LaKirr // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Extraction workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $48,690
- Median hourly wage: $23.41
- Total employment: 180 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Shreveport for high school graduates
For decades, common wisdom held that earning a bachelor's degree would guarantee a high-paying career. Higher education does still seem to be an advantage: A college graduate's average annual salary of $60,000 in 2024 is roughly $20,000 more than that of a high school graduate, and those with bachelor's degrees can typically expect to earn between $630,000 and $900,000 more over the course of a lifetime. However, recent shifts in higher education and the job market have people wondering—with good reason—whether or not a bachelor's degree will really pay off.
According to a 2024 study from the Pew Research Center, 29% of Americans believe obtaining a college degree isn't worthwhile, a trend reflected in shrinking attendance at universities across the nation. Meanwhile, annual college costs have skyrocketed to an average of $38,270 per student in 2025, often necessitating student loans with steep interest rates.
With these factors in mind, it's natural for recent high school graduates to consider vocational opportunities outside of college. Those who do may be pleasantly surprised—many companies have stopped requiring bachelor's degrees for entry-, mid-, and even senior-level positions. And while college graduates' average earnings may be higher, a 2024 report from Launchpad Jobs found that around 1 in 5 nondegree holders out-earn the $70,000 median wages of someone with a bachelor's degree.
Of course, salaries for high school grads vary widely based on job, industry, and location. Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the highest-paying jobs in Shreveport for high school graduates. The analysis included jobs that listed a high school diploma or had no formal education requirement. 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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Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $49,230
- Median hourly wage: $23.67
- Total employment: 120 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Irene Miller // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $49,650
- Median hourly wage: $23.87
- Total employment: 750 people (4.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BearFotos // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Protective service workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $49,720
- Median hourly wage: $23.90
- Total employment: 100 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Median annual wage: $49,930
- Median hourly wage: $24.01
- Total employment: 70 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Plant and system operators, all other
- Median annual wage: $49,980
- Median hourly wage: $24.03
- Total employment: 30 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $50,410
- Median hourly wage: $24.24
- Total employment: 200 people (1.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Richard Thornton // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Roustabouts, oil and gas
- Median annual wage: $50,590
- Median hourly wage: $24.32
- Total employment: 430 people (2.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zahovaev K // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Median annual wage: $51,420
- Median hourly wage: $24.72
- Total employment: 630 people (3.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
manine99 // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Maintenance workers, machinery
- Median annual wage: $52,300
- Median hourly wage: $25.15
- Total employment: 70 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $52,850
- Median hourly wage: $25.41
- Total employment: 110 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $54,760
- Median hourly wage: $26.33
- Total employment: 2,220 people (13.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $55,030
- Median hourly wage: $26.46
- Total employment: 640 people (4.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Indypendenz // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators
- Median annual wage: $55,410
- Median hourly wage: $26.64
- Total employment: 510 people (3.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Motortion Films // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Personal care and service workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $55,710
- Median hourly wage: $26.78
- Total employment: 90 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $56,280
- Median hourly wage: $27.06
- Total employment: 90 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Chemical plant and system operators
- Median annual wage: $56,420
- Median hourly wage: $27.12
- Total employment: 100 people (0.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
- Median annual wage: $56,520
- Median hourly wage: $27.17
- Total employment: 410 people (2.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Postal service mail carriers
- Median annual wage: $56,900
- Median hourly wage: $27.36
- Total employment: 440 people (2.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorgev // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. First-line supervisors of security workers
- Median annual wage: $57,130
- Median hourly wage: $27.47
- Total employment: 50 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $58,300
- Median hourly wage: $28.03
- Total employment: 770 people (4.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zhanna Kavaliova // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Logging equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $58,740
- Median hourly wage: $28.24
- Total employment: 40 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vera Larina // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Sheet metal workers
- Median annual wage: $58,830
- Median hourly wage: $28.28
- Total employment: 80 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Machinists
- Median annual wage: $58,920
- Median hourly wage: $28.33
- Total employment: 330 people (2.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $59,150
- Median hourly wage: $28.44
- Total employment: 290 people (1.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Advertising sales agents
- Median annual wage: $59,230
- Median hourly wage: $28.47
- Total employment: 70 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vladeep // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Crane and tower operators
- Median annual wage: $59,920
- Median hourly wage: $28.81
- Total employment: 80 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $60,840
- Median hourly wage: $29.25
- Total employment: 1,420 people (8.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $61,000
- Median hourly wage: $29.33
- Total employment: 130 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $61,330
- Median hourly wage: $29.48
- Total employment: 150 people (0.94 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: $61,490
- Median hourly wage: $29.56
- Total employment: 1,770 people (11.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vladimir Endovitskiy // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Rotary drill operators, oil and gas
- Median annual wage: $62,460
- Median hourly wage: $30.03
- Total employment: 190 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Elizaveta Galitckaia // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Pump operators, except wellhead pumpers
- Median annual wage: $62,490
- Median hourly wage: $30.05
- Total employment: 110 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rlat // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $63,270
- Median hourly wage: $30.42
- Total employment: 90 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $63,550
- Median hourly wage: $30.55
- Total employment: 950 people (5.91 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: $63,960
- Median hourly wage: $30.75
- Total employment: 40 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jat306 // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Millwrights
- Median annual wage: $64,530
- Median hourly wage: $31.02
- Total employment: 80 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
chalermphon_tiam // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Electric motor, power tool, and related repairers
- Median annual wage: $65,980
- Median hourly wage: $31.72
- Total employment: 70 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $66,920
- Median hourly wage: $32.17
- Total employment: 560 people (3.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $67,260
- Median hourly wage: $32.34
- Total employment: 70 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $67,360
- Median hourly wage: $32.38
- Total employment: 140 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $71,390
- Median hourly wage: $34.32
- Total employment: 970 people (6.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $72,150
- Median hourly wage: $34.69
- Total employment: 640 people (3.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $77,810
- Median hourly wage: $37.41
- Total employment: 460 people (2.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
HannaTor // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Gambling managers
- Median annual wage: $79,010
- Median hourly wage: $37.99
- Total employment: 60 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $79,020
- Median hourly wage: $37.99
- Total employment: 70 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
anatoliy_gleb // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Derrick operators, oil and gas
- Median annual wage: $81,910
- Median hourly wage: $39.38
- Total employment: 120 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers
- Median annual wage: $87,820
- Median hourly wage: $42.22
- Total employment: 300 people (1.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $90,380
- Median hourly wage: $43.45
- Total employment: 140 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
socrates471 // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Media and communication equipment workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $95,640
- Median hourly wage: $45.98
- Total employment: 50 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Cu Fleshman, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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