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1 / 50#50. Agricultural inspectors
- Median annual wage: $94,380
- Median hourly wage: $45.38
- Total employment: 30 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 50#49. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health
- Median annual wage: $95,100
- Median hourly wage: $45.72
- Total employment: 200 people (1.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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3 / 50#48. Writers and authors
- Median annual wage: $96,240
- Median hourly wage: $46.27
- Total employment: 40 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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4 / 50#47. Probation officers and correctional treatment specialists
- Median annual wage: $96,860
- Median hourly wage: $46.57
- Total employment: 140 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $97,530
- Median hourly wage: $46.89
- Total employment: 80 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Biological scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $97,780
- Median hourly wage: $47.01
- Total employment: 50 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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7 / 50#44. Architects, except landscape and naval
- Median annual wage: $97,860
- Median hourly wage: $47.05
- Total employment: 90 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $97,900
- Median hourly wage: $47.07
- Total employment: 120 people (1.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Krakenimages.com // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Education administrators, all other
- Median annual wage: $98,140
- Median hourly wage: $47.18
- Total employment: 70 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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10 / 50#41. Landscape architects
- Median annual wage: $98,530
- Median hourly wage: $47.37
- Total employment: 60 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $98,800
- Median hourly wage: $47.50
- Total employment: 600 people (4.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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12 / 50#39. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $99,750
- Median hourly wage: $47.96
- Total employment: 160 people (1.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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13 / 50#38. Property appraisers and assessors
- Median annual wage: $100,190
- Median hourly wage: $48.17
- Total employment: 70 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $101,230
- Median hourly wage: $48.67
- Total employment: 620 people (5.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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15 / 50#36. Social scientists and related workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $101,870
- Median hourly wage: $48.98
- Total employment: 30 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $101,920
- Median hourly wage: $49.00
- Total employment: 80 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $102,200
- Median hourly wage: $49.14
- Total employment: 130 people (1.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N.Z.Photography // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $103,230
- Median hourly wage: $49.63
- Total employment: 120 people (0.99 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $103,550
- Median hourly wage: $49.79
- Total employment: 2,130 people (17.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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20 / 50#31. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $103,830
- Median hourly wage: $49.92
- Total employment: 120 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Surveyors
- Median annual wage: $104,480
- Median hourly wage: $50.23
- Total employment: 50 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Software quality assurance analysts and testers
- Median annual wage: $105,620
- Median hourly wage: $50.78
- Total employment: 60 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $107,070
- Median hourly wage: $51.48
- Total employment: 180 people (1.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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24 / 50#27. Art directors
- Median annual wage: $108,150
- Median hourly wage: $52.00
- Total employment: 30 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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25 / 50#26. Computer programmers
- Median annual wage: $108,650
- Median hourly wage: $52.24
- Total employment: 50 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $110,920
- Median hourly wage: $53.33
- Total employment: 680 people (5.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $112,960
- Median hourly wage: $54.31
- Total employment: 430 people (3.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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28 / 50#23. Geoscientists, except hydrologists and geographers
- Median annual wage: $115,240
- Median hourly wage: $55.41
- Total employment: 50 people (0.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $119,810
- Median hourly wage: $57.60
- Total employment: 130 people (1.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $120,010
- Median hourly wage: $57.70
- Total employment: 240 people (2.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $124,460
- Median hourly wage: $59.84
- Total employment: 280 people (2.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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32 / 50#19. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $124,710
- Median hourly wage: $59.96
- Total employment: 390 people (3.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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33 / 50#18. Database administrators
- Median annual wage: $125,120
- Median hourly wage: $60.16
- Total employment: 60 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $125,250
- Median hourly wage: $60.22
- Total employment: 60 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $126,490
- Median hourly wage: $60.81
- Total employment: 100 people (0.85 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Fundraising managers
- Median annual wage: $126,830
- Median hourly wage: $60.98
- Total employment: 50 people (0.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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37 / 50#14. Environmental engineers
- Median annual wage: $126,850
- Median hourly wage: $60.99
- Total employment: 50 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $129,070
- Median hourly wage: $62.05
- Total employment: 110 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Electronics engineers, except computer
- Median annual wage: $131,550
- Median hourly wage: $63.24
- Total employment: 60 people (0.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $131,780
- Median hourly wage: $63.36
- Total employment: 130 people (1.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50#10. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $132,010
- Median hourly wage: $63.47
- Total employment: 480 people (3.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $133,470
- Median hourly wage: $64.17
- Total employment: 1,950 people (16.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $138,230
- Median hourly wage: $66.46
- Total employment: 390 people (3.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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44 / 50#7. Public relations managers
- Median annual wage: $139,010
- Median hourly wage: $66.83
- Total employment: 40 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $152,270
- Median hourly wage: $73.21
- Total employment: 250 people (2.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $162,290
- Median hourly wage: $78.03
- Total employment: 200 people (1.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $165,330
- Median hourly wage: $79.49
- Total employment: 230 people (1.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Technical writers
- Median annual wage: $182,450
- Median hourly wage: $87.72
- Total employment: 30 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Training and development managers
- Median annual wage: $188,850
- Median hourly wage: $90.79
- Total employment: 30 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $200,820
- Median hourly wage: $96.55
- Total employment: 200 people (1.63 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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