wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $101,430
- Median hourly wage: $48.76
- Total employment: 1,370 people (3.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Albany that require a bachelor's degree
Between rising tuition and a tight job market, getting a bachelor's degree is an increasingly daunting prospect these days. Per a May 2024 Pew Research Center survey, just 1 in 4 adults believe a college degree is necessary to secure a high-paying job.
Many second-guess the value of college because of the cost. For the 2024-2025 school year, annual tuition and fees averaged more than $11,600 at in-state public universities, a nearly 3% increase from the previous year. Tuition at private schools increased by roughly 4% in the same time period.
Besides financial concerns, there are career opportunities to consider. Though the job market in the United States shifts from month to month, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates aged 22 to 27 reached 5.8% in March 2025, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. For context, that's more than double the unemployment rate of all college graduates.
These factors all contribute to the belief that college may not be the answer for everyone. However, research shows that a bachelor's degree still pays off in the long run. As of 2024, the most recent year with available data, the $60,000 median salary for a recent college graduate is $20,000 more than the median earnings for someone with only a high school diploma.
Although high school grads can make a decent salary without taking on student loan debt, lifetime earnings range between $630,000 and $900,000 more for those with a bachelor's degree. Graduate degree holders, meanwhile, may earn $1.1 million to $1.5 million more than high school graduates.
With this in mind, many different jobs make a degree worth the cost of tuition. Stacker ranked the highest-paying jobs that require a bachelor's degree in Albany, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $102,200
- Median hourly wage: $49.14
- Total employment: 550 people (1.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Labor relations specialists
- Median annual wage: $102,470
- Median hourly wage: $49.26
- Total employment: 620 people (1.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
4 / 50#45. Public relations managers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $103,340
- Median hourly wage: $49.68
- Total employment: 350 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
5 / 50#45. Purchasing managers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $103,340
- Median hourly wage: $49.68
- Total employment: 580 people (1.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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luchschenF // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Chemists (tie)
- Median annual wage: $103,340
- Median hourly wage: $49.68
- Total employment: 420 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $103,440
- Median hourly wage: $49.73
- Total employment: 710 people (1.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $103,590
- Median hourly wage: $49.80
- Total employment: 430 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
THICHA SATAPITANON // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Financial risk specialists
- Median annual wage: $104,240
- Median hourly wage: $50.11
- Total employment: 190 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $104,370
- Median hourly wage: $50.18
- Total employment: 3,190 people (7.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Education administrators, all other
- Median annual wage: $104,940
- Median hourly wage: $50.45
- Total employment: 100 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Art directors
- Median annual wage: $105,380
- Median hourly wage: $50.66
- Total employment: 90 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $106,850
- Median hourly wage: $51.37
- Total employment: 440 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
- Median annual wage: $107,410
- Median hourly wage: $51.64
- Total employment: 150 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $107,490
- Median hourly wage: $51.68
- Total employment: 1,650 people (3.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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fizkes // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $107,990
- Median hourly wage: $51.92
- Total employment: 9,400 people (21.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Actuaries
- Median annual wage: $109,220
- Median hourly wage: $52.51
- Total employment: 150 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $111,940
- Median hourly wage: $53.82
- Total employment: 1,050 people (2.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $112,760
- Median hourly wage: $54.21
- Total employment: 390 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $113,770
- Median hourly wage: $54.70
- Total employment: 670 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $114,430
- Median hourly wage: $55.02
- Total employment: 1,020 people (2.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $115,970
- Median hourly wage: $55.76
- Total employment: 2,970 people (6.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $116,170
- Median hourly wage: $55.85
- Total employment: 1,670 people (3.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
YAKOBCHUK VIACHESLAV // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Airline pilots, copilots, and flight engineers
- Median annual wage: $117,080
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 30 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tonhom1009 // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Bioengineers and biomedical engineers
- Median annual wage: $117,180
- Median hourly wage: $56.34
- Total employment: 100 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $120,840
- Median hourly wage: $58.10
- Total employment: 920 people (2.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $123,440
- Median hourly wage: $59.35
- Total employment: 310 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $123,750
- Median hourly wage: $59.50
- Total employment: 170 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sabthai // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators
- Median annual wage: $124,590
- Median hourly wage: $59.90
- Total employment: 30 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
eldar nurkovic // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Chemical engineers
- Median annual wage: $124,980
- Median hourly wage: $60.09
- Total employment: 50 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $125,170
- Median hourly wage: $60.18
- Total employment: 820 people (1.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $125,880
- Median hourly wage: $60.52
- Total employment: 510 people (1.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
H_Ko // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Materials scientists
- Median annual wage: $126,950
- Median hourly wage: $61.04
- Total employment: 210 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $127,990
- Median hourly wage: $61.54
- Total employment: 490 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $128,060
- Median hourly wage: $61.57
- Total employment: 280 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Advertising and promotions managers
- Median annual wage: $128,790
- Median hourly wage: $61.92
- Total employment: 60 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aappp // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $129,520
- Median hourly wage: $62.27
- Total employment: 200 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Halfpoint // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Materials engineers
- Median annual wage: $130,280
- Median hourly wage: $62.64
- Total employment: 160 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Compensation and benefits managers
- Median annual wage: $130,690
- Median hourly wage: $62.83
- Total employment: 90 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $131,900
- Median hourly wage: $63.42
- Total employment: 660 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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fizkes // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $138,480
- Median hourly wage: $66.58
- Total employment: 990 people (2.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $139,200
- Median hourly wage: $66.92
- Total employment: 480 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
create jobs 51 // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Legislators
- Median annual wage: $141,990
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 370 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $142,010
- Median hourly wage: $68.27
- Total employment: 170 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $146,910
- Median hourly wage: $70.63
- Total employment: 2,430 people (5.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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46 / 50#5. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $149,000
- Median hourly wage: $71.64
- Total employment: 290 people (0.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $149,650
- Median hourly wage: $71.95
- Total employment: 1,950 people (4.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $156,070
- Median hourly wage: $75.04
- Total employment: 930 people (2.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $172,840
- Median hourly wage: $83.10
- Total employment: 620 people (1.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $176,500
- Median hourly wage: $84.86
- Total employment: 630 people (1.43 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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