Pakorn Khantiyaporn // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Logisticians
- Median annual wage: $73,800
- Median hourly wage: $35.48
- Total employment: 280 people (1.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Mobile that require a bachelor's degree
Between rising tuition and a tight job market, getting a bachelor's degree is an increasingly daunting prospect these days. Per a May 2024 Pew Research Center survey, just 1 in 4 adults believe a college degree is necessary to secure a high-paying job.
Many second-guess the value of college because of the cost. For the 2024-2025 school year, annual tuition and fees averaged more than $11,600 at in-state public universities, a nearly 3% increase from the previous year. Tuition at private schools increased by roughly 4% in the same time period.
Besides financial concerns, there are career opportunities to consider. Though the job market in the United States shifts from month to month, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates aged 22 to 27 reached 5.8% in March 2025, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. For context, that's more than double the unemployment rate of all college graduates.
These factors all contribute to the belief that college may not be the answer for everyone. However, research shows that a bachelor's degree still pays off in the long run. As of 2024, the most recent year with available data, the $60,000 median salary for a recent college graduate is $20,000 more than the median earnings for someone with only a high school diploma.
Although high school grads can make a decent salary without taking on student loan debt, lifetime earnings range between $630,000 and $900,000 more for those with a bachelor's degree. Graduate degree holders, meanwhile, may earn $1.1 million to $1.5 million more than high school graduates.
With this in mind, many different jobs make a degree worth the cost of tuition. Stacker ranked the highest-paying jobs that require a bachelor's degree in Mobile, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 50#49. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $73,860
- Median hourly wage: $35.51
- Total employment: 220 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Insurance underwriters
- Median annual wage: $74,590
- Median hourly wage: $35.86
- Total employment: 40 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
TaLaNoVa // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Sales engineers
- Median annual wage: $75,900
- Median hourly wage: $36.49
- Total employment: Not available
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $76,560
- Median hourly wage: $36.81
- Total employment: 360 people (2.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health
- Median annual wage: $76,580
- Median hourly wage: $36.82
- Total employment: 60 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Education administrators, all other
- Median annual wage: $76,740
- Median hourly wage: $36.89
- Total employment: 230 people (1.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Compliance officers
- Median annual wage: $77,940
- Median hourly wage: $37.47
- Total employment: 280 people (1.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Undrey // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $78,800
- Median hourly wage: $37.89
- Total employment: 140 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $79,180
- Median hourly wage: $38.07
- Total employment: 90 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $79,500
- Median hourly wage: $38.22
- Total employment: 230 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sabthai // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Budget analysts
- Median annual wage: $79,930
- Median hourly wage: $38.43
- Total employment: 50 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Technical writers
- Median annual wage: $83,030
- Median hourly wage: $39.92
- Total employment: 50 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $84,650
- Median hourly wage: $40.70
- Total employment: 100 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
boonchoke // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Business operations specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $84,930
- Median hourly wage: $40.83
- Total employment: 310 people (1.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
- Median annual wage: $89,180
- Median hourly wage: $42.88
- Total employment: 130 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
luchschenF // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Chemists
- Median annual wage: $90,280
- Median hourly wage: $43.40
- Total employment: 100 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $92,560
- Median hourly wage: $44.50
- Total employment: 220 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Biological scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $92,750
- Median hourly wage: $44.59
- Total employment: 50 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
aappp // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Aerospace engineers
- Median annual wage: $93,210
- Median hourly wage: $44.81
- Total employment: 230 people (1.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $93,380
- Median hourly wage: $44.89
- Total employment: 120 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $94,830
- Median hourly wage: $45.59
- Total employment: 730 people (4.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $95,010
- Median hourly wage: $45.68
- Total employment: 310 people (1.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Architects, except landscape and naval
- Median annual wage: $95,640
- Median hourly wage: $45.98
- Total employment: 90 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $95,680
- Median hourly wage: $46.00
- Total employment: 760 people (4.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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fizkes // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $96,420
- Median hourly wage: $46.35
- Total employment: 220 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $98,620
- Median hourly wage: $47.41
- Total employment: 950 people (5.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Halfpoint // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Materials engineers
- Median annual wage: $98,840
- Median hourly wage: $47.52
- Total employment: 70 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $98,910
- Median hourly wage: $47.55
- Total employment: 360 people (2.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $100,600
- Median hourly wage: $48.37
- Total employment: 70 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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fizkes // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $100,880
- Median hourly wage: $48.50
- Total employment: 2,970 people (17.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $100,970
- Median hourly wage: $48.55
- Total employment: 550 people (3.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $103,120
- Median hourly wage: $49.58
- Total employment: 770 people (4.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $103,670
- Median hourly wage: $49.84
- Total employment: 50 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Environmental engineers
- Median annual wage: $103,990
- Median hourly wage: $50.00
- Total employment: 70 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $104,220
- Median hourly wage: $50.11
- Total employment: 470 people (2.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $104,530
- Median hourly wage: $50.26
- Total employment: 120 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
eldar nurkovic // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Chemical engineers
- Median annual wage: $107,050
- Median hourly wage: $51.47
- Total employment: 110 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $107,360
- Median hourly wage: $51.61
- Total employment: 160 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $109,270
- Median hourly wage: $52.53
- Total employment: 160 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $117,190
- Median hourly wage: $56.34
- Total employment: 120 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors
- Median annual wage: $118,400
- Median hourly wage: $56.93
- Total employment: 30 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $118,690
- Median hourly wage: $57.06
- Total employment: 340 people (2.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $122,500
- Median hourly wage: $58.89
- Total employment: 80 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Purchasing managers
- Median annual wage: $124,210
- Median hourly wage: $59.72
- Total employment: 110 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $126,500
- Median hourly wage: $60.82
- Total employment: 540 people (3.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $129,900
- Median hourly wage: $62.45
- Total employment: 280 people (1.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $132,530
- Median hourly wage: $63.71
- Total employment: 470 people (2.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $158,890
- Median hourly wage: $76.39
- Total employment: 340 people (1.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $164,630
- Median hourly wage: $79.15
- Total employment: 70 people (0.42 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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