Highest-paying jobs in Rome 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 Rome 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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1 / 50

#50. Shipping, receiving, and inventory clerks

- Median annual wage: $38,840
- Median hourly wage: $18.67
- Total employment: 200 people (4.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

fizkes // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Public safety telecommunicators

- Median annual wage: $38,870
- Median hourly wage: $18.69
- Total employment: 40 people (0.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dragana Gordic // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Pharmacy technicians

- Median annual wage: $38,880
- Median hourly wage: $18.69
- Total employment: 190 people (4.33 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Standret // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#46. Counter and rental clerks (tie)

- Median annual wage: $38,940
- Median hourly wage: $18.72
- Total employment: 80 people (1.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Medical secretaries and administrative assistants (tie)

- Median annual wage: $38,940
- Median hourly wage: $18.72
- Total employment: 220 people (5.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Africa Studio // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Installation, maintenance, and repair workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $39,000
- Median hourly wage: $18.75
- Total employment: 50 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Loveischiangrai // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. First-line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers

- Median annual wage: $39,100
- Median hourly wage: $18.80
- Total employment: 50 people (1.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

LightField Studios // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Bus drivers, school

- Median annual wage: $39,690
- Median hourly wage: $19.08
- Total employment: 180 people (4.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Billing and posting clerks

- Median annual wage: $39,930
- Median hourly wage: $19.20
- Total employment: 160 people (3.62 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Daniel M Ernst // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Eligibility interviewers, government programs

- Median annual wage: $41,020
- Median hourly wage: $19.72
- Total employment: 30 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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11 / 50

#40. First-line supervisors of housekeeping and janitorial workers

- Median annual wage: $41,990
- Median hourly wage: $20.19
- Total employment: 60 people (1.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Coating, painting, and spraying machine setters, operators, and tenders

- Median annual wage: $43,020
- Median hourly wage: $20.69
- Total employment: 30 people (0.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

giocalde // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Printing press operators

- Median annual wage: $43,420
- Median hourly wage: $20.87
- Total employment: 40 people (0.91 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DC Studio // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Dispatchers, except police, fire, and ambulance

- Median annual wage: $43,640
- Median hourly wage: $20.98
- Total employment: 50 people (1.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

hedgehog94 // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Pest control workers

- Median annual wage: $44,670
- Median hourly wage: $21.48
- Total employment: 60 people (1.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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16 / 50

#35. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $44,980
- Median hourly wage: $21.63
- Total employment: 240 people (5.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Carpenters

- Median annual wage: $45,610
- Median hourly wage: $21.93
- Total employment: 40 people (0.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Automotive body and related repairers

- Median annual wage: $45,790
- Median hourly wage: $22.01
- Total employment: 50 people (1.04 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Evgeny Atamanenko // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Maintenance and repair workers, general

- Median annual wage: $46,760
- Median hourly wage: $22.48
- Total employment: 450 people (10.14 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Inspectors, testers, sorters, samplers, and weighers

- Median annual wage: $47,170
- Median hourly wage: $22.68
- Total employment: 210 people (4.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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21 / 50

#30. Chefs and head cooks

- Median annual wage: $47,750
- Median hourly wage: $22.96
- Total employment: 30 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Insurance sales agents

- Median annual wage: $48,570
- Median hourly wage: $23.35
- Total employment: 80 people (1.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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23 / 50

#28. Mixing and blending machine setters, operators, and tenders

- Median annual wage: $49,650
- Median hourly wage: $23.87
- Total employment: 90 people (1.98 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

G-Stock Studio // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Production, planning, and expediting clerks

- Median annual wage: $50,050
- Median hourly wage: $24.06
- Total employment: 90 people (2.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kzenon // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Self-enrichment teachers

- Median annual wage: $51,830
- Median hourly wage: $24.92
- Total employment: 80 people (1.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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26 / 50

#25. Payroll and timekeeping clerks

- Median annual wage: $52,510
- Median hourly wage: $25.25
- Total employment: Not available

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27 / 50

#24. Food batchmakers

- Median annual wage: $52,680
- Median hourly wage: $25.33
- Total employment: 50 people (1.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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28 / 50

#23. Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors

- Median annual wage: $52,940
- Median hourly wage: $25.45
- Total employment: 50 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

29 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $53,770
- Median hourly wage: $25.85
- Total employment: 50 people (1.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Erin Deleon // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Postal service mail carriers

- Median annual wage: $53,780
- Median hourly wage: $25.86
- Total employment: 100 people (2.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Joey Chung // Shutterstock

31 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $54,990
- Median hourly wage: $26.44
- Total employment: 210 people (4.71 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kot500 // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $55,230
- Median hourly wage: $26.56
- Total employment: 90 people (2.09 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

33 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $55,700
- Median hourly wage: $26.78
- Total employment: 400 people (9.03 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Real estate sales agents

- Median annual wage: $55,990
- Median hourly wage: $26.92
- Total employment: 40 people (0.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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35 / 50

#16. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

- Median annual wage: $56,920
- Median hourly wage: $27.37
- Total employment: 30 people (0.69 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $59,620
- Median hourly wage: $28.66
- Total employment: 170 people (3.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $59,990
- Median hourly wage: $28.84
- Total employment: 70 people (1.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $60,200
- Median hourly wage: $28.94
- Total employment: 70 people (1.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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39 / 50

#12. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $60,270
- Median hourly wage: $28.98
- Total employment: 60 people (1.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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40 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $61,550
- Median hourly wage: $29.59
- Total employment: 250 people (5.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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41 / 50

#10. Cutting, punching, and press machine setters, operators, and tenders, metal and plastic

- Median annual wage: $61,670
- Median hourly wage: $29.65
- Total employment: 240 people (5.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

42 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $62,220
- Median hourly wage: $29.91
- Total employment: 140 people (3.2 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. First-line supervisors of transportation and material moving workers, except aircraft cargo handling supervisors

- Median annual wage: $64,540
- Median hourly wage: $31.03
- Total employment: 190 people (4.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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44 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $66,640
- Median hourly wage: $32.04
- Total employment: 430 people (9.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

BigPixel Photo // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Machinists

- Median annual wage: $67,160
- Median hourly wage: $32.29
- Total employment: 70 people (1.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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46 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $67,500
- Median hourly wage: $32.45
- Total employment: 200 people (4.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

47 / 50

#4. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $68,230
- Median hourly wage: $32.81
- Total employment: 270 people (6.1 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

48 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $69,350
- Median hourly wage: $33.34
- Total employment: 70 people (1.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

49 / 50

#2. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $75,150
- Median hourly wage: $36.13
- Total employment: 80 people (1.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)