
Highest-paying jobs in Albany, Oregon that don't require a college degree
Highest-paying jobs in Albany, Oregon 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 Albany, OR that don’t require a college degree.
You may also like: Metros where people in Albany, Oregon are getting new jobs
#50. Refuse and recyclable material collectors
- Annual mean salary: $49,800
- #37 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $42,780
- Employment: 126,050
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($70,740)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($69,470)
--- Napa, CA ($60,830)
#49. Automotive service technicians and mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $49,830
- #92 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130
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)
#48. Cleaning, washing, and metal pickling equipment operators and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $50,430
- #1 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $35,820
- Employment: 13,580
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Albany, OR ($50,430)
--- Pittsburgh, PA ($49,010)
--- Richmond, VA ($46,530)

#47. Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Annual mean salary: $50,470
- #3 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 150
National
- Annual mean salary: $40,030
- Employment: 67,750
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Charleston-North Charleston, SC ($59,780)
--- Syracuse, NY ($51,600)
--- Albany, OR ($50,470)
#46. Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Annual mean salary: $50,620
- #3 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $40,520
- Employment: 59,490
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Charleston-North Charleston, SC ($54,200)
--- Spartanburg, SC ($51,910)
--- Albany, OR ($50,620)
You may also like: Most expensive homes for sale in Albany, Oregon

#45. Postal service mail carriers
- Annual mean salary: $50,660
- #511 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 110
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)
#44. Automotive body and related repairers
- Annual mean salary: $51,170
- #129 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $50,660
- Employment: 137,300
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Ann Arbor, MI ($71,350)
--- Ames, IA ($68,340)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($68,060)

#43. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
- Annual mean salary: $51,280
- #115 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 780
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)

#42. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Annual mean salary: $51,640
- #180 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
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)

#41. Logging equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $51,690
- #18 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130
National
- Annual mean salary: $43,960
- Employment: 25,510
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Santa Rosa, CA ($64,000)
--- Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA ($62,910)
--- Longview, WA ($62,780)
You may also like: Cities with the fastest growing home prices in Albany, Oregon metro area
#40. Cement masons and concrete finishers
- Annual mean salary: $51,860
- #118 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
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)

#39. Sheet metal workers
- Annual mean salary: $52,650
- #169 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
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)

#38. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Annual mean salary: $52,750
- #60 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 240
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)

#37. Postal service clerks
- Annual mean salary: $52,820
- #221 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $53,210
- Employment: 79,320
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Houma-Thibodaux, LA ($59,410)
--- Florence, SC ($59,360)
--- Monroe, MI ($59,320)

#36. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
- Annual mean salary: $53,170
- #178 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 130
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)
You may also like: How gas prices have changed in Albany, Oregon in the last week
#35. Eligibility interviewers, government programs
- Annual mean salary: $53,360
- #66 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $48,570
- Employment: 151,340
- 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)

#34. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $53,510
- #179 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $62,250
- Employment: 101,530
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($90,680)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($90,370)
--- Salinas, CA ($88,050)

#33. Food service managers
- Annual mean salary: $53,760
- #391 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
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)
#32. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians
- Annual mean salary: $53,880
- #24 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
National
- Annual mean salary: $47,250
- Employment: 35,030
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($61,910)
--- Bellingham, WA ($61,210)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($60,760)

#31. Tax preparers
- Annual mean salary: $54,180
- #42 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $51,080
- Employment: 83,190
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Anchorage, AK ($81,880)
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($79,470)
--- Denver-Aurora-Lakewood, CO ($73,170)
You may also like: Where people in Albany, Oregon are moving to most

#30. Chemical equipment operators and tenders
- Annual mean salary: $54,730
- #52 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $52,450
- Employment: 106,170
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Billings, MT ($88,420)
--- Baton Rouge, LA ($76,050)
--- Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX ($71,340)

#29. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Annual mean salary: $54,770
- #202 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
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)

#28. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Annual mean salary: $55,160
- #195 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 170
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)

#27. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Annual mean salary: $55,880
- #119 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
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)

#26. Machinists
- Annual mean salary: $56,410
- #30 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 160
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)
You may also like: Zip codes with the most expensive homes in Albany, Oregon metro area

#25. Stationary engineers and boiler operators
- Annual mean salary: $57,450
- #100 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
National
- Annual mean salary: $70,510
- Employment: 29,820
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($106,300)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($103,930)
--- Vallejo-Fairfield, CA ($99,740)
#24. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Annual mean salary: $57,750
- #238 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 370
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)

#23. Computer user support specialists
- Annual mean salary: $57,760
- #96 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)

#22. First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers
- Annual mean salary: $57,800
- #61 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 70
National
- Annual mean salary: $54,450
- Employment: 25,770
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Longview, WA ($74,500)
--- Redding, CA ($72,680)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($71,740)

#21. Highway maintenance workers
- Annual mean salary: $58,080
- #16 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 60
National
- Annual mean salary: $44,340
- Employment: 141,150
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($70,690)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($67,340)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($65,550)
You may also like: Closest national parks to Albany, Oregon

#20. Heat treating equipment setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Annual mean salary: $58,640
- #1 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $41,560
- Employment: 14,540
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Albany, OR ($58,640)
--- Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA ($56,830)
--- Wichita, KS ($51,240)
#19. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Annual mean salary: $59,000
- #59 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 100
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)
#18. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Annual mean salary: $60,140
- #174 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 80
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)

#17. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Annual mean salary: $61,490
- #268 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 120
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)

#16. Millwrights
- Annual mean salary: $61,790
- #61 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 50
National
- Annual mean salary: $61,260
- Employment: 39,240
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Kennewick-Richland, WA ($91,590)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($90,580)
--- Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN-WI ($80,780)
You may also like: Cities with the most expensive homes in Albany, Oregon metro area

#15. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Annual mean salary: $62,290
- #100 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 260
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)

#14. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Annual mean salary: $64,350
- #335 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 300
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)

#13. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Annual mean salary: $64,800
- #269 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 340
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)

#12. Insurance sales agents
- Annual mean salary: $65,190
- #168 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
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)

#11. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Annual mean salary: $65,760
- #105 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 140
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)
You may also like: Metros sending the most people to Albany, Oregon

#10. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Annual mean salary: $65,990
- #63 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $60,350
- Employment: 172,830
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Anchorage, AK ($88,140)
--- Fairbanks, AK ($84,690)
--- Boston-Cambridge-Nashua, MA-NH ($80,570)

#9. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Annual mean salary: $71,760
- #181 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 180
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)

#8. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Annual mean salary: $71,980
- #369 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)

#7. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $75,350
- #115 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 190
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)

#6. Firefighters
- Annual mean salary: $75,830
- #18 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
National
- Annual mean salary: $55,290
- Employment: 317,310
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA ($114,210)
--- San Francisco-Oakland-Hayward, CA ($98,150)
--- Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA ($97,470)
You may also like: Highest-earning zip codes in Albany, Oregon metro area

#5. Electricians
- Annual mean salary: $81,210
- #12 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 330
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)
#4. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Annual mean salary: $84,520
- #342 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 90
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)

#3. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Annual mean salary: $86,750
- #106 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
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)

#2. Real estate brokers
- Annual mean salary: $89,090
- #31 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 30
National
- Annual mean salary: $86,490
- Employment: 48,460
- Metros with highest average pay:
--- Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT ($152,460)
--- Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina, HI ($133,810)
--- Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA ($132,320)

#1. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Annual mean salary: $112,110
- #15 highest pay among all metros
- Employment: 40
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)