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1 / 50#50. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $45,270
- Median hourly wage: $21.76
- Total employment: 340 people (3.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Fort Smith 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 Fort Smith 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.
Zahovaev K // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Median annual wage: $45,450
- Median hourly wage: $21.85
- Total employment: 470 people (4.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DC Studio // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance
- Median annual wage: $46,430
- Median hourly wage: $22.32
- Total employment: 170 people (1.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Median annual wage: $46,520
- Median hourly wage: $22.36
- Total employment: 140 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $46,610
- Median hourly wage: $22.41
- Total employment: 50 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitreel // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Food batchmakers
- Median annual wage: $47,000
- Median hourly wage: $22.60
- Total employment: 350 people (3.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Cargo and freight agents
- Median annual wage: $47,400
- Median hourly wage: $22.79
- Total employment: 160 people (1.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $47,540
- Median hourly wage: $22.86
- Total employment: 210 people (2.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Joey Chung // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $47,550
- Median hourly wage: $22.86
- Total employment: 410 people (4.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters
- Median annual wage: $47,990
- Median hourly wage: $23.07
- Total employment: 120 people (1.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Machinists
- Median annual wage: $48,340
- Median hourly wage: $23.24
- Total employment: 220 people (2.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $48,530
- Median hourly wage: $23.33
- Total employment: 30 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $49,390
- Median hourly wage: $23.74
- Total employment: 170 people (1.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $49,440
- Median hourly wage: $23.77
- Total employment: 230 people (2.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
flywish // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Structural metal fabricators and fitters
- Median annual wage: $49,450
- Median hourly wage: $23.78
- Total employment: 110 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $49,510
- Median hourly wage: $23.80
- Total employment: 380 people (3.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
evgenii mitroshin // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Electrical, electronic, and electromechanical assemblers, except coil winders, tapers, and finishers
- Median annual wage: $49,570
- Median hourly wage: $23.83
- Total employment: 400 people (4.14 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: $49,740
- Median hourly wage: $23.91
- Total employment: 970 people (10.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $50,270
- Median hourly wage: $24.17
- Total employment: 90 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
chalermphon_tiam // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Electric motor, power tool, and related repairers
- Median annual wage: $50,320
- Median hourly wage: $24.19
- Total employment: 50 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
giocalde // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Printing press operators
- Median annual wage: $50,760
- Median hourly wage: $24.41
- Total employment: 160 people (1.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $51,350
- Median hourly wage: $24.69
- Total employment: 30 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Surveying and mapping technicians
- Median annual wage: $51,540
- Median hourly wage: $24.78
- Total employment: 30 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kot500 // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Median annual wage: $51,910
- Median hourly wage: $24.96
- Total employment: 460 people (4.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $52,120
- Median hourly wage: $25.06
- Total employment: 170 people (1.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $53,120
- Median hourly wage: $25.54
- Total employment: 150 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vladeep // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Crane and tower operators
- Median annual wage: $53,340
- Median hourly wage: $25.64
- Total employment: 50 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $54,650
- Median hourly wage: $26.28
- Total employment: 90 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Computer numerically controlled tool operators
- Median annual wage: $54,790
- Median hourly wage: $26.34
- Total employment: 390 people (4.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Extruding and drawing machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $55,270
- Median hourly wage: $26.57
- Total employment: 70 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksandr Rybalko // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Grinding, lapping, polishing, and buffing machine tool setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic
- Median annual wage: $55,410
- Median hourly wage: $26.64
- Total employment: 110 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $56,160
- Median hourly wage: $27.00
- Total employment: 110 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorgev // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. First-line supervisors of security workers
- Median annual wage: $56,430
- Median hourly wage: $27.13
- Total employment: 60 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
manine99 // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Maintenance workers, machinery
- Median annual wage: $56,500
- Median hourly wage: $27.16
- Total employment: 40 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $56,850
- Median hourly wage: $27.33
- Total employment: 1,030 people (10.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $56,880
- Median hourly wage: $27.34
- Total employment: 780 people (8.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $57,470
- Median hourly wage: $27.63
- Total employment: 410 people (4.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $57,840
- Median hourly wage: $27.81
- Total employment: 1,130 people (11.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $58,070
- Median hourly wage: $27.92
- Total employment: 460 people (4.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rlat // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $59,250
- Median hourly wage: $28.49
- Total employment: 70 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Postal service mail carriers
- Median annual wage: $60,440
- Median hourly wage: $29.06
- Total employment: 210 people (2.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Said M // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Service unit operators, oil and gas
- Median annual wage: $62,340
- Median hourly wage: $29.97
- Total employment: 30 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $64,520
- Median hourly wage: $31.02
- Total employment: 510 people (5.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $65,390
- Median hourly wage: $31.44
- Total employment: 120 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $69,980
- Median hourly wage: $33.65
- Total employment: 150 people (1.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $72,580
- Median hourly wage: $34.90
- Total employment: 130 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Median annual wage: $77,090
- Median hourly wage: $37.06
- Total employment: 40 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Christian Lagerek // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Gas plant operators
- Median annual wage: $78,320
- Median hourly wage: $37.66
- Total employment: 80 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $81,460
- Median hourly wage: $39.16
- Total employment: 70 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $95,920
- Median hourly wage: $46.12
- Total employment: 110 people (1.13 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.
