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1 / 50#50. Business operations specialists, all other
- Median annual wage: $63,890
- Median hourly wage: $30.72
- Total employment: 330 people (4.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Highest-paying jobs in Idaho Falls that require a bachelor's degree
Between rising tuition and a tight job market, getting a bachelor's degree is an increasingly daunting prospect these days. Per a May 2024 Pew Research Center survey, just 1 in 4 adults believe a college degree is necessary to secure a high-paying job.
Many second-guess the value of college because of the cost. For the 2024-2025 school year, annual tuition and fees averaged more than $11,600 at in-state public universities, a nearly 3% increase from the previous year. Tuition at private schools increased by roughly 4% in the same time period.
Besides financial concerns, there are career opportunities to consider. Though the job market in the United States shifts from month to month, the unemployment rate for recent college graduates aged 22 to 27 reached 5.8% in March 2025, according to data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. For context, that's more than double the unemployment rate of all college graduates.
These factors all contribute to the belief that college may not be the answer for everyone. However, research shows that a bachelor's degree still pays off in the long run. As of 2024, the most recent year with available data, the $60,000 median salary for a recent college graduate is $20,000 more than the median earnings for someone with only a high school diploma.
Although high school grads can make a decent salary without taking on student loan debt, lifetime earnings range between $630,000 and $900,000 more for those with a bachelor's degree. Graduate degree holders, meanwhile, may earn $1.1 million to $1.5 million more than high school graduates.
With this in mind, many different jobs make a degree worth the cost of tuition. Stacker ranked the highest-paying jobs that require a bachelor's degree in Idaho Falls, using annual compensation data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
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2 / 50#49. Credit analysts
- Median annual wage: $64,490
- Median hourly wage: $31.01
- Total employment: 30 people (0.38 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmytro Zinkevych // Shutterstock
3 / 50#48. Social and community service managers
- Median annual wage: $65,750
- Median hourly wage: $31.61
- Total employment: 60 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Mongta Studio // Shutterstock
4 / 50#47. Cost estimators
- Median annual wage: $67,590
- Median hourly wage: $32.50
- Total employment: 160 people (2.0 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
creativemarc // Shutterstock
5 / 50#46. Administrative services managers
- Median annual wage: $71,570
- Median hourly wage: $34.41
- Total employment: 40 people (0.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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6 / 50#45. General and operations managers
- Median annual wage: $73,180
- Median hourly wage: $35.18
- Total employment: 2,930 people (36.11 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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7 / 50#44. Buyers and purchasing agents
- Median annual wage: $75,460
- Median hourly wage: $36.28
- Total employment: 180 people (2.21 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
8 / 50#43. Compensation, benefits, and job analysis specialists
- Median annual wage: $76,040
- Median hourly wage: $36.56
- Total employment: 40 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
9 / 50#42. Securities, commodities, and financial services sales agents
- Median annual wage: $76,090
- Median hourly wage: $36.58
- Total employment: 140 people (1.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Rawpixel.com // Shutterstock
10 / 50#41. Registered nurses
- Median annual wage: $78,880
- Median hourly wage: $37.92
- Total employment: 1,500 people (18.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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11 / 50#40. Computer systems analysts
- Median annual wage: $79,680
- Median hourly wage: $38.31
- Total employment: 60 people (0.78 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Patrizio Martorana // Shutterstock
12 / 50#39. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health
- Median annual wage: $82,160
- Median hourly wage: $39.50
- Total employment: 50 people (0.57 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
13 / 50#38. Human resources managers
- Median annual wage: $82,760
- Median hourly wage: $39.79
- Total employment: 60 people (0.76 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Aleksandar Karanov // Shutterstock
14 / 50#37. Occupational health and safety specialists
- Median annual wage: $84,130
- Median hourly wage: $40.45
- Total employment: 120 people (1.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
15 / 50#36. Biological scientists, all other
- Median annual wage: $84,640
- Median hourly wage: $40.69
- Total employment: 30 people (0.37 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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16 / 50#35. Management analysts
- Median annual wage: $87,070
- Median hourly wage: $41.86
- Total employment: 130 people (1.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
17 / 50#34. Soil and plant scientists
- Median annual wage: $88,300
- Median hourly wage: $42.45
- Total employment: 40 people (0.44 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
wutzkohphoto // Shutterstock
18 / 50#33. Civil engineers
- Median annual wage: $92,460
- Median hourly wage: $44.45
- Total employment: 210 people (2.54 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Stock Rocket // Shutterstock
19 / 50#32. Sales representatives, wholesale and manufacturing, technical and scientific products
- Median annual wage: $94,990
- Median hourly wage: $45.67
- Total employment: 90 people (1.06 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Bannafarsai_Stock // Shutterstock
20 / 50#31. Construction managers
- Median annual wage: $95,440
- Median hourly wage: $45.89
- Total employment: 160 people (1.92 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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21 / 50#30. Personal financial advisors
