
Highest-paying jobs in Rocky Mount that don't require a college degree
Highest-paying jobs in Rocky Mount that don't require a college degree
From the moment they arrive on campus, today’s high school students are inundated with messages about the importance of receiving a college education. They hear it from their guidance counselors, teachers, parents, family members, neighbors, and coaches. While graduation from a four-year college can certainly work wonders for students’ future careers, it’s not necessary for all fields — something admissions officers and guidance counselors sometimes fail to mention.
To find the highest paying jobs that don’t require a college degree, Stacker consulted the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook to compile a list of all jobs that don’t require higher education. All professions that listed a high school diploma, some college education (without a degree conferred), postsecondary nondegree award, or no formal education requirements for entry-level positions were considered. Jobs that didn’t list any entry-level education requirement were excluded, as were job titles that grouped several positions together. Jobs are ranked by 2021 annual mean wage.
Keep reading to discover the highest paying jobs in Rocky Mount, NC that don’t require a college degree.
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#50. Bill and account collectors
- Annual mean salary: $38,460
- #199 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $41,280
- Employment: 212,900
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($58,700)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($58,610)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($55,940)
#49. Cement masons and concrete finishers
- Annual mean salary: $38,610
- #407 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,900
- Employment: 186,600
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New Bedford, MA ($90,980)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($82,820)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($79,650)

#48. Sheet metal workers
- Annual mean salary: $39,060
- #358 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $58,760
- Employment: 122,630
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($101,150)
--- Kennewick-Richland, WA ($94,930)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($93,840)

#47. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Annual mean salary: $39,540
- #435 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,320
- Employment: 121,150
- 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)

#46. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $40,000
- #467 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160
National
- Annual mean salary: $56,280
- Employment: 404,820
- 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)
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#45. Legal secretaries and administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $40,390
- #256 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,540
- Employment: 155,250
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($78,320)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($77,210)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($72,760)
#44. Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $40,400
- #277 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,900
- Employment: 145,410
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Midland, MI ($60,190)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($58,790)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($58,480)
#43. Dental assistants
- Annual mean salary: $40,410
- #237 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $42,510
- Employment: 347,170
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($55,150)
--- Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI ($55,020)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($54,590)
#42. Automotive service technicians and mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $41,330
- #435 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 230
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,990
- Employment: 629,780
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($62,810)
--- Fairbanks, AK ($62,690)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($61,350)

#41. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
- Annual mean salary: $41,340
- #335 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 310
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,810
- Employment: 551,380
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Odessa, TX ($70,950)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($66,260)
--- Bismarck, ND ($64,940)
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#40. Maintenance and repair workers, general
- Annual mean salary: $41,900
- #266 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 630
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,920
- Employment: 1,416,740
- 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)

#39. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance
- Annual mean salary: $42,000
- #307 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,650
- Employment: 194,330
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($64,140)
--- Decatur, IL ($60,740)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($58,620)
#38. Payroll and timekeeping clerks
- Annual mean salary: $42,020
- #363 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $49,560
- Employment: 149,290
- 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)

#37. Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $42,220
- #33 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 310
National
- Annual mean salary: $36,750
- Employment: 358,640
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Battle Creek, MI ($60,150)
--- Albany, GA ($53,570)
--- Fort Collins, CO ($50,590)

#36. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Annual mean salary: $44,320
- #387 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,270
- Employment: 116,380
- 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)
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#35. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $44,450
- #498 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 200
National
- Annual mean salary: $63,310
- Employment: 650,580
- 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)

#34. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $44,570
- #477 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
National
- Annual mean salary: $63,350
- Employment: 417,620
- 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)

#33. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $44,580
- #235 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 600
National
- Annual mean salary: $46,890
- Employment: 1,143,260
- 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)

#32. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $44,830
- #484 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130
National
- Annual mean salary: $69,340
- Employment: 422,600
- 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)
#31. Loan interviewers and clerks
- Annual mean salary: $45,380
- #107 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,910
- Employment: 238,610
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Salinas, CA ($59,060)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($58,140)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($56,710)
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#30. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
- Annual mean salary: $45,500
- #400 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,690
- Employment: 356,960
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($78,020)
--- Fairbanks, AK ($76,750)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($71,710)
#29. Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $45,960
- #61 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $42,490
- Employment: 108,440
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($60,690)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($59,040)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($57,940)
#28. Surveying and mapping technicians
- Annual mean salary: $46,840
- #158 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $49,810
- Employment: 56,070
- 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)
#27. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Annual mean salary: $47,000
- #320 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 210
National
- Annual mean salary: $51,850
- Employment: 641,240
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Napa, CA ($76,890)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($75,880)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($75,410)

