Highest-paying jobs in Trenton that don't require a college degree

Gen Z has figured out that college isn't the only way to land a high-paying job. According to the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 2 in 5 (38.6%) of recent high school graduates opted out of college in 2023, up from 33.8% in 2019.

This shift comes at a good time for high school grads, as companies face labor shortages for many jobs that don't require a college degree. Baby boomers retiring and a trend to reopen factories in the United States have both driven demand for young talent. A July 2024 Intelligent report found that 1 in 3 companies have already dropped bachelor's degree requirements across entry-level, mid-tier, and even senior positions to attract more employees.

The need for skilled workers, regardless of educational attainment, means better pay. Median wages for those with a high school degree are at their highest since 1990, according to the New York Federal Reserve.

At $40,000 on average, these wages are still $20,000 lower than those of a college grad. Yet nearly 1 in 5 workers who opt out of college earn more than employees with bachelor's degrees. Two million high school grads across the U.S. make six-figure annual salaries—without the financial burden of attending a four-year university. As of 2025, the average annual cost of college is more than $38,200 per student, and the average college graduate has more than $39,000 in student debt. It's little wonder that, according to a May 2024 survey from Pew Research, 29% of Americans think attending college is not worthwhile.

However, not every career field pays high school grads equally well, and understanding what the good jobs are is the first step to landing one. Stacker ranked the 50 highest-paying jobs that don't require a college degree in Trenton using annual compensation data from the BLS. The analysis included jobs that listed a high school diploma, a postsecondary nondegree award, or had no formal education requirements for entry-level positions. 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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Lucky Business // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Sales and related workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $65,700
- Median hourly wage: $31.59
- Total employment: 130 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rlat // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Postal service clerks

- Median annual wage: $65,770
- Median hourly wage: $31.62
- Total employment: 80 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment

- Median annual wage: $66,360
- Median hourly wage: $31.91
- Total employment: 40 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Production, planning, and expediting clerks

- Median annual wage: $66,480
- Median hourly wage: $31.96
- Total employment: 840 people (3.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gerain0812 // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Surgical technologists

- Median annual wage: $66,850
- Median hourly wage: $32.14
- Total employment: 150 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kot500 // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $67,200
- Median hourly wage: $32.31
- Total employment: 310 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors

- Median annual wage: $67,580
- Median hourly wage: $32.49
- Total employment: 900 people (3.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Shift Drive // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Computer user support specialists

- Median annual wage: $67,600
- Median hourly wage: $32.50
- Total employment: 1,410 people (5.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers

- Median annual wage: $70,770
- Median hourly wage: $34.02
- Total employment: 130 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Cement masons and concrete finishers

- Median annual wage: $70,870
- Median hourly wage: $34.07
- Total employment: 100 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

funnyangel // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Fire inspectors and investigators

- Median annual wage: $71,160
- Median hourly wage: $34.21
- Total employment: 70 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Chefs and head cooks

- Median annual wage: $71,790
- Median hourly wage: $34.51
- Total employment: 300 people (1.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

- Median annual wage: $72,420
- Median hourly wage: $34.82
- Total employment: 840 people (3.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Socrates471 // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Audio and video technicians

- Median annual wage: $72,610
- Median hourly wage: $34.91
- Total employment: 70 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

David Spates // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers

- Median annual wage: $72,690
- Median hourly wage: $34.95
- Total employment: 270 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Randy Hergenrether // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Construction laborers

- Median annual wage: $72,800
- Median hourly wage: $35.00
- Total employment: 960 people (4.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Property, real estate, and community association managers

- Median annual wage: $73,070
- Median hourly wage: $35.13
- Total employment: 370 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $73,290
- Median hourly wage: $35.24
- Total employment: 350 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Irene Miller // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $73,470
- Median hourly wage: $35.32
- Total employment: 260 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ramon Espelt Photography // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Home appliance repairers

- Median annual wage: $73,560
- Median hourly wage: $35.36
- Total employment: 60 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Advertising sales agents

- Median annual wage: $74,710
- Median hourly wage: $35.92
- Total employment: 130 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers

- Median annual wage: $75,390
- Median hourly wage: $36.24
- Total employment: 2,690 people (11.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Joey Chung // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel

- Median annual wage: $75,790
- Median hourly wage: $36.44
- Total employment: 1,740 people (7.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SatawatK // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers

- Median annual wage: $76,300
- Median hourly wage: $36.68
- Total employment: 200 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $76,480
- Median hourly wage: $36.77
- Total employment: 770 people (3.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers

- Median annual wage: $77,160
- Median hourly wage: $37.10
- Total employment: 520 people (2.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $77,520
- Median hourly wage: $37.27
- Total employment: 210 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $77,540
- Median hourly wage: $37.28
- Total employment: 320 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Josep Suria // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $78,420
- Median hourly wage: $37.70
- Total employment: 70 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $78,870
- Median hourly wage: $37.92
- Total employment: 1,250 people (5.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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31 / 50

#20. Stationary engineers and boiler operators

- Median annual wage: $79,570
- Median hourly wage: $38.26
- Total employment: 100 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

- Median annual wage: $81,080
- Median hourly wage: $38.98
- Total employment: 920 people (3.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $81,220
- Median hourly wage: $39.05
- Total employment: 710 people (2.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

santi lumubol // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $83,160
- Median hourly wage: $39.98
- Total employment: 120 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

kojala // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Artists and related workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $83,510
- Median hourly wage: $40.15
- Total employment: 30 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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36 / 50

#15. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products

- Median annual wage: $83,740
- Median hourly wage: $40.26
- Total employment: 1,030 people (4.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $83,940
- Median hourly wage: $40.35
- Total employment: 600 people (2.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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38 / 50

#13. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers

- Median annual wage: $85,060
- Median hourly wage: $40.89
- Total employment: 650 people (2.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

BearFotos // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. First-line supervisors of protective service workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $85,220
- Median hourly wage: $40.97
- Total employment: 30 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Victor Moussa // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Firefighters

- Median annual wage: $88,970
- Median hourly wage: $42.78
- Total employment: 370 people (1.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

brizmaker // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Roofers

- Median annual wage: $91,920
- Median hourly wage: $44.19
- Total employment: 120 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door

- Median annual wage: $96,260
- Median hourly wage: $46.28
- Total employment: 30 people (0.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers

- Median annual wage: $100,390
- Median hourly wage: $48.26
- Total employment: 480 people (2.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Telecommunications line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $101,010
- Median hourly wage: $48.56
- Total employment: 250 people (1.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

- Median annual wage: $102,190
- Median hourly wage: $49.13
- Total employment: 680 people (2.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Prath // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $107,290
- Median hourly wage: $51.58
- Total employment: 420 people (1.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

N_Sakarin // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Structural iron and steel workers

- Median annual wage: $108,730
- Median hourly wage: $52.28
- Total employment: 70 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $128,570
- Median hourly wage: $61.81
- Total employment: 390 people (1.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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49 / 50

#2. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $148,270
- Median hourly wage: $71.29
- Total employment: 250 people (1.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Skycolors // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. Commercial pilots

- Median annual wage: $160,550
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 60 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Jill Jaracz, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.

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