Highest paying jobs in Boise for high school graduates
Highest paying jobs in Boise 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 Boise, ID 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. Structural metal fabricators and fitters
- Annual mean salary: $46,820
- #67 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,750
- Employment: 69,550
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bremerton-Silverdale, WA ($59,130)
--- Anchorage, AK ($57,900)
--- Longview, WA ($57,410)

#49. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $47,820
- #305 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,710
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)

#48. Machinists
- Annual mean salary: $48,090
- #194 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 600
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,800
- Employment: 360,340
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Alaska nonmetropolitan area ($76,230)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($71,070)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($69,300)
#47. Cargo and freight agents
- Annual mean salary: $48,110
- #66 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,170
- Employment: 96,510
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($80,300)
--- Yakima, WA ($68,030)
--- Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT ($64,030)

#46. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Annual mean salary: $48,160
- #234 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
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)
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#45. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Annual mean salary: $48,370
- #264 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 230
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)
#44. Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $48,690
- #69 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,400
- Employment: 44,560
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($87,510)
--- Nevada nonmetropolitan area ($81,690)
--- Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA ($78,180)

#43. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Annual mean salary: $48,860
- #269 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 920
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,090
- Employment: 253,010
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($75,900)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($73,400)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($70,480)

#42. First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers
- Annual mean salary: $49,390
- #146 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,420
- Employment: 22,640
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- South Arkansas nonmetropolitan area ($85,480)
--- Northwestern Idaho nonmetropolitan area ($77,330)
--- Longview, WA ($74,500)
#41. Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers
- Annual mean salary: $49,480
- #100 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 250
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)
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#40. Reservation and transportation ticket agents and travel clerks
- Annual mean salary: $49,520
- #13 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130
National
- Annual mean salary: $45,710
- Employment: 110,020
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Tulsa, OK ($58,060)
--- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI ($55,720)
--- Columbus, OH ($53,800)
#39. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians
- Annual mean salary: $49,900
- #60 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170
National
- Annual mean salary: $45,350
- Employment: 35,720
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($61,910)
--- Bellingham, WA ($61,210)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($60,760)

#38. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $50,110
- #249 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 230
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)
#37. Dental laboratory technicians
- Annual mean salary: $51,120
- #20 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $45,230
- Employment: 30,800
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($67,730)
--- Idaho Falls, ID ($59,560)
--- Durham-Chapel Hill, NC ($55,140)

#36. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $51,130
- #333 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 970
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)
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#35. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $51,210
- #462 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 820
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,350
- Employment: 385,980
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($85,900)
--- Lake Charles, LA ($85,360)
--- Anchorage, AK ($82,890)

#34. Brickmasons and blockmasons
- Annual mean salary: $51,270
- #146 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
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)

#33. Maintenance workers, machinery
- Annual mean salary: $51,360
- #148 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $51,960
- Employment: 65,240
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area ($77,890)
--- Alaska nonmetropolitan area ($77,690)
--- Savannah, GA ($76,260)
#32. Surveying and mapping technicians
- Annual mean salary: $51,430
- #91 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200
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)

#31. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $52,410
- #343 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,230
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)
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#30. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Annual mean salary: $52,730
- #133 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 540
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,000
- Employment: 362,090
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Idaho Falls, ID ($74,970)
--- Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI ($71,160)
--- West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area ($67,770)

#29. Food service managers
- Annual mean salary: $52,990
- #406 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 450
National
- Annual mean salary: $61,000
- Employment: 197,010
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Trenton, NJ ($91,320)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($89,860)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($87,750)

#28. Logging equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $53,180
- #13 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
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)

#27. Postal service clerks
- Annual mean salary: $53,300
- #180 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $51,200
- Employment: 86,950
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Houma-Thibodaux, LA ($59,410)
--- Florence, SC ($59,360)
--- Monroe, MI ($59,320)
#26. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $53,510
- #371 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 520
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)
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#25. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators
- Annual mean salary: $54,250
- #8 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 180
National
- Annual mean salary: $51,440
- Employment: 105,400
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Huntsville, AL ($55,830)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($55,260)
--- Wausau, WI ($55,060)

#24. Postal service mail carriers
- Annual mean salary: $54,840
- #81 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 670
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,180
- Employment: 333,570
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Modesto, CA ($57,160)
--- Bismarck, ND ($57,090)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($56,820)

#23. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Annual mean salary: $54,910
- #195 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 330
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)

#22. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Annual mean salary: $55,090
- #161 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 230
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)
#21. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $56,420
- #274 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 4,230
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)
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#20. Construction and building inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $56,430
- #278 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 230
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)

#19. Private detectives and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $58,500
- #43 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $60,100
- Employment: 32,200
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Jackson, MI ($93,360)
--- Bakersfield, CA ($91,080)
--- Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR-MO ($87,760)

#18. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $61,040
- #440 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,940
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)

#17. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $61,080
- #399 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,020
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)

#16. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $61,840
- #483 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,450
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)
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#15. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $62,330
- #214 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 970
National
- Annual mean salary: $69,100
- Employment: 409,950
- 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)

#14. Crane and tower operators
- Annual mean salary: $63,120
- #65 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
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)

#13. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $63,470
- #208 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,370
National
- Annual mean salary: $70,490
- Employment: 977,070
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($103,810)
--- Boulder, CO ($101,630)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($97,360)

#12. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $63,730
- #300 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 840
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)

#11. Advertising sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $64,490
- #43 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 210
National
- Annual mean salary: $68,040
- Employment: 110,040
- 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)
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#10. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $64,760
- #322 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 3,170
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)

#9. Lodging managers
- Annual mean salary: $67,540
- #66 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
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)

#8. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
- Annual mean salary: $69,540
- #32 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140
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)

#7. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $74,510
- #222 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160
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)

#6. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $79,250
- #234 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 650
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)
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#5. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $82,550
- #364 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270
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)

#4. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Annual mean salary: $84,840
- #128 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200
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)

#3. Commercial pilots
- Annual mean salary: $93,730
- #132 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
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)
#2. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Annual mean salary: $98,920
- #112 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 190
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)

#1. Transportation inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $105,470
- #4 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $81,320
- Employment: 27,360
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Portland-South Portland, ME ($112,260)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($111,930)
--- Anchorage, AK ($108,140)
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