Highest-paying jobs in Kahului 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 Kahului 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.

Shift Drive // Shutterstock

1 / 50

#50. Computer user support specialists

- Median annual wage: $62,770
- Median hourly wage: $30.18
- Total employment: 170 people (2.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rlat // Shutterstock

2 / 50

#49. Postal service clerks

- Median annual wage: $63,270
- Median hourly wage: $30.42
- Total employment: 80 people (1.08 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

fizkes // Shutterstock

3 / 50

#48. First-line supervisors of personal service workers

- Median annual wage: $63,610
- Median hourly wage: $30.58
- Total employment: 100 people (1.46 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

4 / 50

#47. Farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural managers

- Median annual wage: $63,660
- Median hourly wage: $30.61
- Total employment: 40 people (0.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Avatar_023 // Shutterstock

5 / 50

#46. Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators

- Median annual wage: $63,940
- Median hourly wage: $30.74
- Total employment: 140 people (1.95 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Glenn Highcove // Shutterstock

6 / 50

#45. Industrial truck and tractor operators

- Median annual wage: $63,970
- Median hourly wage: $30.76
- Total employment: 60 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Randy Hergenrether // Shutterstock

7 / 50

#44. Construction laborers

- Median annual wage: $64,310
- Median hourly wage: $30.92
- Total employment: 570 people (7.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

4 PM production // Shutterstock

8 / 50

#43. Automotive body and related repairers

- Median annual wage: $64,330
- Median hourly wage: $30.93
- Total employment: 50 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleg Golovnev // Shutterstock

9 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $64,420
- Median hourly wage: $30.97
- Total employment: 190 people (2.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Gorgev // Shutterstock

10 / 50

#41. First-line supervisors of security workers

- Median annual wage: $64,790
- Median hourly wage: $31.15
- Total employment: 60 people (0.84 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Zahovaev K // Shutterstock

11 / 50

#40. Welders, cutters, solderers, and brazers

- Median annual wage: $65,170
- Median hourly wage: $31.33
- Total employment: 50 people (0.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DenisKlimov // Shutterstock

12 / 50

#39. Aircraft cargo handling supervisors

- Median annual wage: $66,180
- Median hourly wage: $31.82
- Total employment: 40 people (0.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Leszek Glasner // Shutterstock

13 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $67,090
- Median hourly wage: $32.25
- Total employment: 210 people (2.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

GaudiLab // Shutterstock

14 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $67,980
- Median hourly wage: $32.68
- Total employment: 1,200 people (16.67 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

David Spates // Shutterstock

15 / 50

#36. Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers

- Median annual wage: $68,210
- Median hourly wage: $32.79
- Total employment: 100 people (1.32 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Carolina K. Smith MD // Shutterstock

16 / 50

#35. Transportation security screeners

- Median annual wage: $68,760
- Median hourly wage: $33.06
- Total employment: 170 people (2.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kmpzzz // Shutterstock

17 / 50

#34. Construction and building inspectors

- Median annual wage: $69,560
- Median hourly wage: $33.44
- Total employment: 60 people (0.77 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Jacob Lund // Shutterstock

18 / 50

#33. Licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses

- Median annual wage: $70,030
- Median hourly wage: $33.67
- Total employment: 110 people (1.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

g-stockstudio // Shutterstock

19 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $71,080
- Median hourly wage: $34.17
- Total employment: 70 people (1.02 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

20 / 50

#31. Lifeguards, ski patrol, and other recreational protective service workers

- Median annual wage: $71,250
- Median hourly wage: $34.26
- Total employment: 100 people (1.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock

21 / 50

#30. Waiters and waitresses

- Median annual wage: $71,920
- Median hourly wage: $34.58
- Total employment: 2,460 people (34.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kot500 // Shutterstock

22 / 50

#29. Bus and truck mechanics and diesel engine specialists

- Median annual wage: $72,730
- Median hourly wage: $34.97
- Total employment: 70 people (0.96 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

welcomia // Shutterstock

23 / 50

#28. Mobile heavy equipment mechanics, except engines

- Median annual wage: $72,800
- Median hourly wage: $35.00
- Total employment: 100 people (1.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Oleksandr Berezko // Shutterstock

24 / 50

#27. Painters, construction and maintenance

- Median annual wage: $72,970
- Median hourly wage: $35.08
- Total employment: 160 people (2.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

