
Highest paying jobs in Louisville for high school graduates
Highest paying jobs in Louisville 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 Louisville, KY-IN 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.
You may also like: Highest-rated barbecue restaurants in Louisville

#50. Private detectives and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $51,190
- #74 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 190
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)

#49. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Annual mean salary: $51,560
- #183 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,660
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)

#48. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Annual mean salary: $51,720
- #346 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 800
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)
#47. Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $52,590
- #23 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,850
- Employment: 47,930
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Anchorage, AK ($92,800)
--- Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area ($83,130)
--- Napa, CA ($68,470)

#46. Advertising sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $53,130
- #171 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 470
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)
You may also like: Highest-rated Chinese restaurants in Louisville, according to Tripadvisor

#45. Chemical plant and system operators
- Annual mean salary: $53,320
- #37 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $65,460
- Employment: 29,710
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Lima, OH ($92,450)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($91,210)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($90,170)
#44. Excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining
- Annual mean salary: $53,340
- #47 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220
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)

#43. Real estate sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $53,690
- #196 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 450
National
- Annual mean salary: $62,990
- Employment: 168,740
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Midland, TX ($100,060)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($99,880)
--- Worcester, MA-CT ($93,400)

#42. Construction and building inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $54,500
- #314 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 610
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)

#41. Tax preparers
- Annual mean salary: $54,710
- #39 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 310
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)
You may also like: Metros sending the most people to Louisville

#40. Postal service clerks
- Annual mean salary: $54,930
- #76 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 250
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)

#39. Postal service mail carriers
- Annual mean salary: $55,010
- #70 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,310
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)

#38. Food service managers
- Annual mean salary: $55,360
- #356 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 670
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)

#37. Gas plant operators
- Annual mean salary: $55,500
- #64 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
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)

#36. Structural iron and steel workers
- Annual mean salary: $55,570
- #92 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 320
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)
You may also like: People from these metros are finding new jobs in Louisville

#35. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Annual mean salary: $55,610
- #175 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 690
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)

#34. Brickmasons and blockmasons
- Annual mean salary: $55,680
- #107 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 280
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: $56,120
- #73 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 500
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. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $56,570
- #176 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,450
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)

#31. Crane and tower operators
- Annual mean salary: $57,190
- #108 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
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)
You may also like: Highest-earning zip codes in Louisville metro area
#30. Community health workers
- Annual mean salary: $57,220
- #11 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,370
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,000
- Employment: 58,670
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($66,110)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($65,530)
--- Bend-Redmond, OR ($61,820)
#29. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $57,230
- #254 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,870
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)

#28. Occupational health and safety technicians
- Annual mean salary: $57,830
- #64 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,870
- Employment: 20,950
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Evansville, IN-KY ($77,880)
--- Anchorage, AK ($77,690)
--- Oklahoma City, OK ($77,100)

#27. Real estate brokers
- Annual mean salary: $58,040
- #81 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $81,630
- Employment: 44,610
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT ($152,460)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($133,810)
--- Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA ($132,320)

#26. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $58,080
- #228 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 3,540
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)
You may also like: Cities with the fastest growing home prices in Louisville metro area

#25. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $58,830
- #179 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,490
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)

#24. Chemical equipment operators and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $59,230
- #30 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 980
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,330
- Employment: 93,060
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Southwest Louisiana nonmetropolitan area ($91,300)
--- Billings, MT ($88,420)
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($76,050)

#23. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $59,390
- #190 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,990
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)

#22. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Annual mean salary: $59,970
- #162 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 210
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. Stationary engineers and boiler operators
- Annual mean salary: $61,600
- #74 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
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)
You may also like: Highest-rated breakfast restaurants in Louisville, according to Tripadvisor

#20. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $62,990
- #203 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 3,890
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)

#19. Millwrights
- Annual mean salary: $63,340
- #50 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 330
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)
#18. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $64,270
- #76 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 6,560
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)

#17. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $64,870
- #165 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 4,390
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)

#16. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $65,230
- #255 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 3,710
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)
You may also like: Highest-rated restaurants in Louisville, according to Tripadvisor

#15. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $66,100
- #261 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,810
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)

#14. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $70,230
- #272 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 630
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)

#13. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $70,300
- #50 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $86,200
- Employment: 24,730
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($130,290)
--- Kansas City, MO-KS ($113,590)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($113,480)

#12. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $70,440
- #208 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,040
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)

#11. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $70,490
- #156 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 6,690
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)
You may also like: Highest-rated brunch restaurants in Louisville, according to Tripadvisor

#10. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $75,540
- #107 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,530
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)
#9. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Annual mean salary: $77,030
- #299 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 400
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)

#8. Power plant operators
- Annual mean salary: $79,730
- #96 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
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)

#7. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Annual mean salary: $84,690
- #39 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
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)

#6. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $84,880
- #161 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,220
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)
You may also like: Highest paying jobs in Louisville that require a bachelor's degree

#5. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Annual mean salary: $90,200
- #85 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170
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)

#4. Power distributors and dispatchers
- Annual mean salary: $93,480
- #25 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
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)

#3. Commercial pilots
- Annual mean salary: $98,530
- #110 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
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. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $100,410
- #149 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 930
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)

#1. Transportation inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $101,580
- #8 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
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)
You may also like: Highest-rated pizza restaurants in Louisville, according to Tripadvisor