
Highest-paying jobs in Salinas that don't require a college degree
Highest-paying jobs in Salinas 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 Salinas, CA that don’t require a college degree.
You may also like: Metros where people in Salinas are getting new jobs
#50. Automotive body and related repairers
- Annual mean salary: $60,340
- #11 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,660
- Employment: 137,300
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Ann Arbor, MI ($71,350)
--- Ames, IA ($68,340)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($68,060)
#49. Refuse and recyclable material collectors
- Annual mean salary: $60,390
- #5 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
National
- Annual mean salary: $42,780
- Employment: 126,050
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($70,740)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($69,470)
--- Napa, CA ($60,830)
#48. Plasterers and stucco masons
- Annual mean salary: $61,100
- #14 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,810
- Employment: 26,980
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fresno, CA ($76,030)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($75,260)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($75,090)
#47. Cement masons and concrete finishers
- Annual mean salary: $61,360
- #31 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
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)

#46. Legal secretaries and administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $61,530
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,540
- Employment: 155,250
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($78,320)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($77,210)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($72,760)
You may also like: Zip codes with the most expensive homes in Salinas metro area

#45. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Annual mean salary: $61,570
- #20 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
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)
#44. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Annual mean salary: $61,890
- #24 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 630
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)

#43. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $62,350
- #99 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140
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)

#42. Chefs and head cooks
- Annual mean salary: $62,460
- #40 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 300
National
- Annual mean salary: $56,920
- Employment: 129,810
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Leominster-Gardner, MA ($81,020)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($79,600)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($79,430)
#41. Eligibility interviewers, government programs
- Annual mean salary: $62,580
- #7 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 320
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)
You may also like: Most expensive homes for sale in Salinas

#40. Hazardous materials removal workers
- Annual mean salary: $63,340
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $49,280
- Employment: 44,240
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA ($76,120)
--- Amarillo, TX ($73,270)
--- Knoxville, TN ($70,000)
#39. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $63,720
- #82 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,250
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)

#38. Food service managers
- Annual mean salary: $64,550
- #121 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 410
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)

#37. Computer user support specialists
- Annual mean salary: $64,670
- #28 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 240
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)

#36. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $65,040
- #116 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 280
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)
You may also like: Highest-earning zip codes in Salinas metro area

#35. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $65,300
- #154 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 700
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)

#34. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Annual mean salary: $65,670
- #29 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160
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)

#33. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Annual mean salary: $65,980
- #99 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $69,470
- Employment: 125,440
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($86,470)
--- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD ($86,370)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($85,860)
#32. Surgical technologists
- Annual mean salary: $66,580
- #14 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130
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)

#31. Advertising sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $66,960
- #28 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $66,540
- Employment: 96,660
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($97,840)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($97,720)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($83,050)
You may also like: Metros sending the most people to Salinas
#30. Drywall and ceiling tile installers
- Annual mean salary: $67,490
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,810
- Employment: 97,070
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($86,380)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($82,560)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($81,460)

#29. Carpenters
- Annual mean salary: $67,510
- #18 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 820
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)

#28. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $68,290
- #128 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 240
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)

#27. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Annual mean salary: $69,020
- #31 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160
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)

#26. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $69,050
- #125 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 390
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)
You may also like: Cities with the most expensive homes in Salinas metro area

#25. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $69,340
- #72 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 450
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)
#24. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $70,050
- #28 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 290
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)

#23. Sheet metal workers
- Annual mean salary: $72,340
- #17 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $58,760
- Employment: 122,630
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($101,150)
--- Kennewick-Richland, WA ($94,930)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($93,840)

#22. Real estate sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $73,630
- #33 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $61,480
- Employment: 175,920
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Midland, TX ($100,060)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($99,880)
--- Worcester, MA-CT ($93,400)

#21. Lodging managers
- Annual mean salary: $74,820
- #36 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130
National
- Annual mean salary: $67,770
- Employment: 35,920
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($121,090)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($111,410)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($99,600)
You may also like: Closest national parks to Salinas

#20. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $75,200
- #22 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 240
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)

#19. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Annual mean salary: $75,530
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
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)

#18. Brickmasons and blockmasons
- Annual mean salary: $76,870
- #13 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $61,430
- Employment: 55,950
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($95,980)
--- Decatur, IL ($92,670)
--- Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ ($89,340)

#17. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $77,350
- #267 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
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)

#16. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $78,620
- #65 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 470
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)
You may also like: Where people in Salinas are moving to most

#15. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $82,660
- #46 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 470
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)

#14. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $83,560
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 900
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)

#13. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Annual mean salary: $87,250
- #9 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $67,310
- Employment: 44,870
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA ($98,380)
--- Salt Lake City, UT ($94,070)
--- Santa Rosa, CA ($92,800)

#12. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $88,050
- #3 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)

#11. Correctional officers and jailers
- Annual mean salary: $89,100
- #2 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,510
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)
You may also like: How gas prices have changed in Salinas in the last week

#10. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $90,800
- #4 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $70,960
- Employment: 278,140
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Kennewick-Richland, WA ($104,350)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($95,200)
--- Salinas, CA ($90,800)

#9. Construction and building inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $91,540
- #11 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $68,480
- Employment: 117,830
- 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)

#8. Stationary engineers and boiler operators
- Annual mean salary: $93,000
- #7 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $70,510
- Employment: 29,820
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($106,300)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($103,930)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($99,740)

#7. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Annual mean salary: $98,210
- #41 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
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)

#6. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Annual mean salary: $103,590
- #24 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $83,270
- Employment: 80,890
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($171,060)
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($145,740)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($135,860)
You may also like: Cities with the fastest growing home prices in Salinas metro area

#5. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
- Annual mean salary: $104,810
- #1 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $78,440
- Employment: 5,220
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Salinas, CA ($104,810)
--- Visalia-Porterville, CA ($101,650)
--- Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL ($101,610)

#4. Commercial pilots
- Annual mean salary: $105,220
- #78 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $115,080
- Employment: 42,770
- 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. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $108,440
- #62 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
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)

#2. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $110,180
- #2 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $79,060
- Employment: 123,940
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($117,700)
--- Salinas, CA ($110,180)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($109,490)
#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Annual mean salary: $128,170
- #25 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
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)
You may also like: How Salinas feels about climate change