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1 / 50#50. Business operations specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $75,460
- Median hourly wage: $36.28
- Total employment: 490 people (6.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Chico 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 Chico, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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fizkes // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists
- Median annual wage: $75,980
- Median hourly wage: $36.53
- Total employment: 40 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $76,360
- Median hourly wage: $36.71
- Total employment: 340 people (4.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $76,700
- Median hourly wage: $36.87
- Total employment: 200 people (2.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lopolo // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Middle school teachers, except special and career/technical education
- Median annual wage: $77,000
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 330 people (4.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Teachers and instructors, all other
- Median annual wage: $77,870
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 110 people (1.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ImageFlow // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Accountants and auditors
- Median annual wage: $78,000
- Median hourly wage: $37.50
- Total employment: 490 people (6.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Drazen Zigic // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Special education teachers, middle school
- Median annual wage: $78,420
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 40 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com //Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Web and digital interface designers
- Median annual wage: $79,200
- Median hourly wage: $38.08
- Total employment: 50 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Undrey // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $79,770
- Median hourly wage: $38.35
- Total employment: 90 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $80,180
- Median hourly wage: $38.55
- Total employment: 40 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
B Brown // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education
- Median annual wage: $82,890
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 420 people (5.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Compliance officers
- Median annual wage: $83,550
- Median hourly wage: $40.17
- Total employment: 180 people (2.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Photographee.eu // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Special education teachers, secondary school
- Median annual wage: $83,700
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 40 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Patrizio Martorana // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health
- Median annual wage: $84,340
- Median hourly wage: $40.55
- Total employment: 60 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Fundraisers
- Median annual wage: $84,430
- Median hourly wage: $40.59
- Total employment: 40 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $86,580
- Median hourly wage: $41.63
- Total employment: 100 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $88,240
- Median hourly wage: $42.42
- Total employment: 190 people (2.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksandar Karanov // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $88,640
- Median hourly wage: $42.62
- Total employment: 60 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
dokurose // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $88,900
- Median hourly wage: $42.74
- Total employment: 330 people (4.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $88,980
- Median hourly wage: $42.78
- Total employment: 60 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Dietitians and nutritionists
- Median annual wage: $90,320
- Median hourly wage: $43.43
- Total employment: 50 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
PIYAWAT WONGOPASS // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $90,850
- Median hourly wage: $43.68
- Total employment: 40 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Education administrators, all other
- Median annual wage: $91,410
- Median hourly wage: $43.95
- Total employment: 40 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $92,400
- Median hourly wage: $44.42
- Total employment: 140 people (1.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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GaudiLab // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $93,450
- Median hourly wage: $44.93
- Total employment: 60 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Elementary school teachers, except special education
- Median annual wage: $93,670
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 860 people (11.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Mongta Studio // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Cost estimators
- Median annual wage: $94,200
- Median hourly wage: $45.29
- Total employment: 140 people (1.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $94,580
- Median hourly wage: $45.47
- Total employment: 170 people (2.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
- Median annual wage: $98,470
- Median hourly wage: $47.34
- Total employment: 30 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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fizkes // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $99,120
- Median hourly wage: $47.66
- Total employment: 1,200 people (15.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $100,720
- Median hourly wage: $48.42
- Total employment: 310 people (3.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $100,820
- Median hourly wage: $48.47
- Total employment: 70 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $113,550
- Median hourly wage: $54.59
- Total employment: 60 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $117,250
- Median hourly wage: $56.37
- Total employment: 110 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $117,890
- Median hourly wage: $56.68
- Total employment: 210 people (2.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rido // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Social workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $120,100
- Median hourly wage: $57.74
- Total employment: 30 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $122,020
- Median hourly wage: $58.66
- Total employment: 100 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $122,370
- Median hourly wage: $58.83
- Total employment: 50 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $124,430
- Median hourly wage: $59.82
- Total employment: 250 people (3.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $126,490
- Median hourly wage: $60.81
- Total employment: 150 people (1.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
industryviews // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Career/technical education teachers, postsecondary
- Median annual wage: $132,530
- Median hourly wage: $63.72
- Total employment: 60 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $134,950
- Median hourly wage: $64.88
- Total employment: 60 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $135,610
- Median hourly wage: $65.20
- Total employment: 130 people (1.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $135,630
- Median hourly wage: $65.21
- Total employment: 80 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $136,870
- Median hourly wage: $65.80
- Total employment: 50 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $139,450
- Median hourly wage: $67.04
- Total employment: 350 people (4.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $141,720
- Median hourly wage: $68.14
- Total employment: 2,490 people (31.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $166,930
- Median hourly wage: $80.26
- Total employment: 120 people (1.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $175,290
- Median hourly wage: $84.28
- Total employment: 40 people (0.45 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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