
Highest-paying jobs in St. Joseph that don't require a college degree
Highest-paying jobs in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph, MO-KS that don’t require a college degree.
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#50. Automotive service technicians and mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $44,220
- #301 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 280
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,990
- Employment: 629,780
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($62,810)
--- Fairbanks, AK ($62,690)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($61,350)
#49. Payroll and timekeeping clerks
- Annual mean salary: $44,250
- #271 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $49,560
- Employment: 149,290
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($66,600)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($66,240)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($60,930)

#48. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Annual mean salary: $45,090
- #290 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 240
National
- Annual mean salary: $48,290
- Employment: 397,600
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($72,500)
--- Anchorage, AK ($71,840)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($66,920)

#47. Extruding, forming, pressing, and compacting machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $45,200
- #24 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $40,050
- Employment: 56,570
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Roanoke, VA ($52,760)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($49,570)
--- Vineland-Bridgeton, NJ ($49,260)

#46. Maintenance and repair workers, general
- Annual mean salary: $45,260
- #132 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 680
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,920
- Employment: 1,416,740
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($60,230)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($59,870)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($56,650)
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#45. First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers
- Annual mean salary: $45,690
- #116 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $45,100
- Employment: 153,640
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($60,770)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($60,250)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($59,160)

#44. Light truck drivers
- Annual mean salary: $46,010
- #38 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 330
National
- Annual mean salary: $42,630
- Employment: 1,010,040
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($51,860)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($51,560)
--- Waterbury, CT ($50,100)

#43. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Annual mean salary: $46,070
- #305 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
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)

#42. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
- Annual mean salary: $46,090
- #149 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 400
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,810
- Employment: 551,380
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Odessa, TX ($70,950)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($66,260)
--- Bismarck, ND ($64,940)

#41. Firefighters
- Annual mean salary: $46,400
- #226 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160
National
- Annual mean salary: $55,290
- Employment: 317,310
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($114,210)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($98,150)
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($97,470)
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#40. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians
- Annual mean salary: $46,980
- #116 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,250
- Employment: 35,030
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($61,910)
--- Bellingham, WA ($61,210)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($60,760)

#39. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Annual mean salary: $47,060
- #339 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 180
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,020
- Employment: 261,420
- 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)

#38. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Annual mean salary: $47,730
- #296 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
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)

#37. Computer user support specialists
- Annual mean salary: $48,500
- #360 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
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. Procurement clerks
- Annual mean salary: $49,020
- #31 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,930
- Employment: 61,930
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($56,800)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($56,330)
--- Kennewick-Richland, WA ($56,260)
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#35. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Annual mean salary: $49,900
- #349 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)

#34. Machinists
- Annual mean salary: $50,310
- #126 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $49,020
- Employment: 333,220
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($71,070)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($69,300)
--- Monroe, MI ($66,560)

#33. Postal service clerks
- Annual mean salary: $50,380
- #374 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,210
- Employment: 79,320
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Houma-Thibodaux, LA ($59,410)
--- Florence, SC ($59,360)
--- Monroe, MI ($59,320)

#32. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
- Annual mean salary: $51,430
- #225 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,690
- Employment: 356,960
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($78,020)
--- Fairbanks, AK ($76,750)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($71,710)

#31. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
- Annual mean salary: $52,110
- #92 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 710
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,340
- Employment: 1,903,420
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Cape Girardeau, MO-IL ($62,600)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($62,290)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($61,540)
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#30. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Annual mean salary: $52,240
- #300 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
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)

#29. Postal service mail carriers
- Annual mean salary: $52,730
- #390 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,370
- Employment: 335,540
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Modesto, CA ($57,160)
--- Bismarck, ND ($57,090)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($56,820)

#28. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $52,840
- #456 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170
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)
#27. Construction laborers
- Annual mean salary: $52,940
- #39 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 260
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,130
- Employment: 968,760
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($65,910)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($64,590)
--- Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ ($63,820)

#26. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance
- Annual mean salary: $53,240
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,650
- Employment: 194,330
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($64,140)
--- Decatur, IL ($60,740)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($58,620)
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#25. Automotive body and related repairers
- Annual mean salary: $53,970
- #62 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
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)
#24. Painters, construction and maintenance
- Annual mean salary: $54,270
- #28 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,140
- Employment: 214,220
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($62,490)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($62,380)
--- Champaign-Urbana, IL ($62,380)
#23. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $54,490
- #354 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170
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)

#22. Advertising sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $55,490
- #137 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
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)
#21. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $55,520
- #302 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 470
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)
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#20. Food service managers
- Annual mean salary: $55,890
- #340 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
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)
#19. Cement masons and concrete finishers
- Annual mean salary: $56,040
- #74 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
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)

#18. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $56,830
- #313 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
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)

#17. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $57,910
- #166 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200
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)

#16. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Annual mean salary: $57,980
- #42 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,220
- Employment: 367,200
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Idaho Falls, ID ($74,970)
--- Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI ($71,160)
--- Bremerton-Silverdale, WA ($67,140)
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#15. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $58,640
- #203 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
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)

#14. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $58,820
- #181 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
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)

#13. Carpenters
- Annual mean salary: $60,790
- #52 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220
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)

#12. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Annual mean salary: $63,550
- #252 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
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)

#11. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $63,770
- #152 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 310
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)
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#10. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $67,560
- #165 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 490
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)

#9. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $70,130
- #274 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
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)

#8. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $70,140
- #248 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270
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)

#7. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Annual mean salary: $70,280
- #61 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
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)

#6. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $72,670
- #108 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 360
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)
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#5. Sheet metal workers
- Annual mean salary: $73,030
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
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)

#4. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $74,300
- #326 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130
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)

#3. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $75,500
- #124 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 210
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)
#2. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Annual mean salary: $76,100
- #307 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
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)
#1. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $92,340
- #255 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
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)
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