210)
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#5. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $79,180
- #20 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $62,250
- Employment: 101,530
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($90,680)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($90,370)
--- Salinas, CA ($88,050)
#4. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $84,690
- #337 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $105,580
- Employment: 144,640
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($159,890)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($154,170)
--- Trenton, NJ ($144,620)

#3. Correctional officers and jailers
- Annual mean salary: $86,110
- #4 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,340
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,420
- Employment: 392,600
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($96,580)
--- Salinas, CA ($89,100)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($86,260)

#2. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Annual mean salary: $96,620
- #51 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 750
National
- Annual mean salary: $90,370
- Employment: 107,890
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($132,210)
--- Anchorage, AK ($127,070)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($123,460)
#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Annual mean salary: $150,950
- #7 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $98,760
- Employment: 128,230
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($182,700)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($170,740)
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($164,600)
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