SritanaN // Shutterstock

25 / 50

#26. Industrial machinery mechanics

- Median annual wage: $73,420
- Median hourly wage: $35.30
- Total employment: 60 people (0.82 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Igor Kardasov // Shutterstock

26 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $74,380
- Median hourly wage: $35.76
- Total employment: 110 people (1.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Dmitry Dven // Shutterstock

27 / 50

#24. Motorboat operators

- Median annual wage: $75,820
- Median hourly wage: $36.45
- Total employment: 50 people (0.64 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

mahc // Shutterstock

28 / 50

#23. Tile and stone setters

- Median annual wage: $77,240
- Median hourly wage: $37.13
- Total employment: 90 people (1.3 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Lucky Business // Shutterstock

29 / 50

#22. Exercise trainers and group fitness instructors

- Median annual wage: $78,160
- Median hourly wage: $37.58
- Total employment: 110 people (1.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Andrey_Popov // Shutterstock

30 / 50

#21. Plumbers, pipefitters, and steamfitters

- Median annual wage: $78,390
- Median hourly wage: $37.69
- Total employment: 330 people (4.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Irene Miller // Shutterstock

31 / 50

#20. Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators

- Median annual wage: $79,590
- Median hourly wage: $38.27
- Total employment: 280 people (3.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

santypan // Shutterstock

32 / 50

#19. Bartenders

- Median annual wage: $80,040
- Median hourly wage: $38.48
- Total employment: 780 people (10.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

goodluz // Shutterstock

33 / 50

#18. Transportation, storage, and distribution managers

- Median annual wage: $80,180
- Median hourly wage: $38.55
- Total employment: 60 people (0.89 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Kitawit Jitaton // Shutterstock

34 / 50

#17. Telecommunications line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $80,290
- Median hourly wage: $38.60
- Total employment: Not available

Etaphop photo // Shutterstock

35 / 50

#16. Electricians

- Median annual wage: $80,600
- Median hourly wage: $38.75
- Total employment: 260 people (3.66 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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FabrikaSimf // Shutterstock

36 / 50

#15. Carpenters

- Median annual wage: $82,280
- Median hourly wage: $39.56
- Total employment: 830 people (11.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

BearFotos // Shutterstock

37 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $83,200
- Median hourly wage: $40.00
- Total employment: 40 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Syda Productions // Shutterstock

38 / 50

#13. Executive secretaries and executive administrative assistants

- Median annual wage: $83,740
- Median hourly wage: $40.26
- Total employment: 130 people (1.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock

39 / 50

#12. Cement masons and concrete finishers

- Median annual wage: $83,810
- Median hourly wage: $40.29
- Total employment: 100 people (1.39 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

rawpixel.com // Shutterstock

40 / 50

#11. Real estate brokers

- Median annual wage: $85,350
- Median hourly wage: $41.03
- Total employment: Not available

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4 PM production // Shutterstock

41 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $85,600
- Median hourly wage: $41.15
- Total employment: 310 people (4.28 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

pio3 // Shutterstock

42 / 50

#9. Police and sheriff's patrol officers

- Median annual wage: $87,070
- Median hourly wage: $41.86
- Total employment: 260 people (3.58 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

DenisProduction.com // Shutterstock

43 / 50

#8. Chefs and head cooks

- Median annual wage: $87,410
- Median hourly wage: $42.02
- Total employment: 160 people (2.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

santi lumubol // Shutterstock

44 / 50

#7. Aircraft mechanics and service technicians

- Median annual wage: $90,670
- Median hourly wage: $43.59
- Total employment: 110 people (1.51 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Paolo Bona // Shutterstock

45 / 50

#6. Food service managers

- Median annual wage: $93,070
- Median hourly wage: $44.74
- Total employment: 210 people (2.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

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Dagmara_K // Shutterstock

46 / 50

#5. Drywall and ceiling tile installers

- Median annual wage: $99,130
- Median hourly wage: $47.66
- Total employment: 100 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

sculpies // Shutterstock

47 / 50

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

- Median annual wage: $106,870
- Median hourly wage: $51.38
- Total employment: 350 people (4.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)

Luisa Leal Photography // Shutterstock

48 / 50

#3. Electrical power-line installers and repairers

- Median annual wage: $107,810
- Median hourly wage: $51.83
- Total employment: 40 people (0.53 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)