Highest-paying jobs in Savannah 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 Savannah 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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Vitpho // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers

- Median annual wage: $56,590
- Median hourly wage: $27.21
- Total employment: 3,980 people (20.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Joey Chung // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#48. Sales representatives of services, except advertising, insurance, financial services, and travel (tie)

- Median annual wage: $57,010
- Median hourly wage: $27.41
- Total employment: 1,090 people (5.61 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. Electricians (tie)

- Median annual wage: $57,010
- Median hourly wage: $27.41
- Total employment: 710 people (3.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $57,460
- Median hourly wage: $27.63
- Total employment: 550 people (2.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Erin Deleon // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Postal service mail carriers

- Median annual wage: $57,490
- Median hourly wage: $27.64
- Total employment: 400 people (2.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

- Median annual wage: $57,620
- Median hourly wage: $27.70
- Total employment: 860 people (4.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $57,970
- Median hourly wage: $27.87
- Total employment: 300 people (1.56 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jat306 // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Millwrights

- Median annual wage: $58,780
- Median hourly wage: $28.26
- Total employment: 240 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

9 / 50

#42. Payroll and timekeeping clerks

- Median annual wage: $58,870
- Median hourly wage: $28.30
- Total employment: 120 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Wipas Rojjanakard // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. Occupational health and safety technicians

- Median annual wage: $59,140
- Median hourly wage: $28.43
- Total employment: 50 people (0.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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11 / 50

#40. First-line supervisors of farming, fishing, and forestry workers

- Median annual wage: $59,160
- Median hourly wage: $28.44
- Total employment: 30 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Real estate sales agents

- Median annual wage: $59,730
- Median hourly wage: $28.71
- Total employment: Not available

Carolina K. Smith MD // Shutterstock

13 / 50

#38. Transportation security screeners

- Median annual wage: $59,950
- Median hourly wage: $28.82
- Total employment: 130 people (0.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ramon Espelt Photography // Shutterstock

14 / 50

#37. Home appliance repairers

- Median annual wage: $60,020
- Median hourly wage: $28.86
- Total employment: 50 people (0.25 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kzenon // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Self-enrichment teachers

- Median annual wage: $60,090
- Median hourly wage: $28.89
- Total employment: 410 people (2.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

- Median annual wage: $60,170
- Median hourly wage: $28.93
- Total employment: 420 people (2.15 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Josep Suria // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Healthcare practitioners and technical workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $60,390
- Median hourly wage: $29.03
- Total employment: 70 people (0.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

18 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $60,780
- Median hourly wage: $29.22
- Total employment: 800 people (4.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

19 / 50

#32. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $60,900
- Median hourly wage: $29.28
- Total employment: 1,170 people (6.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

20 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $61,270
- Median hourly wage: $29.46
- Total employment: 1,650 people (8.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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21 / 50

#30. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $61,300
- Median hourly wage: $29.47
- Total employment: 150 people (0.75 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Kalinovsky // Shutterstock

22 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $61,580
- Median hourly wage: $29.61
- Total employment: 440 people (2.24 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rlat // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Postal service clerks

- Median annual wage: $61,630
- Median hourly wage: $29.63
- Total employment: 80 people (0.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Shift Drive // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Computer user support specialists

- Median annual wage: $62,160
- Median hourly wage: $29.88
- Total employment: 490 people (2.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

25 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $62,600
- Median hourly wage: $30.10
- Total employment: 270 people (1.41 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Stock Rocket // Shutterstock

26 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $62,620
- Median hourly wage: $30.10
- Total employment: 1,550 people (7.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gerain0812 // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Surgical technologists

- Median annual wage: $62,680
- Median hourly wage: $30.13
- Total employment: 340 people (1.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Lodging managers

- Median annual wage: $62,980
- Median hourly wage: $30.28
- Total employment: 160 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

ALPA PROD // Shutterstock

29 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $63,290
- Median hourly wage: $30.43
- Total employment: 1,310 people (6.72 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorgev // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. First-line supervisors of security workers

- Median annual wage: $63,310
- Median hourly wage: $30.44
- Total employment: 90 people (0.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Telecommunications line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $63,400
- Median hourly wage: $30.48
- Total employment: 80 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $64,640
- Median hourly wage: $31.08
- Total employment: 660 people (3.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Prath // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Detectives and criminal investigators

- Median annual wage: $65,800
- Median hourly wage: $31.64
- Total employment: 170 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $66,220
- Median hourly wage: $31.84
- Total employment: 410 people (2.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

santi lumubol // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $67,930
- Median hourly wage: $32.66
- Total employment: 1,140 people (5.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

michaeljung // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Power plant operators

- Median annual wage: $71,100
- Median hourly wage: $34.18
- Total employment: 40 people (0.19 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Vladeep // Shutterstock

37 / 50

#14. Crane and tower operators

- Median annual wage: $71,360
- Median hourly wage: $34.31
- Total employment: 370 people (1.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Virrage Images // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Motor vehicle operators, all other

- Median annual wage: $73,530
- Median hourly wage: $35.35
- Total employment: Not available

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39 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $74,360
- Median hourly wage: $35.75
- Total employment: 1,150 people (5.88 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Claims adjusters, examiners, and investigators

- Median annual wage: $75,880
- Median hourly wage: $36.48
- Total employment: 110 people (0.55 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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41 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $75,890
- Median hourly wage: $36.49
- Total employment: 1,060 people (5.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

BearFotos // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. First-line supervisors of protective service workers, all other

- Median annual wage: $77,380
- Median hourly wage: $37.20
- Total employment: 30 people (0.17 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kot500 // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $77,870
- Median hourly wage: $37.44
- Total employment: 1,440 people (7.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

44 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $78,990
- Median hourly wage: $37.98
- Total employment: 320 people (1.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Igor Kardasov // Shutterstock

45 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $80,180
- Median hourly wage: $38.55
- Total employment: 120 people (0.6 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Roman Zaiets // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Electrical and electronics repairers, commercial and industrial equipment

- Median annual wage: $81,750
- Median hourly wage: $39.30
- Total employment: 80 people (0.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

47 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $82,010
- Median hourly wage: $39.43
- Total employment: 1,090 people (5.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Ground Picture // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. First-line supervisors of police and detectives

- Median annual wage: $82,300
- Median hourly wage: $39.57
- Total employment: 290 people (1.48 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Tyler Olson // Shutterstock

49 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $83,970
- Median hourly wage: $40.37
- Total employment: 200 people (1.01 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)