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1 / 50#50. Structural metal fabricators and fitters
- Median annual wage: $47,380
- Median hourly wage: $22.78
- Total employment: 120 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Montgomery for high school graduates
For decades, common wisdom held that earning a bachelor's degree would guarantee a high-paying career. Higher education does still seem to be an advantage: A college graduate's average annual salary of $60,000 in 2024 is roughly $20,000 more than that of a high school graduate, and those with bachelor's degrees can typically expect to earn between $630,000 and $900,000 more over the course of a lifetime. However, recent shifts in higher education and the job market have people wondering—with good reason—whether or not a bachelor's degree will really pay off.
According to a 2024 study from the Pew Research Center, 29% of Americans believe obtaining a college degree isn't worthwhile, a trend reflected in shrinking attendance at universities across the nation. Meanwhile, annual college costs have skyrocketed to an average of $38,270 per student in 2025, often necessitating student loans with steep interest rates.
With these factors in mind, it's natural for recent high school graduates to consider vocational opportunities outside of college. Those who do may be pleasantly surprised—many companies have stopped requiring bachelor's degrees for entry-, mid-, and even senior-level positions. And while college graduates' average earnings may be higher, a 2024 report from Launchpad Jobs found that around 1 in 5 nondegree holders out-earn the $70,000 median wages of someone with a bachelor's degree.
Of course, salaries for high school grads vary widely based on job, industry, and location. Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the highest-paying jobs in Montgomery for high school graduates. The analysis included jobs that listed a high school diploma or had no formal education requirement. 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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Vladeep // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Crane and tower operators
- Median annual wage: $47,400
- Median hourly wage: $22.79
- Total employment: 80 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Legal secretaries and administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $47,770
- Median hourly wage: $22.97
- Total employment: 230 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Surveying and mapping technicians
- Median annual wage: $48,150
- Median hourly wage: $23.15
- Total employment: 70 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $48,980
- Median hourly wage: $23.55
- Total employment: 1,000 people (6.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $49,750
- Median hourly wage: $23.92
- Total employment: 690 people (4.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $49,990
- Median hourly wage: $24.04
- Total employment: 440 people (2.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $50,020
- Median hourly wage: $24.05
- Total employment: 130 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Private detectives and investigators
- Median annual wage: $50,240
- Median hourly wage: $24.15
- Total employment: 60 people (0.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DGLimages // Shutterstock
10 / 50#40. Healthcare support workers, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: $50,650
- Median hourly wage: $24.35
- Total employment: 60 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Stokkete // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Information and record clerks, all other (tie)
- Median annual wage: $50,650
- Median hourly wage: $24.35
- Total employment: 110 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
alexdov // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Sawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, wood
- Median annual wage: $50,690
- Median hourly wage: $24.37
- Total employment: 70 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
manine99 // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Maintenance workers, machinery
- Median annual wage: $51,000
- Median hourly wage: $24.52
- Total employment: 120 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Avatar_023 // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Median annual wage: $51,620
- Median hourly wage: $24.82
- Total employment: 190 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Machinists
- Median annual wage: $51,820
- Median hourly wage: $24.91
- Total employment: 370 people (2.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $52,150
- Median hourly wage: $25.07
- Total employment: 60 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kot500 // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Median annual wage: $52,160
- Median hourly wage: $25.08
- Total employment: 400 people (2.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Postal service mail carriers
- Median annual wage: $52,210
- Median hourly wage: $25.10
- Total employment: 500 people (3.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
RossHelen // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Median annual wage: $52,660
- Median hourly wage: $25.32
- Total employment: 200 people (1.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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20 / 50#31. Photographers
- Median annual wage: $53,640
- Median hourly wage: $25.79
- Total employment: 30 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Correctional officers and jailers
- Median annual wage: $54,280
- Median hourly wage: $26.10
- Total employment: 890 people (5.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Joey Chung // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $54,460
- Median hourly wage: $26.18
- Total employment: 740 people (4.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zhanna Kavaliova // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Logging equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $56,060
- Median hourly wage: $26.95
- Total employment: 50 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Indypendenz // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Postal service mail sorters, processors, and processing machine operators
- Median annual wage: $56,450
- Median hourly wage: $27.14
- Total employment: 260 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $57,540
- Median hourly wage: $27.66
- Total employment: 430 people (2.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $58,180
- Median hourly wage: $27.97
- Total employment: 270 people (1.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $58,290
- Median hourly wage: $28.03
- Total employment: 1,690 people (10.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $58,650
- Median hourly wage: $28.20
- Total employment: 170 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $58,880
- Median hourly wage: $28.31
- Total employment: 60 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GolF2532 // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Security and fire alarm systems installers
- Median annual wage: $59,580
- Median hourly wage: $28.64
- Total employment: 120 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $60,110
- Median hourly wage: $28.90
- Total employment: 900 people (5.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Chefs and head cooks
- Median annual wage: $60,140
- Median hourly wage: $28.92
- Total employment: 120 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $60,730
- Median hourly wage: $29.20
- Total employment: 1,140 people (6.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $60,780
- Median hourly wage: $29.22
- Total employment: 360 people (2.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $60,840
- Median hourly wage: $29.25
- Total employment: 110 people (0.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $60,900
- Median hourly wage: $29.28
- Total employment: 1,190 people (7.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rlat // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $61,110
- Median hourly wage: $29.38
- Total employment: 100 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $62,220
- Median hourly wage: $29.91
- Total employment: 830 people (5.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $62,500
- Median hourly wage: $30.05
- Total employment: 200 people (1.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $62,520
- Median hourly wage: $30.06
- Total employment: 240 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Syda Productions // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $64,120
- Median hourly wage: $30.83
- Total employment: 340 people (2.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $66,020
- Median hourly wage: $31.74
- Total employment: 570 people (3.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $67,690
- Median hourly wage: $32.54
- Total employment: 130 people (0.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prath // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $69,320
- Median hourly wage: $33.33
- Total employment: 220 people (1.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $69,950
- Median hourly wage: $33.63
- Total employment: 990 people (6.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $71,090
- Median hourly wage: $34.18
- Total employment: 1,480 people (9.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $80,120
- Median hourly wage: $38.52
- Total employment: 60 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Median annual wage: $82,620
- Median hourly wage: $39.72
- Total employment: 110 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $94,630
- Median hourly wage: $45.50
- Total employment: 150 people (0.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $101,670
- Median hourly wage: $48.88
- Total employment: 80 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Cu Fleshman, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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