goodluz // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Real estate sales agents
- Median annual wage: $53,000
- Median hourly wage: $25.48
- Total employment: 290 people (2.29 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Crestview 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 Crestview 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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Etaphop photo // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Electricians
- Median annual wage: $53,020
- Median hourly wage: $25.49
- Total employment: 580 people (4.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Machinists
- Median annual wage: $53,630
- Median hourly wage: $25.78
- Total employment: 130 people (1.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Production, planning, and expediting clerks
- Median annual wage: $54,030
- Median hourly wage: $25.98
- Total employment: 250 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Erin Deleon // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Postal service mail carriers
- Median annual wage: $54,270
- Median hourly wage: $26.09
- Total employment: 300 people (2.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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ALPA PROD // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $54,500
- Median hourly wage: $26.20
- Total employment: 330 people (2.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Private detectives and investigators
- Median annual wage: $54,720
- Median hourly wage: $26.31
- Total employment: 30 people (0.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Joey Chung // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel
- Median annual wage: $54,840
- Median hourly wage: $26.36
- Total employment: 1,070 people (8.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rlat // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $56,830
- Median hourly wage: $27.32
- Total employment: 60 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Paramedics
- Median annual wage: $56,850
- Median hourly wage: $27.33
- Total employment: 40 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses
- Median annual wage: $57,710
- Median hourly wage: $27.75
- Total employment: 460 people (3.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Virrage Images // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Motor vehicle operators, all other
- Median annual wage: $58,300
- Median hourly wage: $28.03
- Total employment: 30 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $58,400
- Median hourly wage: $28.08
- Total employment: 70 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $58,780
- Median hourly wage: $28.26
- Total employment: 680 people (5.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kot500 // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Median annual wage: $58,850
- Median hourly wage: $28.29
- Total employment: 80 people (0.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Avatar_023 // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators
- Median annual wage: $58,940
- Median hourly wage: $28.34
- Total employment: 150 people (1.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Shift Drive // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Computer user support specialists
- Median annual wage: $58,990
- Median hourly wage: $28.36
- Total employment: 530 people (4.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, except technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $59,790
- Median hourly wage: $28.75
- Total employment: 610 people (4.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rido // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Opticians, dispensing
- Median annual wage: $59,850
- Median hourly wage: $28.77
- Total employment: 60 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $59,940
- Median hourly wage: $28.82
- Total employment: 90 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Carolina K. Smith MD // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Transportation security screeners
- Median annual wage: $59,950
- Median hourly wage: $28.82
- Total employment: 80 people (0.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $60,110
- Median hourly wage: $28.90
- Total employment: 1,060 people (8.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Chefs and head cooks
- Median annual wage: $60,400
- Median hourly wage: $29.04
- Total employment: 310 people (2.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Igor Kardasov // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Captains, mates, and pilots of water vessels
- Median annual wage: $60,840
- Median hourly wage: $29.25
- Total employment: 90 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $61,010
- Median hourly wage: $29.33
- Total employment: 1,000 people (8.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $61,300
- Median hourly wage: $29.47
- Total employment: 500 people (4.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $61,660
- Median hourly wage: $29.64
- Total employment: 410 people (3.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
First Class Photography // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers
- Median annual wage: $62,510
- Median hourly wage: $30.05
- Total employment: 70 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gerain0812 // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Surgical technologists
- Median annual wage: $62,800
- Median hourly wage: $30.19
- Total employment: 90 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $63,200
- Median hourly wage: $30.39
- Total employment: 270 people (2.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $63,350
- Median hourly wage: $30.46
- Total employment: 130 people (1.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Real estate brokers
- Median annual wage: $63,440
- Median hourly wage: $30.50
- Total employment: Not available
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $63,550
- Median hourly wage: $30.55
- Total employment: 280 people (2.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $63,720
- Median hourly wage: $30.64
- Total employment: 570 people (4.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SatawatK // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Telecommunications equipment installers and repairers, except line installers
- Median annual wage: $64,000
- Median hourly wage: $30.77
- Total employment: 140 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $65,870
- Median hourly wage: $31.67
- Total employment: 70 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prath // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $67,840
- Median hourly wage: $32.62
- Total employment: 90 people (0.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $69,750
- Median hourly wage: $33.54
- Total employment: 190 people (1.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SritanaN // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Industrial machinery mechanics
- Median annual wage: $70,220
- Median hourly wage: $33.76
- Total employment: 110 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $71,740
- Median hourly wage: $34.49
- Total employment: 580 people (4.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Photostriker // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Precision instrument and equipment repairers, all other
- Median annual wage: $73,530
- Median hourly wage: $35.35
- Total employment: 30 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $74,510
- Median hourly wage: $35.82
- Total employment: 170 people (1.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
santi lumubol // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $75,590
- Median hourly wage: $36.34
- Total employment: 260 people (2.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment
- Median annual wage: $76,590
- Median hourly wage: $36.82
- Total employment: 130 people (1.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrei Agape // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Avionics technicians
- Median annual wage: $78,750
- Median hourly wage: $37.86
- Total employment: 60 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $79,160
- Median hourly wage: $38.06
- Total employment: 190 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $81,210
- Median hourly wage: $39.04
- Total employment: 160 people (1.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $83,740
- Median hourly wage: $40.26
- Total employment: 100 people (0.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $89,990
- Median hourly wage: $43.27
- Total employment: 90 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Skycolors // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $180,790
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 90 people (0.71 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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