Gorgev // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. First-line supervisors of security workers
- Median annual wage: $49,490
- Median hourly wage: $23.79
- Total employment: 40 people (0.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Tallahassee 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 Tallahassee 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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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Advertising sales agents
- Median annual wage: $50,540
- Median hourly wage: $24.30
- Total employment: 90 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GolF2532 // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Security and fire alarm systems installers
- Median annual wage: $50,910
- Median hourly wage: $24.48
- Total employment: 150 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $51,830
- Median hourly wage: $24.92
- Total employment: 620 people (3.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksandar Malivuk // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Mechanical door repairers
- Median annual wage: $52,000
- Median hourly wage: $25.00
- Total employment: 30 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Victor Moussa // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Firefighters
- Median annual wage: $52,100
- Median hourly wage: $25.05
- Total employment: 320 people (1.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Olena Yakobchuk // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Barbers
- Median annual wage: $52,370
- Median hourly wage: $25.18
- Total employment: 50 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gerain0812 // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Surgical technologists
- Median annual wage: $53,020
- Median hourly wage: $25.49
- Total employment: 150 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Median annual wage: $54,140
- Median hourly wage: $26.03
- Total employment: 400 people (2.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $54,480
- Median hourly wage: $26.19
- Total employment: 460 people (2.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $54,810
- Median hourly wage: $26.35
- Total employment: 340 people (1.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ITisha // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Bailiffs
- Median annual wage: $55,330
- Median hourly wage: $26.60
- Total employment: 80 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Josep Suria // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $55,650
- Median hourly wage: $26.76
- Total employment: 50 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Avatar_023 // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Median annual wage: $55,880
- Median hourly wage: $26.86
- Total employment: 130 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Insurance claims and policy processing clerks
- Median annual wage: $55,970
- Median hourly wage: $26.91
- Total employment: 300 people (1.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Socrates471 // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Audio and video technicians
- Median annual wage: $56,000
- Median hourly wage: $26.92
- Total employment: 90 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Postal service mail carriers
- Median annual wage: $56,330
- Median hourly wage: $27.08
- Total employment: 400 people (2.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Indypendenz // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators
- Median annual wage: $56,580
- Median hourly wage: $27.20
- Total employment: 200 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $56,600
- Median hourly wage: $27.21
- Total employment: 700 people (3.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Median annual wage: $56,880
- Median hourly wage: $27.35
- Total employment: 920 people (5.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kot500 // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Median annual wage: $56,960
- Median hourly wage: $27.39
- Total employment: 180 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Paramedics
- Median annual wage: $57,280
- Median hourly wage: $27.54
- Total employment: 210 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $57,720
- Median hourly wage: $27.75
- Total employment: 90 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Chefs and head cooks
- Median annual wage: $57,740
- Median hourly wage: $27.76
- Total employment: 200 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Legal secretaries and administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $57,870
- Median hourly wage: $27.82
- Total employment: 240 people (1.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Prath // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $57,900
- Median hourly wage: $27.84
- Total employment: 530 people (2.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $58,020
- Median hourly wage: $27.89
- Total employment: 460 people (2.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $58,140
- Median hourly wage: $27.95
- Total employment: 490 people (2.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rido // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Opticians, dispensing
- Median annual wage: $58,150
- Median hourly wage: $27.96
- Total employment: 40 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Joey Chung // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $58,220
- Median hourly wage: $27.99
- Total employment: 1,710 people (9.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $58,420
- Median hourly wage: $28.09
- Total employment: 920 people (4.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SatawatK // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Median annual wage: $58,940
- Median hourly wage: $28.34
- Total employment: 160 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $59,280
- Median hourly wage: $28.50
- Total employment: 310 people (1.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $59,300
- Median hourly wage: $28.51
- Total employment: 160 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $59,540
- Median hourly wage: $28.62
- Total employment: 1,690 people (9.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Carolina K. Smith MD // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Transportation security screeners
- Median annual wage: $59,950
- Median hourly wage: $28.82
- Total employment: 50 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Media and communication workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $59,980
- Median hourly wage: $28.84
- Total employment: Not available
4 PM production // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $60,060
- Median hourly wage: $28.88
- Total employment: 660 people (3.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rlat // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $63,690
- Median hourly wage: $30.62
- Total employment: 70 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $63,940
- Median hourly wage: $30.74
- Total employment: 970 people (5.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $64,980
- Median hourly wage: $31.24
- Total employment: 280 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $65,060
- Median hourly wage: $31.28
- Total employment: 140 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $65,500
- Median hourly wage: $31.49
- Total employment: 910 people (4.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santi lumubol // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $67,400
- Median hourly wage: $32.40
- Total employment: 50 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $76,550
- Median hourly wage: $36.80
- Total employment: 120 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $80,760
- Median hourly wage: $38.83
- Total employment: 270 people (1.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $91,620
- Median hourly wage: $44.05
- Total employment: 140 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $93,520
- Median hourly wage: $44.96
- Total employment: 350 people (1.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $93,810
- Median hourly wage: $45.10
- Total employment: 110 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Skycolors // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $94,490
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 60 people (0.33 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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