Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
1 / 50#50. Insurance sales agents
- Median annual wage: $60,790
- Median hourly wage: $29.23
- Total employment: 7,320 people (5.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Tampa 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 Tampa 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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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
2 / 50#49. Lodging managers
- Median annual wage: $61,090
- Median hourly wage: $29.37
- Total employment: 520 people (0.36 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Pixel B // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Tool and die makers
- Median annual wage: $61,240
- Median hourly wage: $29.44
- Total employment: 90 people (0.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Chefs and head cooks
- Median annual wage: $61,600
- Median hourly wage: $29.61
- Total employment: 1,460 people (1.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Nicola Forenza // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Legal secretaries and administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $61,610
- Median hourly wage: $29.62
- Total employment: 1,460 people (1.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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GaudiLab // Shutterstock
6 / 50#45. First-line supervisors of office and administrative support workers
- Median annual wage: $61,840
- Median hourly wage: $29.73
- Total employment: 17,170 people (11.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
7 / 50#44. Real estate sales agents
- Median annual wage: $62,290
- Median hourly wage: $29.95
- Total employment: Not available
rezoff // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Plant and system operators, all other
- Median annual wage: $62,410
- Median hourly wage: $30.01
- Total employment: 120 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Media and communication workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $62,500
- Median hourly wage: $30.05
- Total employment: Not available
Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. First-line supervisors of production and operating workers
- Median annual wage: $62,510
- Median hourly wage: $30.05
- Total employment: 4,610 people (3.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gerain0812 // Shutterstock
11 / 50#40. Surgical technologists
- Median annual wage: $62,550
- Median hourly wage: $30.07
- Total employment: 1,240 people (0.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
welcomia // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines
- Median annual wage: $62,850
- Median hourly wage: $30.22
- Total employment: 1,550 people (1.07 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Paolo Bona // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Food service managers
- Median annual wage: $63,380
- Median hourly wage: $30.47
- Total employment: 2,660 people (1.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rlat // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Postal service clerks
- Median annual wage: $63,670
- Median hourly wage: $30.61
- Total employment: 640 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kmpzzz // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Construction and building inspectors
- Median annual wage: $64,470
- Median hourly wage: $30.99
- Total employment: 1,750 people (1.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
16 / 50#35. Personal service managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $64,660
- Median hourly wage: $31.09
- Total employment: 130 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Andrei Agape // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Avionics technicians
- Median annual wage: $64,720
- Median hourly wage: $31.12
- Total employment: 170 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Computer numerically controlled tool programmers
- Median annual wage: $64,930
- Median hourly wage: $31.22
- Total employment: 130 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
DenisKlimov // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Aircraft cargo handling supervisors
- Median annual wage: $65,130
- Median hourly wage: $31.31
- Total employment: 70 people (0.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Property, real estate, and community association managers
- Median annual wage: $65,160
- Median hourly wage: $31.33
- Total employment: 3,970 people (2.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Bigflick // Shutterstock
21 / 50#30. Correctional officers and jailers
- Median annual wage: $65,290
- Median hourly wage: $31.39
- Total employment: 2,090 people (1.45 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
mariakray // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Traffic technicians
- Median annual wage: $65,680
- Median hourly wage: $31.58
- Total employment: 290 people (0.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
sculpies // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. First-line supervisors of construction trades and extraction workers
- Median annual wage: $67,320
- Median hourly wage: $32.36
- Total employment: 10,380 people (7.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Insurance appraisers, auto damage
- Median annual wage: $68,440
- Median hourly wage: $32.90
- Total employment: 140 people (0.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Syda Productions // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants
- Median annual wage: $69,850
- Median hourly wage: $33.58
- Total employment: 2,830 people (1.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
26 / 50#25. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators
- Median annual wage: $70,430
- Median hourly wage: $33.86
- Total employment: 7,340 people (5.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. First-line supervisors of mechanics, installers, and repairers
- Median annual wage: $73,480
- Median hourly wage: $35.33
- Total employment: 5,290 people (3.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BearFotos // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. First-line supervisors of protective service workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $74,960
- Median hourly wage: $36.04
- Total employment: 160 people (0.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
pio3 // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Police and sheriff's patrol officers
- Median annual wage: $74,970
- Median hourly wage: $36.04
- Total employment: 5,120 people (3.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Vladeep // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Crane and tower operators
- Median annual wage: $75,760
- Median hourly wage: $36.42
- Total employment: 330 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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santi lumubol // Shutterstock
31 / 50#20. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians
- Median annual wage: $76,750
- Median hourly wage: $36.90
- Total employment: 830 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
4 PM production // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Flight attendants
- Median annual wage: $78,440
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 440 people (0.31 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
funnyangel // Shutterstock
33 / 50#18. Fire inspectors and investigators
- Median annual wage: $80,140
- Median hourly wage: $38.53
- Total employment: 130 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
ITisha // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Bailiffs
- Median annual wage: $81,680
- Median hourly wage: $39.27
- Total employment: 50 people (0.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Josep Suria // Shutterstock
35 / 50#16. Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $83,720
- Median hourly wage: $40.25
- Total employment: 330 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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g-stockstudio // Shutterstock
36 / 50#15. First-line supervisors of non-retail sales workers
- Median annual wage: $83,980
- Median hourly wage: $40.38
- Total employment: 2,820 people (1.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
goodluz // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers
- Median annual wage: $89,320
- Median hourly wage: $42.94
- Total employment: 1,710 people (1.18 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Washburn HM // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Transportation inspectors
- Median annual wage: $91,330
- Median hourly wage: $43.91
- Total employment: 130 people (0.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Prath // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Detectives and criminal investigators
- Median annual wage: $91,400
- Median hourly wage: $43.94
- Total employment: 1,140 people (0.79 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Lovely Bird // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Power distributors and dispatchers
- Median annual wage: $91,880
- Median hourly wage: $44.17
- Total employment: 40 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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michaeljung // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Power plant operators
- Median annual wage: $95,000
- Median hourly wage: $45.67
- Total employment: 200 people (0.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Tyler Olson // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. First-line supervisors of firefighting and prevention workers
- Median annual wage: $96,800
- Median hourly wage: $46.54
- Total employment: 910 people (0.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Electrical power-line installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $101,150
- Median hourly wage: $48.63
- Total employment: 1,070 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rebekah Zemansky // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. First-line supervisors of correctional officers
- Median annual wage: $101,940
- Median hourly wage: $49.01
- Total employment: 430 people (0.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Suwin // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Electrical and electronics repairers, powerhouse, substation, and relay
- Median annual wage: $102,610
- Median hourly wage: $49.33
- Total employment: 170 people (0.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Elevator and escalator installers and repairers
- Median annual wage: $103,860
- Median hourly wage: $49.93
- Total employment: 270 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ken Wolter // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Postmasters and mail superintendents
- Median annual wage: $106,490
- Median hourly wage: $51.20
- Total employment: 40 people (0.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
socrates471 // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Media and communication equipment workers, all other
- Median annual wage: $110,140
- Median hourly wage: $52.95
- Total employment: 110 people (0.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Ground Picture // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. First-line supervisors of police and detectives
- Median annual wage: $110,300
- Median hourly wage: $53.03
- Total employment: 1,010 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Skycolors // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Commercial pilots
- Median annual wage: $119,440
- Median hourly wage: Not available
- Total employment: 310 people (0.21 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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