Highest-paying jobs in Bridgeport 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 Bridgeport 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.

Kot500 // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $73,000
- Median hourly wage: $35.09
- Total employment: 390 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Private detectives and investigators

- Median annual wage: $73,530
- Median hourly wage: $35.35
- Total employment: 70 people (0.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Legal secretaries and administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $73,740
- Median hourly wage: $35.45
- Total employment: Not available

Joey Chung // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel

- Median annual wage: $74,160
- Median hourly wage: $35.65
- Total employment: 3,270 people (8.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Shift Drive // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Computer user support specialists

- Median annual wage: $74,490
- Median hourly wage: $35.81
- Total employment: 2,390 people (5.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

LStockStudio // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Brokerage clerks

- Median annual wage: $74,730
- Median hourly wage: $35.93
- Total employment: 160 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

RossHelen // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Paper goods machine setters, operators, and tenders

- Median annual wage: $75,790
- Median hourly wage: $36.44
- Total employment: 160 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Pixel B // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Tool and die makers

- Median annual wage: $76,230
- Median hourly wage: $36.65
- Total employment: 160 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Lucky Business // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors

- Median annual wage: $76,390
- Median hourly wage: $36.73
- Total employment: 1,260 people (3.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Igor Kardasov // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels

- Median annual wage: $76,430
- Median hourly wage: $36.75
- Total employment: 70 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SatawatK // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers

- Median annual wage: $76,450
- Median hourly wage: $36.76
- Total employment: 220 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

David Spates // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers

- Median annual wage: $76,890
- Median hourly wage: $36.96
- Total employment: 1,250 people (3.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Lodging managers

- Median annual wage: $77,160
- Median hourly wage: $37.10
- Total employment: 40 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Avatar_023 // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators

- Median annual wage: $77,310
- Median hourly wage: $37.17
- Total employment: 120 people (0.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers

- Median annual wage: $78,120
- Median hourly wage: $37.56
- Total employment: 6,450 people (16.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $78,270
- Median hourly wage: $37.63
- Total employment: 1,690 people (4.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Irene Miller // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $78,920
- Median hourly wage: $37.94
- Total employment: 560 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Paramedics

- Median annual wage: $80,020
- Median hourly wage: $38.47
- Total employment: 130 people (0.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $80,570
- Median hourly wage: $38.74
- Total employment: 560 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers

- Median annual wage: $80,630
- Median hourly wage: $38.77
- Total employment: 1,520 people (3.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $80,700
- Median hourly wage: $38.80
- Total employment: 390 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Victor Moussa // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Firefighters

- Median annual wage: $80,780
- Median hourly wage: $38.84
- Total employment: 790 people (1.97 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Property, real estate, and community association managers

- Median annual wage: $82,570
- Median hourly wage: $39.70
- Total employment: 870 people (2.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

- Median annual wage: $83,040
- Median hourly wage: $39.92
- Total employment: 150 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products

- Median annual wage: $83,440
- Median hourly wage: $40.12
- Total employment: 3,180 people (7.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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pio3 // Shutterstock

26 / 50

#25. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $83,940
- Median hourly wage: $40.36
- Total employment: 1,620 people (4.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gerain0812 // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Surgical technologists

- Median annual wage: $83,950
- Median hourly wage: $40.36
- Total employment: 290 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers

- Median annual wage: $84,830
- Median hourly wage: $40.78
- Total employment: 1,250 people (3.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Computer numerically controlled tool programmers

- Median annual wage: $84,990
- Median hourly wage: $40.86
- Total employment: 60 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

N_Sakarin // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Structural iron and steel workers

- Median annual wage: $86,200
- Median hourly wage: $41.44
- Total employment: 30 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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brizmaker // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Roofers

- Median annual wage: $86,640
- Median hourly wage: $41.66
- Total employment: 140 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers

- Median annual wage: $87,850
- Median hourly wage: $42.24
- Total employment: 1,450 people (3.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $88,130
- Median hourly wage: $42.37
- Total employment: 180 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

kittirat roekburi // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Stationary engineers and boiler operators

- Median annual wage: $89,120
- Median hourly wage: $42.85
- Total employment: 60 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

michaeljung // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Power plant operators

- Median annual wage: $89,750
- Median hourly wage: $43.15
- Total employment: 50 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers

- Median annual wage: $90,190
- Median hourly wage: $43.36
- Total employment: 370 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

santi lumubol // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $90,230
- Median hourly wage: $43.38
- Total employment: 240 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. First-line supervisors of correctional officers

- Median annual wage: $90,610
- Median hourly wage: $43.56
- Total employment: 70 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

funnyangel // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Fire inspectors and investigators

- Median annual wage: $96,760
- Median hourly wage: $46.52
- Total employment: 70 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $97,340
- Median hourly wage: $46.80
- Total employment: 1,640 people (4.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Prath // Shutterstock

41 / 50

#10. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $97,530
- Median hourly wage: $46.89
- Total employment: 220 people (0.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Media and communication workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $98,690
- Median hourly wage: $47.45
- Total employment: Not available

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

- Median annual wage: $100,980
- Median hourly wage: $48.55
- Total employment: 270 people (0.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers

- Median annual wage: $102,730
- Median hourly wage: $49.39
- Total employment: 400 people (1.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vladeep // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Crane and tower operators

- Median annual wage: $104,480
- Median hourly wage: $50.23
- Total employment: 40 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oil and Gas Photographer // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Control and valve installers and repairers, except mechanical door

- Median annual wage: $105,650
- Median hourly wage: $50.79
- Total employment: 130 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Suwin // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay

- Median annual wage: $109,350
- Median hourly wage: $52.57
- Total employment: 50 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $111,980
- Median hourly wage: $53.84
- Total employment: 530 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $112,970
- Median hourly wage: $54.31
- Total employment: 550 people (1.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

50 / 50

#1. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $132,860
- Median hourly wage: $63.88
- Total employment: 90 people (0.23 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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