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1 / 50#50. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $60,880
- Median hourly wage: $29.27
- Total employment: 7,210 people (2.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Miami for high school graduates
For decades, common wisdom held that earning a bachelor's degree would guarantee a high-paying career. Higher education does still seem to be an advantage: A college graduate's average annual salary of $60,000 in 2024 is roughly $20,000 more than that of a high school graduate, and those with bachelor's degrees can typically expect to earn between $630,000 and $900,000 more over the course of a lifetime. However, recent shifts in higher education and the job market have people wondering—with good reason—whether or not a bachelor's degree will really pay off.
According to a 2024 study from the Pew Research Center, 29% of Americans believe obtaining a college degree isn't worthwhile, a trend reflected in shrinking attendance at universities across the nation. Meanwhile, annual college costs have skyrocketed to an average of $38,270 per student in 2025, often necessitating student loans with steep interest rates.
With these factors in mind, it's natural for recent high school graduates to consider vocational opportunities outside of college. Those who do may be pleasantly surprised—many companies have stopped requiring bachelor's degrees for entry-, mid-, and even senior-level positions. And while college graduates' average earnings may be higher, a 2024 report from Launchpad Jobs found that around 1 in 5 nondegree holders out-earn the $70,000 median wages of someone with a bachelor's degree.
Of course, salaries for high school grads vary widely based on job, industry, and location. Stacker used Bureau of Labor Statistics data to find the highest-paying jobs in Miami for high school graduates. The analysis included jobs that listed a high school diploma or had no formal education requirement. 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. Watch and clock repairers
- Median annual wage: $61,450
- Median hourly wage: $29.54
- Total employment: Not available
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3 / 50#48. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $61,540
- Median hourly wage: $29.59
- Total employment: 10,950 people (3.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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4 / 50#47. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $61,630
- Median hourly wage: $29.63
- Total employment: 950 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Elizaveta Galitckaia // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Pump operators, except wellhead pumpers
- Median annual wage: $61,670
- Median hourly wage: $29.65
- Total employment: 130 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. Telecommunications line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $61,860
- Median hourly wage: $29.74
- Total employment: 1,610 people (0.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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7 / 50#44. Opticians, dispensing
- Median annual wage: $62,070
- Median hourly wage: $29.84
- Total employment: 1,090 people (0.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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8 / 50#43. Hearing aid specialists
- Median annual wage: $62,090
- Median hourly wage: $29.85
- Total employment: Not available
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9 / 50#42. Aircraft structure, surfaces, rigging, and systems assemblers
- Median annual wage: $62,770
- Median hourly wage: $30.18
- Total employment: 560 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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10 / 50#41. Plant and system operators, all other
- Median annual wage: $62,780
- Median hourly wage: $30.18
- Total employment: 150 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#39. Advertising sales agents (tie)
- Median annual wage: $62,850
- Median hourly wage: $30.22
- Total employment: 1,880 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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12 / 50#39. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators (tie)
- Median annual wage: $62,850
- Median hourly wage: $30.22
- Total employment: 1,760 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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13 / 50#38. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Median annual wage: $63,230
- Median hourly wage: $30.40
- Total employment: 760 people (0.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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14 / 50#37. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists
- Median annual wage: $63,260
- Median hourly wage: $30.41
- Total employment: 2,830 people (1.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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15 / 50#36. Brokerage clerks
- Median annual wage: $63,970
- Median hourly wage: $30.75
- Total employment: 720 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $64,160
- Median hourly wage: $30.85
- Total employment: 28,750 people (10.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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17 / 50#34. Media and communication workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $64,320
- Median hourly wage: $30.92
- Total employment: 1,330 people (0.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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18 / 50#33. Stationary engineers and boiler operators
- Median annual wage: $64,450
- Median hourly wage: $30.99
- Total employment: 70 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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19 / 50#32. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $64,710
- Median hourly wage: $31.11
- Total employment: 10,260 people (3.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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20 / 50#31. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $64,730
- Median hourly wage: $31.12
- Total employment: 2,280 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Millwrights
- Median annual wage: $64,740
- Median hourly wage: $31.13
- Total employment: Not available
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22 / 50#29. Traffic technicians
- Median annual wage: $64,890
- Median hourly wage: $31.20
- Total employment: 80 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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23 / 50#28. Maintenance workers, machinery
- Median annual wage: $65,500
- Median hourly wage: $31.49
- Total employment: 920 people (0.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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24 / 50#27. Flight attendants
- Median annual wage: $66,780
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 6,850 people (2.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bigflick // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Correctional officers and jailers
- Median annual wage: $68,100
- Median hourly wage: $32.74
- Total employment: 3,660 people (1.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $68,250
- Median hourly wage: $32.81
- Total employment: 460 people (0.16 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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27 / 50#24. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $70,700
- Median hourly wage: $33.99
- Total employment: 5,870 people (2.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $71,730
- Median hourly wage: $34.49
- Total employment: 5,370 people (1.93 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $72,250
- Median hourly wage: $34.74
- Total employment: 1,150 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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30 / 50#21. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $73,560
- Median hourly wage: $35.37
- Total employment: 18,070 people (6.5 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $74,990
- Median hourly wage: $36.05
- Total employment: 5,820 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $75,350
- Median hourly wage: $36.22
- Total employment: 2,950 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $75,620
- Median hourly wage: $36.36
- Total employment: 11,460 people (4.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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34 / 50#17. Crane and tower operators
- Median annual wage: $79,440
- Median hourly wage: $38.19
- Total employment: 720 people (0.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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35 / 50#16. Power plant operators
- Median annual wage: $79,720
- Median hourly wage: $38.33
- Total employment: 240 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. First-line supervisors of protective service workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $80,500
- Median hourly wage: $38.70
- Total employment: 590 people (0.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Real estate brokers
- Median annual wage: $81,950
- Median hourly wage: $39.40
- Total employment: Not available
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38 / 50#13. Gambling managers
- Median annual wage: $84,450
- Median hourly wage: $40.60
- Total employment: 100 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Washburn HM // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Transportation inspectors
- Median annual wage: $85,080
- Median hourly wage: $40.90
- Total employment: 860 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ITisha // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Bailiffs
- Median annual wage: $87,050
- Median hourly wage: $41.85
- Total employment: 240 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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41 / 50#10. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $93,910
- Median hourly wage: $45.15
- Total employment: 1,640 people (0.59 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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42 / 50#9. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $94,290
- Median hourly wage: $45.33
- Total employment: 19,300 people (6.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $96,550
- Median hourly wage: $46.42
- Total employment: 5,050 people (1.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $99,280
- Median hourly wage: $47.73
- Total employment: 4,400 people (1.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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45 / 50#6. Media and communication equipment workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $100,440
- Median hourly wage: $48.29
- Total employment: 180 people (0.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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46 / 50#5. Power distributors and dispatchers
- Median annual wage: $103,340
- Median hourly wage: $49.68
- Total employment: 60 people (0.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers
- Median annual wage: $103,390
- Median hourly wage: $49.71
- Total employment: 110 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $105,460
- Median hourly wage: $50.70
- Total employment: 860 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prath // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $113,800
- Median hourly wage: $54.71
- Total employment: 2,030 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $130,010
- Median hourly wage: $62.51
- Total employment: 2,570 people (0.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
This story features data reporting by Wade Zhou, writing by Cu Fleshman, and is part of a series utilizing data automation across 364 metros.
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