prochasson frederic // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Boilermakers
- Median annual wage: $56,630
- Median hourly wage: $27.23
- Total employment: 30 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Mobile 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 Mobile 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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rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Real estate brokers
- Median annual wage: $56,670
- Median hourly wage: $27.25
- Total employment: Not available
Gorgev // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. First-line supervisors of security workers
- Median annual wage: $57,010
- Median hourly wage: $27.41
- Total employment: 70 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Joey Chung // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $57,080
- Median hourly wage: $27.44
- Total employment: 1,000 people (5.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $57,100
- Median hourly wage: $27.45
- Total employment: 580 people (3.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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GaudiLab // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $57,650
- Median hourly wage: $27.72
- Total employment: 1,580 people (9.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SatawatK // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Median annual wage: $57,870
- Median hourly wage: $27.82
- Total employment: 290 people (1.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N_Sakarin // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Structural iron and steel workers
- Median annual wage: $58,770
- Median hourly wage: $28.26
- Total employment: 230 people (1.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Computer numerically controlled tool operators
- Median annual wage: $58,790
- Median hourly wage: $28.26
- Total employment: 180 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santi lumubol // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $59,060
- Median hourly wage: $28.40
- Total employment: 630 people (3.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Office and administrative support workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $59,200
- Median hourly wage: $28.46
- Total employment: 30 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $59,210
- Median hourly wage: $28.47
- Total employment: 380 people (2.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Median annual wage: $59,900
- Median hourly wage: $28.80
- Total employment: 140 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Carolina K. Smith MD // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Transportation security screeners
- Median annual wage: $59,950
- Median hourly wage: $28.82
- Total employment: 40 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $59,960
- Median hourly wage: $28.83
- Total employment: 1,090 people (6.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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First Class Photography // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers
- Median annual wage: $59,990
- Median hourly wage: $28.84
- Total employment: 150 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Machinists
- Median annual wage: $60,120
- Median hourly wage: $28.90
- Total employment: 440 people (2.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $60,260
- Median hourly wage: $28.97
- Total employment: 1,790 people (10.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rlat // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $60,590
- Median hourly wage: $29.13
- Total employment: 80 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $61,060
- Median hourly wage: $29.36
- Total employment: 230 people (1.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $61,120
- Median hourly wage: $29.39
- Total employment: 1,250 people (7.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zahovaev K // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Median annual wage: $61,150
- Median hourly wage: $29.40
- Total employment: 1,570 people (9.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $61,180
- Median hourly wage: $29.41
- Total employment: 1,160 people (6.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $61,420
- Median hourly wage: $29.53
- Total employment: 1,150 people (6.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $61,500
- Median hourly wage: $29.57
- Total employment: 120 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Millwrights
- Median annual wage: $62,400
- Median hourly wage: $30.00
- Total employment: 180 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $63,380
- Median hourly wage: $30.47
- Total employment: 100 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $64,100
- Median hourly wage: $30.82
- Total employment: 210 people (1.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
flywish // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Structural metal fabricators and fitters
- Median annual wage: $64,660
- Median hourly wage: $31.09
- Total employment: 750 people (4.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $64,980
- Median hourly wage: $31.24
- Total employment: 250 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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welcomia // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $65,510
- Median hourly wage: $31.50
- Total employment: 610 people (3.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Chefs and head cooks
- Median annual wage: $66,440
- Median hourly wage: $31.94
- Total employment: 130 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Igor Kardasov // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels
- Median annual wage: $67,240
- Median hourly wage: $32.33
- Total employment: 150 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $68,910
- Median hourly wage: $33.13
- Total employment: 1,500 people (8.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
curraheeshutter // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Ship engineers
- Median annual wage: $71,520
- Median hourly wage: $34.39
- Total employment: Not available
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Andrei Agape // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Avionics technicians
- Median annual wage: $73,780
- Median hourly wage: $35.47
- Total employment: 80 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $74,230
- Median hourly wage: $35.69
- Total employment: 1,280 people (7.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $75,140
- Median hourly wage: $36.12
- Total employment: 280 people (1.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $75,230
- Median hourly wage: $36.17
- Total employment: 70 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $76,210
- Median hourly wage: $36.64
- Total employment: 1,340 people (7.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment
- Median annual wage: $76,400
- Median hourly wage: $36.73
- Total employment: 70 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $79,520
- Median hourly wage: $38.23
- Total employment: 60 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Chemical equipment operators and tenders
- Median annual wage: $82,090
- Median hourly wage: $39.46
- Total employment: 710 people (4.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $84,780
- Median hourly wage: $40.76
- Total employment: Not available
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Chemical plant and system operators
- Median annual wage: $88,730
- Median hourly wage: $42.66
- Total employment: 100 people (0.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $98,860
- Median hourly wage: $47.53
- Total employment: 190 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $101,840
- Median hourly wage: $48.96
- Total employment: 140 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
michaeljung // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Power plant operators
- Median annual wage: $103,600
- Median hourly wage: $49.81
- Total employment: 130 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prath // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $107,240
- Median hourly wage: $51.56
- Total employment: 100 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Skycolors // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $116,190
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 40 people (0.24 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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