
Highest paying jobs in St. Joseph for high school graduates
Highest paying jobs in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph, MO-KS 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. Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $38,770
- #95 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 660
National
- Annual mean salary: $35,220
- Employment: 370,910
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Battle Creek, MI ($60,150)
--- Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area ($54,930)
--- Albany, GA ($53,570)
#49. Food batchmakers
- Annual mean salary: $39,070
- #64 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 230
National
- Annual mean salary: $34,970
- Employment: 153,270
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Battle Creek, MI ($65,310)
--- Cedar Rapids, IA ($56,900)
--- Binghamton, NY ($50,910)
#48. Loan interviewers and clerks
- Annual mean salary: $39,590
- #310 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $42,780
- Employment: 204,100
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Salinas, CA ($59,060)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($58,140)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($56,710)
#47. Customer service representatives
- Annual mean salary: $39,880
- #98 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 840
National
- Annual mean salary: $38,510
- Employment: 2,833,250
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($52,630)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($50,510)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($47,490)
#46. Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Annual mean salary: $40,250
- #118 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $38,650
- Employment: 179,300
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($49,970)
--- Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH ($49,680)
--- La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN ($49,470)
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#45. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Annual mean salary: $40,260
- #450 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
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)

#44. Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors
- Annual mean salary: $40,360
- #181 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $45,650
- Employment: 248,070
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($69,160)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($68,140)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($64,980)

#43. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $41,870
- #373 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 530
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,300
- Employment: 1,063,110
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($57,830)
--- Boulder, CO ($56,520)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($55,930)
#42. Computer numerically controlled tool operators
- Annual mean salary: $42,160
- #241 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,300
- Employment: 149,120
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($70,030)
--- Waco, TX ($63,080)
--- Springfield, MA-CT ($57,930)
#41. Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $42,800
- #182 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $42,140
- Employment: 137,510
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Midland, MI ($60,190)
--- Alaska nonmetropolitan area ($58,940)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($58,790)
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#40. Payroll and timekeeping clerks
- Annual mean salary: $44,250
- #271 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $48,290
- Employment: 133,870
- 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)

#39. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Annual mean salary: $45,090
- #290 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 240
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,690
- Employment: 397,550
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($72,500)
--- Anchorage, AK ($71,840)
--- West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area ($71,250)

#38. 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: $38,440
- Employment: 63,730
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Southwest New York nonmetropolitan area ($55,580)
--- Roanoke, VA ($52,760)
--- Northeast Oklahoma nonmetropolitan area ($52,710)

#37. Maintenance and repair workers, general
- Annual mean salary: $45,260
- #132 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 680
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,790
- Employment: 1,357,630
- 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)
#36. 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: $45,500
- Employment: 141,260
- 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)
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#35. Light truck drivers
- Annual mean salary: $46,010
- #38 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 330
National
- Annual mean salary: $41,050
- Employment: 929,470
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($51,860)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($51,560)
--- Waterbury, CT ($50,100)

#34. 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: $51,890
- Employment: 119,380
- 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)

#33. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
- Annual mean salary: $46,090
- #149 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 400
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,580
- Employment: 549,200
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- West North Dakota nonmetropolitan area ($88,150)
--- Alaska nonmetropolitan area ($80,420)
--- Odessa, TX ($70,950)
#32. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians
- Annual mean salary: $46,980
- #116 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
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)

#31. 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: $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)
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#30. 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: $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)

#29. Procurement clerks
- Annual mean salary: $49,020
- #31 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $45,400
- Employment: 61,000
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Western Wyoming nonmetropolitan area ($58,310)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($56,800)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($56,330)

#28. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Annual mean salary: $49,900
- #349 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
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)

#27. Machinists
- Annual mean salary: $50,310
- #126 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
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)

#26. Postal service clerks
- Annual mean salary: $50,380
- #374 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
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)
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#25. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Annual mean salary: $52,240
- #300 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
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)

#24. Postal service mail carriers
- Annual mean salary: $52,730
- #390 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
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. 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: $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)

#22. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance
- Annual mean salary: $53,240
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,860
- Employment: 188,450
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Alaska nonmetropolitan area ($64,510)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($64,140)
--- Decatur, IL ($60,740)
#21. Automotive body and related repairers
- Annual mean salary: $53,970
- #62 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $49,430
- Employment: 137,120
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Ann Arbor, MI ($71,350)
--- Ames, IA ($68,340)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($68,060)
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#20. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $54,490
- #354 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170
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)

#19. Advertising sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $55,490
- #137 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
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)
#18. 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: $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. Food service managers
- Annual mean salary: $55,890
- #340 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
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)

#16. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $56,830
- #313 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
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)
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#15. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $57,910
- #166 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200
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)

#14. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Annual mean salary: $57,980
- #42 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
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)

#13. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $58,640
- #203 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
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)

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

#11. Carpenters
- Annual mean salary: $60,790
- #52 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,200
- Employment: 699,300
- 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)
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#10. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $63,770
- #152 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 310
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)

#9. 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: $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)

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

#7. 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: $73,100
- 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)

#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: $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)
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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: $55,320
- Employment: 128,220
- 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: $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)

#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: $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)
#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: $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, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $92,340
- #255 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
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)
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