Irene Miller // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $38,420
- Median hourly wage: $18.47
- Total employment: 160 people (4.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Hot Springs 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 Hot Springs 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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fizkes // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Public safety telecommunicators
- Median annual wage: $38,890
- Median hourly wage: $18.70
- Total employment: 40 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Glenn Highcove // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Industrial truck and tractor operators
- Median annual wage: $38,910
- Median hourly wage: $18.71
- Total employment: 60 people (1.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SeventyFour // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Cabinetmakers and bench carpenters
- Median annual wage: $39,430
- Median hourly wage: $18.96
- Total employment: 50 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Automotive service technicians and mechanics
- Median annual wage: $39,470
- Median hourly wage: $18.98
- Total employment: 220 people (5.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Vasin Lee // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Residential advisors
- Median annual wage: $40,600
- Median hourly wage: $19.52
- Total employment: 40 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Payroll and timekeeping clerks
- Median annual wage: $41,310
- Median hourly wage: $19.86
- Total employment: 30 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vera Larina // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Sheet metal workers
- Median annual wage: $41,320
- Median hourly wage: $19.86
- Total employment: 60 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Carpenters
- Median annual wage: $41,530
- Median hourly wage: $19.96
- Total employment: 100 people (2.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Africa Studio // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $41,600
- Median hourly wage: $20.00
- Total employment: 50 people (1.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Vitpho // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers
- Median annual wage: $41,620
- Median hourly wage: $20.01
- Total employment: 290 people (7.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Cement masons and concrete finishers
- Median annual wage: $43,280
- Median hourly wage: $20.81
- Total employment: 80 people (2.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Median annual wage: $43,890
- Median hourly wage: $21.10
- Total employment: 60 people (1.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zivica Kerkez // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Loan interviewers and clerks
- Median annual wage: $44,400
- Median hourly wage: $21.35
- Total employment: 60 people (1.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $44,430
- Median hourly wage: $21.36
- Total employment: 60 people (1.71 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: $44,570
- Median hourly wage: $21.43
- Total employment: 40 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Bus drivers, school
- Median annual wage: $44,810
- Median hourly wage: $21.54
- Total employment: 130 people (3.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Zahovaev K // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers
- Median annual wage: $45,030
- Median hourly wage: $21.65
- Total employment: 110 people (2.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
David Spates // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
- Median annual wage: $45,250
- Median hourly wage: $21.75
- Total employment: 120 people (3.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $45,410
- Median hourly wage: $21.83
- Total employment: 120 people (3.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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pio3 // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $45,600
- Median hourly wage: $21.92
- Total employment: 110 people (2.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $45,770
- Median hourly wage: $22.01
- Total employment: 260 people (6.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Joey Chung // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $45,800
- Median hourly wage: $22.02
- Total employment: 180 people (4.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $45,820
- Median hourly wage: $22.03
- Total employment: 120 people (3.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
- Median annual wage: $46,240
- Median hourly wage: $22.23
- Total employment: 110 people (2.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Shift Drive // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Computer user support specialists
- Median annual wage: $46,530
- Median hourly wage: $22.37
- Total employment: 90 people (2.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lucky Business // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors
- Median annual wage: $46,830
- Median hourly wage: $22.51
- Total employment: 90 people (2.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Chefs and head cooks
- Median annual wage: $47,110
- Median hourly wage: $22.65
- Total employment: 50 people (1.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $47,450
- Median hourly wage: $22.81
- Total employment: 160 people (4.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $47,930
- Median hourly wage: $23.04
- Total employment: 110 people (3.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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santi lumubol // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $48,470
- Median hourly wage: $23.30
- Total employment: 90 people (2.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $48,740
- Median hourly wage: $23.43
- Total employment: 100 people (2.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kot500 // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Median annual wage: $48,850
- Median hourly wage: $23.48
- Total employment: 40 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rido // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Opticians, dispensing
- Median annual wage: $48,870
- Median hourly wage: $23.49
- Total employment: 30 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Automotive body and related repairers
- Median annual wage: $49,090
- Median hourly wage: $23.60
- Total employment: 40 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Median annual wage: $49,210
- Median hourly wage: $23.66
- Total employment: 420 people (11.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers
- Median annual wage: $49,220
- Median hourly wage: $23.67
- Total employment: 50 people (1.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Machinists
- Median annual wage: $49,640
- Median hourly wage: $23.87
- Total employment: 40 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $51,410
- Median hourly wage: $24.72
- Total employment: 460 people (12.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $51,810
- Median hourly wage: $24.91
- Total employment: 40 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $52,020
- Median hourly wage: $25.01
- Total employment: 180 people (4.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $52,700
- Median hourly wage: $25.34
- Total employment: 140 people (3.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $56,920
- Median hourly wage: $27.37
- Total employment: 270 people (7.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Postal service mail carriers
- Median annual wage: $57,490
- Median hourly wage: $27.64
- Total employment: 100 people (2.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $58,180
- Median hourly wage: $27.97
- Total employment: 70 people (1.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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4 PM production // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $59,870
- Median hourly wage: $28.78
- Total employment: 180 people (4.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $60,710
- Median hourly wage: $29.19
- Total employment: 50 people (1.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Median annual wage: $64,600
- Median hourly wage: $31.06
- Total employment: 30 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $76,120
- Median hourly wage: $36.60
- Total employment: 50 people (1.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $76,240
- Median hourly wage: $36.66
- Total employment: 50 people (1.34 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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