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1 / 50#50. First-line supervisors of retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $47,150
- Median hourly wage: $22.67
- Total employment: 330 people (7.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Hanford 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 Hanford 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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2 / 50#48. Cooks, institution and cafeteria (tie)
- Median annual wage: $47,920
- Median hourly wage: $23.04
- Total employment: 60 people (1.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Billing and posting clerks (tie)
- Median annual wage: $47,920
- Median hourly wage: $23.04
- Total employment: 150 people (3.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragana Gordic // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Pharmacy technicians
- Median annual wage: $48,260
- Median hourly wage: $23.20
- Total employment: 190 people (4.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DC Studio // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance
- Median annual wage: $48,320
- Median hourly wage: $23.23
- Total employment: 70 people (1.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Packaging and filling machine operators and tenders
- Median annual wage: $48,360
- Median hourly wage: $23.25
- Total employment: 410 people (8.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Bus drivers, school
- Median annual wage: $49,670
- Median hourly wage: $23.88
- Total employment: 40 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lee Charlie // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Court, municipal, and license clerks
- Median annual wage: $49,770
- Median hourly wage: $23.93
- Total employment: 70 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Daniel M Ernst // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Eligibility interviewers, government programs
- Median annual wage: $50,160
- Median hourly wage: $24.12
- Total employment: 130 people (2.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Refuse and recyclable material collectors
- Median annual wage: $50,200
- Median hourly wage: $24.14
- Total employment: 40 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive
- Median annual wage: $50,840
- Median hourly wage: $24.44
- Total employment: 300 people (6.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
New Africa // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers
- Median annual wage: $51,890
- Median hourly wage: $24.95
- Total employment: 60 people (1.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Food processing workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $51,910
- Median hourly wage: $24.96
- Total employment: 290 people (6.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stokkete // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Information and record clerks, all other
- Median annual wage: $52,380
- Median hourly wage: $25.18
- Total employment: 130 people (2.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dragon Images // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Procurement clerks
- Median annual wage: $52,440
- Median hourly wage: $25.21
- Total employment: 60 people (1.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers
- Median annual wage: $52,620
- Median hourly wage: $25.30
- Total employment: 230 people (4.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Office and administrative support workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $54,080
- Median hourly wage: $26.00
- Total employment: 50 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Postal service mail carriers
- Median annual wage: $54,350
- Median hourly wage: $26.13
- Total employment: 90 people (1.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Evgeny Atamanenko // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Maintenance and repair workers, general
- Median annual wage: $54,440
- Median hourly wage: $26.17
- Total employment: 480 people (10.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Joey Chung // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $56,730
- Median hourly wage: $27.28
- Total employment: 130 people (2.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Oleksandr Berezko // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Painters, construction and maintenance
- Median annual wage: $56,830
- Median hourly wage: $27.32
- Total employment: 30 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $57,080
- Median hourly wage: $27.44
- Total employment: 80 people (1.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Randy Hergenrether // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Construction laborers
- Median annual wage: $58,810
- Median hourly wage: $28.27
- Total employment: 110 people (2.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Payroll and timekeeping clerks
- Median annual wage: $59,300
- Median hourly wage: $28.51
- Total employment: 100 people (2.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $60,360
- Median hourly wage: $29.02
- Total employment: 80 people (1.66 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: $60,420
- Median hourly wage: $29.05
- Total employment: 50 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Avatar_023 // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Median annual wage: $61,360
- Median hourly wage: $29.50
- Total employment: 70 people (1.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $62,090
- Median hourly wage: $29.85
- Total employment: 80 people (1.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Public safety telecommunicators
- Median annual wage: $62,680
- Median hourly wage: $30.13
- Total employment: 40 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kot500 // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Median annual wage: $62,710
- Median hourly wage: $30.15
- Total employment: 80 people (1.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $63,240
- Median hourly wage: $30.41
- Total employment: 370 people (7.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $64,810
- Median hourly wage: $31.16
- Total employment: 80 people (1.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers
- Median annual wage: $64,900
- Median hourly wage: $31.20
- Total employment: 150 people (3.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
34 / 50#16. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors (tie)
- Median annual wage: $68,370
- Median hourly wage: $32.87
- Total employment: 150 people (3.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Electricians (tie)
- Median annual wage: $68,370
- Median hourly wage: $32.87
- Total employment: 160 people (3.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Production workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $68,640
- Median hourly wage: $33.00
- Total employment: 120 people (2.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $71,650
- Median hourly wage: $34.45
- Total employment: 140 people (2.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $71,720
- Median hourly wage: $34.48
- Total employment: 40 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Carpenters
- Median annual wage: $72,520
- Median hourly wage: $34.87
- Total employment: 110 people (2.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $75,520
- Median hourly wage: $36.31
- Total employment: 150 people (3.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50#10. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $75,700
- Median hourly wage: $36.39
- Total employment: 110 people (2.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $78,010
- Median hourly wage: $37.50
- Total employment: 100 people (2.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vera Larina // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Sheet metal workers
- Median annual wage: $79,890
- Median hourly wage: $38.41
- Total employment: 40 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Stationary engineers and boiler operators
- Median annual wage: $81,900
- Median hourly wage: $39.38
- Total employment: Not available
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $82,190
- Median hourly wage: $39.52
- Total employment: 260 people (5.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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46 / 50#5. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $83,600
- Median hourly wage: $40.19
- Total employment: 200 people (4.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $86,380
- Median hourly wage: $41.53
- Total employment: 160 people (3.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $90,700
- Median hourly wage: $43.61
- Total employment: 110 people (2.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $101,760
- Median hourly wage: $48.92
- Total employment: 50 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $126,190
- Median hourly wage: $60.67
- Total employment: 60 people (1.2 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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