#26. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Annual mean salary: $47,120
- #211 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 310
National
- Annual mean salary: $48,290
- Employment: 397,600
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($72,500)
--- Anchorage, AK ($71,840)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($66,920)
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#25. Machinists
- Annual mean salary: $47,610
- #218 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 180
National
- Annual mean salary: $49,020
- Employment: 333,220
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($71,070)
--- Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV ($69,300)
--- Monroe, MI ($66,560)

#24. Computer user support specialists
- Annual mean salary: $48,070
- #379 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,650
- Employment: 654,310
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Sacramento--Roseville--Arden-Arcade, CA ($90,480)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($76,920)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($76,510)

#23. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
- Annual mean salary: $49,290
- #208 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 870
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,340
- Employment: 1,903,420
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Cape Girardeau, MO-IL ($62,600)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($62,290)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($61,540)

#22. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Annual mean salary: $49,870
- #234 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,020
- Employment: 261,420
- 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)
#21. Tool and die makers
- Annual mean salary: $50,060
- #180 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $56,150
- Employment: 63,630
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($75,920)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($72,510)
--- Santa Rosa, CA ($71,910)
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#20. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Annual mean salary: $51,030
- #195 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,220
- Employment: 367,200
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Idaho Falls, ID ($74,970)
--- Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI ($71,160)
--- Bremerton-Silverdale, WA ($67,140)
#19. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $51,730
- #427 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 470
National
- Annual mean salary: $63,380
- Employment: 1,443,630
- 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)

#18. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Annual mean salary: $51,890
- #310 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $57,280
- Employment: 145,230
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($86,740)
--- Urban Honolulu, HI ($82,520)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($79,470)

#17. Food service managers
- Annual mean salary: $53,910
- #387 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
National
- Annual mean salary: $63,970
- Employment: 210,680
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Trenton, NJ ($91,320)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($89,860)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($87,750)

#16. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators
- Annual mean salary: $54,430
- #7 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
National
- Annual mean salary: $51,010
- Employment: 112,130
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Huntsville, AL ($55,830)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($55,260)
--- Wausau, WI ($55,060)
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#15. Postal service mail carriers
- Annual mean salary: $55,350
- #43 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,370
- Employment: 335,540
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Modesto, CA ($57,160)
--- Bismarck, ND ($57,090)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($56,820)

#14. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $56,470
- #395 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $79,060
- Employment: 123,940
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($117,700)
--- Salinas, CA ($110,180)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($109,490)
#13. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $57,100
- #261 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $66,870
- Employment: 466,910
- 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)

#12. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $58,170
- #351 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 220
National
- Annual mean salary: $71,110
- Employment: 1,026,390
- 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. Crane and tower operators
- Annual mean salary: $58,820
- #98 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $65,270
- Employment: 43,400
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($131,160)
--- Syracuse, NY ($103,350)
--- Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise, NV ($99,990)
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#10. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Annual mean salary: $58,900
- #295 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $83,270
- Employment: 80,890
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($171,060)
--- Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ($145,740)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($135,860)

#9. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $60,730
- #125 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 410
National
- Annual mean salary: $58,780
- Employment: 373,090
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Fairbanks, AK ($85,900)
--- Lake Charles, LA ($85,360)
--- Anchorage, AK ($82,890)

#8. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $61,370
- #437 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 280
National
- Annual mean salary: $75,060
- Employment: 665,870
- 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)
#7. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Annual mean salary: $63,180
- #409 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $98,760
- Employment: 128,230
- 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)

#6. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $66,560
- #203 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 490
National
- Annual mean salary: $67,330
- Employment: 629,420
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($98,170)
--- Lake Charles, LA ($97,910)
--- Norwich-New London-Westerly, CT-RI ($90,410)
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#5. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $67,480
- #234 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 500
National
- Annual mean salary: $72,390
- Employment: 1,242,490
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($102,280)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($92,660)
--- Napa, CA ($92,620)

#4. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $69,230
- #272 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 230
National
- Annual mean salary: $73,590
- Employment: 526,240
- 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 non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $76,220
- #293 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $92,320
- Employment: 243,920
- 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)
#2. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $94,820
- #221 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $105,580
- Employment: 144,640
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($159,890)
--- Bridgeport-Stamford-Norwalk, CT ($154,170)
--- Trenton, NJ ($144,620)

#1. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Annual mean salary: $101,160
- #5 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $70,030
- Employment: 234,680
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($109,540)
--- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO ($106,420)
--- New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ-PA ($103,610)
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