
Highest paying jobs in Riverside for high school graduates
Highest paying jobs in Riverside for high school graduates
The average college graduate in 2020 earned $1,305 a week, while the average high school graduate takes home just $781, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Of course, college isn’t for everyone. There are many reasons high-school graduates may choose to not continue on to college, not the least of which being cost. Average tuition costs continue to rise each year, the exception being the 2020-2021 school year, due to the coronavirus pandemic. Average tuition at a public, in-state university coming in at $9,687; tuition for out-of-state students at public schools, and for everyone at private universities, is significantly higher at $21,874 and $35,087, respectively.
Stacker compiled a list of the highest paying jobs for high school graduates in Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.
Keep reading to see which jobs in your city pay the most for high school graduates.
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#50. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Annual mean salary: $60,190
- #34 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,580
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,040
- Employment: 103,730
- 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)
#49. Meter readers, utilities
- Annual mean salary: $60,200
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,160
- Employment: 26,490
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($74,040)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($69,530)
--- Springfield, MA-CT ($67,510)
#48. Surveying and mapping technicians
- Annual mean salary: $60,840
- #23 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 360
National
- Annual mean salary: $49,770
- Employment: 53,370
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($84,710)
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($77,840)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($76,960)

#47. Sheet metal workers
- Annual mean salary: $62,040
- #76 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,100
National
- Annual mean salary: $55,320
- Employment: 128,220
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($101,150)
--- Kennewick-Richland, WA ($94,930)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($93,840)
#45 (tie). Public safety telecommunicators
- Annual mean salary: $62,590
- #21 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 920
National
- Annual mean salary: $45,800
- Employment: 93,290
- 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)
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#45 (tie). Hearing aid specialists
- Annual mean salary: $62,590
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,630
- Employment: 7,770
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($75,130)
--- Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA ($73,180)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($72,300)
#44. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $62,640
- #102 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 15,410
National
- Annual mean salary: $62,010
- Employment: 1,427,260
- 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)

#43. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Annual mean salary: $62,730
- #171 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,490
National
- Annual mean salary: $73,210
- Employment: 219,800
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($109,540)
--- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO ($106,420)
--- Piedmont North Carolina nonmetropolitan area ($105,220)

#42. Logging equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $62,910
- #2 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,570
- Employment: 25,560
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Santa Rosa, CA ($64,000)
--- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ($62,910)
--- Longview, WA ($62,780)

#41. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Annual mean salary: $63,350
- #45 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,860
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,000
- Employment: 147,680
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($86,740)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($82,520)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($79,470)
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#40. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $63,710
- #299 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 4,780
National
- Annual mean salary: $66,800
- Employment: 599,900
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($98,170)
--- Lake Charles, LA ($97,910)
--- West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area ($96,900)

#39. Lodging managers
- Annual mean salary: $65,200
- #91 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 410
National
- Annual mean salary: $65,270
- Employment: 31,790
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Hawaii / Kauai nonmetropolitan area ($122,290)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($121,090)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($111,410)

#38. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $65,470
- #111 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 3,790
National
- Annual mean salary: $61,100
- Employment: 417,440
- 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)
#37. Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining
- Annual mean salary: $66,190
- #20 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 340
National
- Annual mean salary: $48,500
- Employment: 40,240
- 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)

#36. Brickmasons and blockmasons
- Annual mean salary: $66,360
- #43 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 440
National
- Annual mean salary: $58,420
- Employment: 59,940
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($95,980)
--- Decatur, IL ($92,670)
--- Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ ($89,340)
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#35. Structural iron and steel workers
- Annual mean salary: $66,410
- #40 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,340
National
- Annual mean salary: $58,650
- Employment: 71,490
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($95,020)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($88,250)
--- Western Washington nonmetropolitan area ($84,570)
#34. Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers
- Annual mean salary: $67,450
- #9 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,950
- Employment: 54,960
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($81,390)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($80,460)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($73,070)
#33. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $67,490
- #57 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,920
National
- Annual mean salary: $65,230
- Employment: 503,390
- 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)

#32. Millwrights
- Annual mean salary: $67,880
- #28 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 190
National
- Annual mean salary: $59,080
- Employment: 44,400
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Kennewick-Richland, WA ($91,590)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($90,580)
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($80,780)

#31. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $68,340
- #58 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,300
National
- Annual mean salary: $61,860
- Employment: 122,480
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($90,680)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($90,370)
--- Salinas, CA ($88,050)
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#30. Reinforcing iron and rebar workers
- Annual mean salary: $69,000
- #7 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,700
- Employment: 18,680
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($97,000)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($88,350)
--- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI ($75,440)

#29. Tax preparers
- Annual mean salary: $69,570
- #5 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 800
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,710
- Employment: 62,600
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Anchorage, AK ($81,880)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($79,470)
--- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO ($73,170)

#28. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $70,030
- #67 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 6,820
National
- Annual mean salary: $61,550
- Employment: 656,510
- 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)

