Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Paramedics
- Median annual wage: $74,700
- Median hourly wage: $35.91
- Total employment: 130 people (0.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Vallejo 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 Vallejo 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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2 / 50#49. Highway maintenance workers
- Median annual wage: $74,970
- Median hourly wage: $36.04
- Total employment: 80 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $75,010
- Median hourly wage: $36.06
- Total employment: 1,200 people (8.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Milkovasa // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Medical assistants
- Median annual wage: $75,180
- Median hourly wage: $36.15
- Total employment: 1,260 people (8.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
XiXinXing // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Medical records specialists
- Median annual wage: $75,270
- Median hourly wage: $36.19
- Total employment: 190 people (1.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $76,020
- Median hourly wage: $36.55
- Total employment: 240 people (1.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Farm equipment mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $76,040
- Median hourly wage: $36.56
- Total employment: 40 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $76,900
- Median hourly wage: $36.97
- Total employment: 860 people (6.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Skycolors // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $77,040
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 30 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters
- Median annual wage: $77,310
- Median hourly wage: $37.17
- Total employment: 450 people (3.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Roman023_photography // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Riggers
- Median annual wage: $77,650
- Median hourly wage: $37.33
- Total employment: 40 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $78,420
- Median hourly wage: $37.70
- Total employment: 120 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
manine99 // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Maintenance workers, machinery
- Median annual wage: $78,780
- Median hourly wage: $37.88
- Total employment: 30 people (0.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $79,570
- Median hourly wage: $38.26
- Total employment: 560 people (3.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Shift Drive // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Computer user support specialists
- Median annual wage: $79,780
- Median hourly wage: $38.36
- Total employment: 360 people (2.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $79,970
- Median hourly wage: $38.45
- Total employment: 610 people (4.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $80,020
- Median hourly wage: $38.47
- Total employment: 330 people (2.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Median annual wage: $80,380
- Median hourly wage: $38.64
- Total employment: 800 people (5.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Carpenters
- Median annual wage: $80,560
- Median hourly wage: $38.73
- Total employment: 840 people (5.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Korotkov // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Crossing guards and flaggers
- Median annual wage: $80,720
- Median hourly wage: $38.81
- Total employment: 210 people (1.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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SatawatK // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Median annual wage: $80,790
- Median hourly wage: $38.84
- Total employment: 90 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Medical equipment preparers
- Median annual wage: $82,070
- Median hourly wage: $39.46
- Total employment: 190 people (1.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Goldsithney // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Psychiatric technicians
- Median annual wage: $82,170
- Median hourly wage: $39.50
- Total employment: 210 people (1.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $83,430
- Median hourly wage: $40.11
- Total employment: 310 people (2.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pressmaster // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers
- Median annual wage: $84,330
- Median hourly wage: $40.54
- Total employment: 40 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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SritanaN // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $85,640
- Median hourly wage: $41.17
- Total employment: 510 people (3.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Public safety telecommunicators
- Median annual wage: $87,220
- Median hourly wage: $41.93
- Total employment: 170 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door
- Median annual wage: $89,060
- Median hourly wage: $42.82
- Total employment: 90 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santi lumubol // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $89,650
- Median hourly wage: $43.10
- Total employment: 100 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $90,910
- Median hourly wage: $43.71
- Total employment: 690 people (4.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Irene Miller // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators
- Median annual wage: $91,590
- Median hourly wage: $44.03
- Total employment: 530 people (3.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment
- Median annual wage: $98,200
- Median hourly wage: $47.21
- Total employment: 50 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
socrates471 // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Media and communication equipment workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $98,540
- Median hourly wage: $47.38
- Total employment: Not available
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $98,590
- Median hourly wage: $47.40
- Total employment: 210 people (1.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $100,500
- Median hourly wage: $48.32
- Total employment: 650 people (4.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gerain0812 // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Surgical technologists
- Median annual wage: $101,470
- Median hourly wage: $48.79
- Total employment: 130 people (0.9 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $101,600
- Median hourly wage: $48.85
- Total employment: 980 people (6.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Avatar_023 // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Median annual wage: $101,670
- Median hourly wage: $48.88
- Total employment: 190 people (1.35 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $102,340
- Median hourly wage: $49.20
- Total employment: 120 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prath // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $104,220
- Median hourly wage: $50.11
- Total employment: 50 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Victor Moussa // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Firefighters
- Median annual wage: $104,460
- Median hourly wage: $50.22
- Total employment: 330 people (2.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $104,570
- Median hourly wage: $50.28
- Total employment: 220 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
N_Sakarin // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Structural iron and steel workers
- Median annual wage: $104,800
- Median hourly wage: $50.38
- Total employment: 140 people (1.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Real estate brokers
- Median annual wage: $106,680
- Median hourly wage: $51.29
- Total employment: 50 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Petroleum pump system operators, refinery operators, and gaugers
- Median annual wage: $107,570
- Median hourly wage: $51.72
- Total employment: 120 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $113,030
- Median hourly wage: $54.34
- Total employment: 270 people (1.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Stationary engineers and boiler operators
- Median annual wage: $119,310
- Median hourly wage: $57.36
- Total employment: 110 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $128,470
- Median hourly wage: $61.77
- Total employment: 660 people (4.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $139,120
- Median hourly wage: $66.88
- Total employment: 110 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $176,840
- Median hourly wage: $85.02
- Total employment: 130 people (0.91 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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