
Highest paying jobs in Reno for high school graduates
Highest paying jobs in Reno 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 Reno, NV 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. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators
- Annual mean salary: $51,380
- #66 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 210
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)

#49. Legal secretaries and administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $51,410
- #54 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 240
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,750
- Employment: 160,950
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area ($84,640)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($78,320)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($77,210)

#48. Occupational health and safety technicians
- Annual mean salary: $51,600
- #89 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)

#47. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers
- Annual mean salary: $51,650
- #76 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $77,610
- Employment: 40,480
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($105,090)
--- Alaska nonmetropolitan area ($101,900)
--- St. Louis, MO-IL ($97,860)

#46. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $52,170
- #210 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 180
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)
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#45. Postal service clerks
- Annual mean salary: $52,600
- #230 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
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)

#44. Stonemasons
- Annual mean salary: $53,040
- #13 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $48,290
- Employment: 11,830
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($72,900)
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($67,830)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($66,650)
#43. Surveying and mapping technicians
- Annual mean salary: $53,130
- #64 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
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)
#42. Court, municipal, and license clerks
- Annual mean salary: $53,970
- #20 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 240
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,490
- Employment: 156,100
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($66,520)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($62,040)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($60,730)

#41. Postal service mail carriers
- Annual mean salary: $54,300
- #159 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 480
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)
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#40. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Annual mean salary: $54,610
- #298 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 620
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)

#39. Real estate sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $54,770
- #184 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 250
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)

#38. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Annual mean salary: $55,310
- #95 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220
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)
#37. Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $56,750
- #30 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
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)
#36. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $56,970
- #262 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 340
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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#35. Chefs and head cooks
- Annual mean salary: $57,130
- #111 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 320
National
- Annual mean salary: $58,740
- Employment: 101,490
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Leominster-Gardner, MA ($81,020)
--- Massachusetts nonmetropolitan area ($79,820)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($79,600)
#34. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $57,490
- #244 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,040
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)

#33. Lodging managers
- Annual mean salary: $57,850
- #148 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
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)

#32. Sheet metal workers
- Annual mean salary: $58,000
- #115 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130
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)

#31. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Annual mean salary: $58,180
- #49 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 400
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. Carpenters
- Annual mean salary: $58,770
- #69 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 2,500
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)
#29. Public safety telecommunicators
- Annual mean salary: $58,990
- #30 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
National
- Annual mean salary: $45,800
- Employment: 93,290
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($97,380)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($92,790)
--- Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA ($76,950)

#28. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Annual mean salary: $59,180
- #85 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 410
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)

#27. Structural iron and steel workers
- Annual mean salary: $59,400
- #68 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160
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)

#26. Maintenance workers, machinery
- Annual mean salary: $59,570
- #34 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
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)
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#25. Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers
- Annual mean salary: $60,320
- #29 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
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)

#24. Transportation inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $60,740
- #77 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)

#23. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $61,150
- #117 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 470
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)

#22. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $62,380
- #245 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,420
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)

#21. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $63,050
- #158 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,020
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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#20. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $64,460
- #282 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,140
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)

#19. Reinforcing iron and rebar workers
- Annual mean salary: $65,380
- #10 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: data not available
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,700
- Employment: 18,680
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($97,000)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($88,350)
--- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI ($75,440)

#18. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $65,940
- #76 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 860
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)

#17. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $66,290
- #96 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,160
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)
#16. Locksmiths and safe repairers
- Annual mean salary: $66,780
- #1 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,240
- Employment: 16,180
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Reno, NV ($66,780)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($60,200)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($59,970)
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#15. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Annual mean salary: $69,350
- #26 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
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)

#14. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $70,110
- #249 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 720
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)

#13. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Annual mean salary: $72,330
- #119 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 310
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)

#12. Construction and building inspectors
- Annual mean salary: $72,630
- #62 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
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)

#11. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $73,700
- #85 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,620
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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#10. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $74,310
- #136 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 1,050
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)

#9. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $74,600
- #221 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
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)

#8. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $76,880
- #275 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 250
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)

#7. Advertising sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $80,820
- #6 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
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)

#6. Power plant operators
- Annual mean salary: $82,940
- #77 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
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)
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#5. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Annual mean salary: $86,030
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
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)
#4. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $90,000
- #289 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 400
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)

#3. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Annual mean salary: $91,060
- #77 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
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)

#2. Gambling managers
- Annual mean salary: $94,960
- #9 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $85,440
- Employment: 3,240
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Diego-Carlsbad, CA ($106,830)
--- Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ ($104,140)
--- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ($103,210)
#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Annual mean salary: $112,490
- #54 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200
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)
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