Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Payroll and timekeeping clerks
- Median annual wage: $56,430
- Median hourly wage: $27.13
- Total employment: 120 people (1.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Merced 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 Merced 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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Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $56,590
- Median hourly wage: $27.21
- Total employment: 170 people (2.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $56,870
- Median hourly wage: $27.34
- Total employment: 90 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Hunter Bliss Images // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Median annual wage: $56,910
- Median hourly wage: $27.36
- Total employment: 40 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Real estate sales agents
- Median annual wage: $57,460
- Median hourly wage: $27.63
- Total employment: 40 people (0.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $57,600
- Median hourly wage: $27.69
- Total employment: 200 people (2.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Peter Braakmann // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers
- Median annual wage: $58,070
- Median hourly wage: $27.92
- Total employment: 270 people (3.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
LightField Studios // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Bus drivers, school
- Median annual wage: $58,270
- Median hourly wage: $28.01
- Total employment: 260 people (3.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $58,580
- Median hourly wage: $28.16
- Total employment: 360 people (4.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
New Africa // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers
- Median annual wage: $58,830
- Median hourly wage: $28.28
- Total employment: 80 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
11 / 50#39. Postal service mail carriers (tie)
- Median annual wage: $59,160
- Median hourly wage: $28.44
- Total employment: 190 people (2.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Insurance sales agents (tie)
- Median annual wage: $59,160
- Median hourly wage: $28.44
- Total employment: 160 people (2.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chok Chokchai // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Separating, filtering, clarifying, precipitating, and still machine setters, operators, and tenders
- Median annual wage: $59,570
- Median hourly wage: $28.64
- Total employment: 240 people (3.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dagmara_K // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Drywall and ceiling tile installers
- Median annual wage: $60,130
- Median hourly wage: $28.91
- Total employment: 60 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
brizmaker // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Roofers
- Median annual wage: $60,320
- Median hourly wage: $29.00
- Total employment: 50 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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wavebreakmedia // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Production workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $60,550
- Median hourly wage: $29.11
- Total employment: 200 people (2.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $61,440
- Median hourly wage: $29.54
- Total employment: 190 people (2.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Chefs and head cooks
- Median annual wage: $61,470
- Median hourly wage: $29.55
- Total employment: 60 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kot500 // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Median annual wage: $61,770
- Median hourly wage: $29.70
- Total employment: 170 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $61,790
- Median hourly wage: $29.71
- Total employment: 110 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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4 PM production // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Automotive body and related repairers
- Median annual wage: $62,480
- Median hourly wage: $30.04
- Total employment: 50 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $63,660
- Median hourly wage: $30.61
- Total employment: 350 people (4.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
manine99 // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Maintenance workers, machinery
- Median annual wage: $63,730
- Median hourly wage: $30.64
- Total employment: 50 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $63,940
- Median hourly wage: $30.74
- Total employment: 620 people (7.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Carpenters
- Median annual wage: $64,140
- Median hourly wage: $30.84
- Total employment: 460 people (5.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $64,470
- Median hourly wage: $31.00
- Total employment: 150 people (1.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
David Spates // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers
- Median annual wage: $64,590
- Median hourly wage: $31.05
- Total employment: 190 people (2.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $65,200
- Median hourly wage: $31.35
- Total employment: 60 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Victor Moussa // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Firefighters
- Median annual wage: $65,340
- Median hourly wage: $31.41
- Total employment: 170 people (2.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Shift Drive // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Computer user support specialists
- Median annual wage: $65,440
- Median hourly wage: $31.46
- Total employment: 140 people (1.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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rlat // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $66,520
- Median hourly wage: $31.98
- Total employment: 50 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Refuse and recyclable material collectors
- Median annual wage: $66,690
- Median hourly wage: $32.06
- Total employment: Not available
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $67,890
- Median hourly wage: $32.64
- Total employment: 90 people (1.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Median annual wage: $71,430
- Median hourly wage: $34.34
- Total employment: 270 people (3.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Irene Miller // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $72,920
- Median hourly wage: $35.06
- Total employment: 140 people (1.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Skycolors // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $74,840
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 60 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $75,420
- Median hourly wage: $36.26
- Total employment: 290 people (3.73 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: $76,730
- Median hourly wage: $36.89
- Total employment: 430 people (5.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Avatar_023 // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Median annual wage: $78,320
- Median hourly wage: $37.66
- Total employment: 90 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $78,450
- Median hourly wage: $37.72
- Total employment: 30 people (0.42 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: $78,910
- Median hourly wage: $37.94
- Total employment: 160 people (2.01 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: $79,860
- Median hourly wage: $38.39
- Total employment: 260 people (3.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SatawatK // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Median annual wage: $80,510
- Median hourly wage: $38.71
- Total employment: 50 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $82,900
- Median hourly wage: $39.86
- Total employment: 440 people (5.57 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: $86,470
- Median hourly wage: $41.57
- Total employment: 260 people (3.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $95,840
- Median hourly wage: $46.08
- Total employment: 30 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bigflick // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Correctional officers and jailers
- Median annual wage: $98,550
- Median hourly wage: $47.38
- Total employment: 240 people (3.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $99,040
- Median hourly wage: $47.62
- Total employment: 80 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $105,350
- Median hourly wage: $50.65
- Total employment: 50 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $120,380
- Median hourly wage: $57.88
- Total employment: 100 people (1.25 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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