
Highest paying jobs in Elmira for high school graduates
Highest paying jobs in Elmira 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 Elmira, NY 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. Word processors and typists
- Annual mean salary: $38,220
- #82 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $42,630
- Employment: 42,920
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO ($57,060)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($55,590)
--- Anchorage, AK ($54,140)
#49. Customer service representatives
- Annual mean salary: $38,990
- #130 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 540
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)

#48. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks
- Annual mean salary: $39,230
- #119 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 210
National
- Annual mean salary: $37,210
- Employment: 727,640
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($51,470)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($48,440)
--- Anchorage, AK ($47,150)
#47. Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive
- Annual mean salary: $39,240
- #190 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 510
National
- Annual mean salary: $40,420
- Employment: 1,850,360
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($56,720)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($54,730)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($54,450)

#46. Light truck drivers
- Annual mean salary: $39,390
- #302 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270
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)
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#45. New accounts clerks
- Annual mean salary: $39,490
- #123 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $39,870
- Employment: 45,250
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($54,930)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($54,190)
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($53,440)
#44. Social and human service assistants
- Annual mean salary: $39,840
- #145 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
National
- Annual mean salary: $38,230
- Employment: 399,920
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT ($56,140)
--- North Valley-Northern Mountains Region of California nonmetropolitan area ($55,360)
--- Danbury, CT ($54,870)
#43. Billing and posting clerks
- Annual mean salary: $40,320
- #188 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $41,610
- Employment: 445,160
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($55,850)
--- Santa Rosa, CA ($55,130)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($54,960)
#42. Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $40,430
- #275 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
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)
#41. Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers, except coil winders, tapers, and finishers
- Annual mean salary: $40,590
- #66 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
National
- Annual mean salary: $38,750
- Employment: 283,800
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- California-Lexington Park, MD ($57,040)
--- Lima, OH ($56,660)
--- Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD ($50,510)
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#40. First-line supervisors of food preparation and serving workers
- Annual mean salary: $41,690
- #88 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 270
National
- Annual mean salary: $37,880
- Employment: 891,540
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($52,950)
--- Northwest Colorado nonmetropolitan area ($52,620)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($52,140)

#39. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Annual mean salary: $41,930
- #427 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
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. Security guards
- Annual mean salary: $43,850
- #18 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $34,360
- Employment: 1,054,400
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Idaho Falls, ID ($70,350)
--- San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles-Arroyo Grande, CA ($58,440)
--- Western Washington nonmetropolitan area ($57,480)

#37. Printing press operators
- Annual mean salary: $44,040
- #51 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $40,200
- Employment: 160,270
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($56,850)
--- Dover-Durham, NH-ME ($51,730)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($50,370)
#36. Automotive body and related repairers
- Annual mean salary: $45,730
- #299 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
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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#35. Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors
- Annual mean salary: $45,910
- #94 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
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)
#34. Court, municipal, and license clerks
- Annual mean salary: $45,970
- #116 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
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)

#33. Maintenance and repair workers, general
- Annual mean salary: $46,120
- #101 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 510
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)

#32. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
- Annual mean salary: $47,150
- #122 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220
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)

#31. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $47,310
- #131 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 300
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)
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#30. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Annual mean salary: $47,380
- #357 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170
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)

#29. Machinists
- Annual mean salary: $47,730
- #210 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 380
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)

#28. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance
- Annual mean salary: $48,000
- #102 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
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)

#27. Highway maintenance workers
- Annual mean salary: $48,880
- #105 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,200
- Employment: 149,890
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($70,690)
--- Alaska nonmetropolitan area ($67,370)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($67,340)
#26. Computer numerically controlled tool operators
- Annual mean salary: $49,510
- #45 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
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)
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#25. Multiple machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Annual mean salary: $50,450
- #5 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $39,800
- Employment: 134,660
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Mankato-North Mankato, MN ($54,510)
--- Greenville-Anderson-Mauldin, SC ($52,470)
--- Lafayette, LA ($52,280)

#24. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Annual mean salary: $51,120
- #187 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
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)

#23. Self-enrichment teachers
- Annual mean salary: $51,900
- #46 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,930
- Employment: 222,700
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($70,350)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($66,650)
--- Utica-Rome, NY ($63,470)
#22. Eligibility interviewers, government programs
- Annual mean salary: $52,180
- #75 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,990
- Employment: 138,820
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($75,570)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($67,900)
--- New Haven, CT ($63,790)

#21. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $52,520
- #199 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
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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#20. Carpenters
- Annual mean salary: $52,530
- #142 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
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)

#19. Chefs and head cooks
- Annual mean salary: $53,160
- #189 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
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)

#18. Postal service mail carriers
- Annual mean salary: $54,600
- #115 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
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)

#17. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $54,960
- #325 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
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)

#16. Food service managers
- Annual mean salary: $55,800
- #345 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
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)
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#15. Sheet metal workers
- Annual mean salary: $58,950
- #104 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
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)

#14. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $60,510
- #443 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 310
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)

#13. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Annual mean salary: $62,760
- #57 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
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)

#12. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $64,340
- #178 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
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)
#11. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $64,440
- #73 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 250
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)
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#10. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $67,030
- #60 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
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)

#9. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $68,260
- #87 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130
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)

#8. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $68,340
- #58 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
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)

#7. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $69,050
- #74 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
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)

#6. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $69,240
- #124 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 260
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)
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#5. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $72,850
- #79 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
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)

#4. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $73,960
- #137 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
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)

#3. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $74,020
- #142 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
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 non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $88,130
- #114 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
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)
#1. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $89,020
- #301 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
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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