Oleksandr Berezko // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Painters, construction and maintenance
- Median annual wage: $55,130
- Median hourly wage: $26.51
- Total employment: 190 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Huntsville 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 Huntsville 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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welcomia // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $55,260
- Median hourly wage: $26.57
- Total employment: 100 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $55,780
- Median hourly wage: $26.82
- Total employment: 240 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $56,230
- Median hourly wage: $27.03
- Total employment: 840 people (3.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Wipas Rojjanakard // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Occupational health and safety technicians
- Median annual wage: $56,300
- Median hourly wage: $27.07
- Total employment: 30 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dusan Petkovic // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Weighers, measurers, checkers, and samplers, recordkeeping
- Median annual wage: $56,740
- Median hourly wage: $27.28
- Total employment: 30 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Computer numerically controlled tool operators
- Median annual wage: $57,070
- Median hourly wage: $27.44
- Total employment: 480 people (1.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment
- Median annual wage: $57,090
- Median hourly wage: $27.45
- Total employment: 100 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nordroden // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Metal-refining furnace operators and tenders
- Median annual wage: $57,360
- Median hourly wage: $27.58
- Total employment: 120 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $58,330
- Median hourly wage: $28.04
- Total employment: 410 people (1.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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SatawatK // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Median annual wage: $58,700
- Median hourly wage: $28.22
- Total employment: 290 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Akimov Igor // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Rolling machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $58,750
- Median hourly wage: $28.25
- Total employment: 90 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $59,360
- Median hourly wage: $28.54
- Total employment: 440 people (1.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $60,100
- Median hourly wage: $28.90
- Total employment: 1,110 people (4.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Avatar_023 // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Median annual wage: $60,220
- Median hourly wage: $28.95
- Total employment: 240 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $60,930
- Median hourly wage: $29.29
- Total employment: 580 people (2.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Machinists
- Median annual wage: $60,940
- Median hourly wage: $29.30
- Total employment: 840 people (3.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rlat // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $61,630
- Median hourly wage: $29.63
- Total employment: 100 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $61,660
- Median hourly wage: $29.64
- Total employment: 1,720 people (6.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $61,710
- Median hourly wage: $29.67
- Total employment: 2,210 people (8.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Carolina K. Smith MD // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Transportation security screeners
- Median annual wage: $62,340
- Median hourly wage: $29.97
- Total employment: 60 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $62,540
- Median hourly wage: $30.07
- Total employment: 160 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $62,660
- Median hourly wage: $30.13
- Total employment: 620 people (2.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Procurement clerks
- Median annual wage: $62,840
- Median hourly wage: $30.21
- Total employment: 40 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $63,020
- Median hourly wage: $30.30
- Total employment: 280 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $63,260
- Median hourly wage: $30.41
- Total employment: 160 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $63,400
- Median hourly wage: $30.48
- Total employment: 1,290 people (4.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
First Class Photography // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers
- Median annual wage: $63,790
- Median hourly wage: $30.67
- Total employment: 240 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $63,850
- Median hourly wage: $30.70
- Total employment: 1,000 people (3.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $65,960
- Median hourly wage: $31.71
- Total employment: 210 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Computer numerically controlled tool programmers
- Median annual wage: $66,050
- Median hourly wage: $31.76
- Total employment: Not available
Joey Chung // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $66,110
- Median hourly wage: $31.78
- Total employment: 1,750 people (6.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $66,740
- Median hourly wage: $32.09
- Total employment: 1,630 people (6.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $67,720
- Median hourly wage: $32.56
- Total employment: 2,570 people (9.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santi lumubol // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $67,760
- Median hourly wage: $32.58
- Total employment: 270 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Pixel B // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Tool and die makers
- Median annual wage: $69,010
- Median hourly wage: $33.18
- Total employment: 110 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrei Agape // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Avionics technicians
- Median annual wage: $69,110
- Median hourly wage: $33.23
- Total employment: 160 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jat306 // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Millwrights
- Median annual wage: $69,680
- Median hourly wage: $33.50
- Total employment: 120 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Chefs and head cooks
- Median annual wage: $70,960
- Median hourly wage: $34.11
- Total employment: 130 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $72,380
- Median hourly wage: $34.80
- Total employment: 430 people (1.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $73,720
- Median hourly wage: $35.44
- Total employment: 160 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $75,130
- Median hourly wage: $36.12
- Total employment: 1,100 people (4.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $77,960
- Median hourly wage: $37.48
- Total employment: 120 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $81,290
- Median hourly wage: $39.08
- Total employment: 40 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Median annual wage: $89,020
- Median hourly wage: $42.80
- Total employment: 40 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Prath // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $90,010
- Median hourly wage: $43.27
- Total employment: 200 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Skycolors // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $92,610
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 80 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $93,570
- Median hourly wage: $44.99
- Total employment: 220 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $104,280
- Median hourly wage: $50.14
- Total employment: 110 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $118,270
- Median hourly wage: $56.86
- Total employment: 220 people (0.84 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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