- Median annual wage: $96,070
- Median hourly wage: $46.19
- Total employment: 50 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
22 / 50#29. Project management specialists
- Median annual wage: $96,370
- Median hourly wage: $46.33
- Total employment: 650 people (8.05 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
23 / 50#28. Compliance officers
- Median annual wage: $96,480
- Median hourly wage: $46.39
- Total employment: 280 people (3.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
GaudiLab // Shutterstock
24 / 50#27. Technical writers
- Median annual wage: $96,780
- Median hourly wage: $46.53
- Total employment: 60 people (0.8 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
25 / 50#26. Mechanical engineers
- Median annual wage: $98,850
- Median hourly wage: $47.52
- Total employment: 190 people (2.34 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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26 / 50#25. Computer occupations, all other
- Median annual wage: $98,890
- Median hourly wage: $47.55
- Total employment: 90 people (1.13 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Sunshine Seeds // Shutterstock
27 / 50#24. Industrial production managers
- Median annual wage: $99,170
- Median hourly wage: $47.68
- Total employment: 100 people (1.27 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Arjuna Kodisinghe // Shutterstock
28 / 50#23. Network and computer systems administrators
- Median annual wage: $99,180
- Median hourly wage: $47.68
- Total employment: 100 people (1.22 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
luchschenF // Shutterstock
29 / 50#22. Chemists
- Median annual wage: $99,740
- Median hourly wage: $47.95
- Total employment: 120 people (1.47 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Roman Samborskyi // Shutterstock
30 / 50#21. Software developers
- Median annual wage: $100,660
- Median hourly wage: $48.39
- Total employment: 560 people (6.94 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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31 / 50#20. Industrial engineers
- Median annual wage: $100,710
- Median hourly wage: $48.42
- Total employment: 90 people (1.12 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BalanceFormCreative // Shutterstock
32 / 50#19. Information security analysts
- Median annual wage: $100,970
- Median hourly wage: $48.54
- Total employment: 310 people (3.83 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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33 / 50#18. Financial and investment analysts
- Median annual wage: $114,990
- Median hourly wage: $55.28
- Total employment: 70 people (0.87 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
34 / 50#17. Medical and health services managers
- Median annual wage: $118,330
- Median hourly wage: $56.89
- Total employment: 290 people (3.63 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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35 / 50#16. Emergency management directors
- Median annual wage: $122,040
- Median hourly wage: $58.67
- Total employment: 30 people (0.4 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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36 / 50#15. Sales managers
- Median annual wage: $122,250
- Median hourly wage: $58.78
- Total employment: 150 people (1.81 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Jacob Lund // Shutterstock
37 / 50#14. Database architects
- Median annual wage: $126,330
- Median hourly wage: $60.74
- Total employment: 40 people (0.49 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Kanghophoto // Shutterstock
38 / 50#13. Financial managers
- Median annual wage: $126,590
- Median hourly wage: $60.86
- Total employment: 230 people (2.86 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
fizkes // Shutterstock
39 / 50#12. Marketing managers
- Median annual wage: $127,610
- Median hourly wage: $61.35
- Total employment: 120 people (1.52 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Dmitry Lobanov // Shutterstock
40 / 50#11. Nuclear engineers
- Median annual wage: $130,210
- Median hourly wage: $62.60
- Total employment: Not available
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
41 / 50#10. Computer network architects
- Median annual wage: $130,690
- Median hourly wage: $62.83
- Total employment: 120 people (1.42 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Quality Stock Arts // Shutterstock
42 / 50#9. Facilities managers
- Median annual wage: $133,990
- Median hourly wage: $64.42
- Total employment: 130 people (1.65 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
SpeedKingz // Shutterstock
43 / 50#8. Managers, all other
- Median annual wage: $134,430
- Median hourly wage: $64.63
- Total employment: 60 people (0.7 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
44 / 50#7. Engineers, all other
- Median annual wage: $135,150
- Median hourly wage: $64.98
- Total employment: 180 people (2.23 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
VE.Studio // Shutterstock
45 / 50#6. Natural sciences managers
- Median annual wage: $135,510
- Median hourly wage: $65.15
- Total employment: 50 people (0.68 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
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Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
46 / 50#5. Electrical engineers
- Median annual wage: $135,920
- Median hourly wage: $65.35
- Total employment: 100 people (1.26 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
BOY ANTHONY // Shutterstock
47 / 50#4. Architectural and engineering managers
- Median annual wage: $147,800
- Median hourly wage: $71.06
- Total employment: 60 people (0.73 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Frame Stock Footage // Shutterstock
48 / 50#3. Computer and information systems managers
- Median annual wage: $148,400
- Median hourly wage: $71.35
- Total employment: 120 people (1.43 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Chaay_Tee // Shutterstock
49 / 50#2. Data scientists
- Median annual wage: $164,030
- Median hourly wage: $78.86
- Total employment: 220 people (2.74 of every 1,000 jobs in the area)
Gorodenkoff // Shutterstock
50 / 50#1. Chief executives
- Median annual wage: $167,580
- Median hourly wage: $80.57
- Total employment: 230 people (2.82 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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