#27. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Annual mean salary: $71,080
- #21 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,330
National
- Annual mean salary: $51,890
- Employment: 119,380
- 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)

#26. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $72,320
- #117 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 12,120
National
- Annual mean salary: $73,500
- Employment: 1,278,670
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($102,280)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($92,660)
--- Napa, CA ($92,620)
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#25. Crane and tower operators
- Annual mean salary: $74,360
- #22 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 350
National
- Annual mean salary: $64,010
- Employment: 44,060
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($131,160)
--- Syracuse, NY ($103,350)
--- Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV ($99,990)

#24. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $75,600
- #21 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 3,610
National
- Annual mean salary: $55,280
- Employment: 402,870
- 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)

#23. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $75,960
- #66 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,340
National
- Annual mean salary: $70,650
- Employment: 287,150
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Kennewick-Richland, WA ($104,350)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($95,200)
--- Eastern Washington nonmetropolitan area ($92,500)

#22. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Annual mean salary: $76,510
- #55 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 500
National
- Annual mean salary: $62,400
- Employment: 50,660
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA ($98,380)
--- Salt Lake City, UT ($94,070)
--- Santa Rosa, CA ($92,800)

#21. Construction and building inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $76,920
- #38 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,170
National
- Annual mean salary: $66,470
- Employment: 113,770
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New Haven, CT ($121,510)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($107,330)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($106,190)
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#20. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers
- Annual mean salary: $77,590
- #42 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $77,610
- Employment: 40,480
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($105,090)
--- Alaska nonmetropolitan area ($101,900)
--- St. Louis, MO-IL ($97,860)

#19. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $79,770
- #49 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 4,800
National
- Annual mean salary: $73,100
- Employment: 475,000
- 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)

#18. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $79,810
- #223 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,670
National
- Annual mean salary: $90,120
- Employment: 240,290
- 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)

#17. Correctional officers and jailers
- Annual mean salary: $79,870
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 4,170
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,340
- Employment: 405,870
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($96,580)
--- Salinas, CA ($89,100)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($86,260)

#16. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $80,230
- #69 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 7,820
National
- Annual mean salary: $72,990
- Employment: 614,080
- 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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#15. Stationary engineers and boiler operators
- Annual mean salary: $83,100
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 320
National
- Annual mean salary: $68,170
- Employment: 29,550
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($106,300)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($103,930)
--- South Illinois nonmetropolitan area ($101,630)

#14. Forest fire inspectors and prevention specialists
- Annual mean salary: $84,900
- #3 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,130
- Employment: 2,900
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($134,990)
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($104,060)
--- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ($84,900)

#13. Pile driver operators
- Annual mean salary: $87,930
- #7 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,880
- Employment: 3,820
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($106,620)
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($106,340)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($104,880)

#12. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Annual mean salary: $88,620
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $79,660
- Employment: 13,880
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL ($97,930)
--- Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale, AZ ($96,450)
--- San Diego-Carlsbad, CA ($94,460)

#11. Power plant operators
- Annual mean salary: $89,110
- #41 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200
National
- Annual mean salary: $81,890
- Employment: 32,960
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fresno, CA ($129,650)
--- Wenatchee, WA ($123,180)
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($114,660)
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#10. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $94,780
- #222 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 3,070
National
- Annual mean salary: $105,100
- Employment: 132,210
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($159,890)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($154,170)
--- Trenton, NJ ($144,620)

#9. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $95,240
- #42 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,350
National
- Annual mean salary: $74,410
- Employment: 114,930
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($117,700)
--- Salinas, CA ($110,180)
--- North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area ($109,740)

#8. Gas plant operators
- Annual mean salary: $96,160
- #4 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $73,290
- Employment: 14,990
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($99,600)
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($98,750)
--- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX ($97,080)

#7. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
- Annual mean salary: $96,590
- #10 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $76,810
- Employment: 5,670
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Salinas, CA ($104,810)
--- Visalia-Porterville, CA ($101,650)
--- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL ($101,610)

#6. Power distributors and dispatchers
- Annual mean salary: $100,800
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $93,260
- Employment: 9,940
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($131,560)
--- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ($129,570)
--- Birmingham-Hoover, AL ($123,540)
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#5. Gambling managers
- Annual mean salary: $103,210
- #3 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
National
- Annual mean salary: $85,440
- Employment: 3,240
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Diego-Carlsbad, CA ($106,830)
--- Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ ($104,140)
--- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ($103,210)

#4. Commercial pilots
- Annual mean salary: $105,980
- #74 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 230
National
- Annual mean salary: $110,830
- Employment: 37,120
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($185,920)
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($184,260)
--- Savannah, GA ($177,450)

#3. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Annual mean salary: $107,540
- #7 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 550
National
- Annual mean salary: $67,600
- Employment: 53,420
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($114,400)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($113,220)
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($112,950)

#2. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Annual mean salary: $109,330
- #15 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,240
National
- Annual mean salary: $89,300
- Employment: 105,980
- 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: $143,330
- #14 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 460
National
- Annual mean salary: $97,180
- Employment: 122,310
- 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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